The beginning of another year causes one to reflect on the passage of time. Doing so is always a little disconcerting to me, because I am continually shocked to discover how quickly time has passed. It seems like yesterday that I set foot on the Ohio Dominican campus for the first time, but already I am halfway through my second year here.
Breaks from school are already opportunities to marvel over how quickly time passes, because they seem to be over in an instant. I like school, but it is nice to have a break; and no matter how long the break is, it always seems to be over before it starts.
Looking over the past year of my life, I see numerous successes to improve upon and failures to learn from. This coming year holds many new opportunities. There is so much that I want to accomplish and experience in the coming year. But most importantly, I want to take advantage of the time I have before it is gone. This year, my New Year’s resolution is to savor every minute. Each new moment is an opportunity to grow in faith, to learn something new, to spend time with a loved one. I want to make the most of these opportunities.
We often get so caught up in the worries and struggles of everyday life that time slips by without our noticing it, and the next thing we know it is January again and we’re wondering where the year has gone. We celebrate the New Year and take a moment to reflect on how precious time is, but then we return to our everyday lives and take time for granted again until next January 1st. I don’t want to do that again this year. I invite you to join me in making a New Year’s resolution to savor every minute of the coming year, understanding how precious time is and taking advantage of the wealth of opportunity contained in every moment. Concentrate on the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves.
Last Saturday, I went to a Kathy Mattea concert at our local Midland Theatre. The first half of the show was a mixture of her most popular hits and a few Christmas songs, and the second half was devoted entirely to Christmas music. Her beautiful voice, the amazingly talented band, and the great acoustics of the Midland combined to create a truly awesome sound. I got to meet her after the show and she signed the back of my ticket.
The concert was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. At the beginning of the show, Kathy Mattea announced that we were not going to hear any songs about Santa Claus or malls because we hear enough of those as it is. She only performed songs that reflected the true meaning of Christmas: songs about the birth of Jesus and the Love that He brings to the world. We can take a lesson from this as we complete our preparations for the coming of Christ. Christmas is almost here, and we are hurrying to get presents wrapped and cards sent before times runs out. We can get so caught up is such preparations that the true meaning of Christmas gets lost.
The theme of the fourth and final week of Advent is Love. The best way that we can celebrate Christmas is to share with each other the Love that Christ’s birth brought to the world. We often do this by exchanging gifts or eating meals with family and friends. But as the time to prepare runs short, if a few gifts don’t get wrapped in time or some cookies go unbaked, we must remember that the most important thing is to experience the Love of the Christ Child and to share His love with others. We can do this in simple ways—a hug, a smile, or simply being together. May the Love of the Christ Child fill the hearts of you and your family this Christmas.
On my last blog post, I introduced you to the new addition to our family, but I was unable to share photos due to computer difficulties. They are too adorable to miss, so here are a couple of pictures of baby JohnPaul:
JohnPaul in his Santa suit
JohnPaul with me and his sister and brother, Maggie and Roman
“Rejoice in the Lord always! I shall say it again: rejoice!” ~Philippians 4:4
Fall semester came to a close this week as ODU students finished final exams and left for Winter Break. I had two exams on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, as well as various final papers and projects to turn in over the course of the week. I was finally finished on Wednesday afternoon, and I was pleased and relieved to have everything done. I cleaned my room, defrosted the refrigerator, removed perishable food items, shut and locked the windows, and completed the checklist that ODU provides to notify students of how they are expected to prepare their rooms for break. I came home on Wednesday night (Dec 10), and I will be home until a day or two before classes begin again on January 20. I am extremely happy to have some time to relax and visit with friends and family back home.
I am also delighted that my new baby cousin and godson was born this week. JohnPaul Titus was born at 2:26 pm on Monday, December 8, 2008. He was 8 lbs, 8 oz, and 20 inches long. He is healthy and adorable, and is welcomed by an older brother and a sister. Magdalene is 16 months old—she was born on the exact day that I started my freshman year at ODU. Roman is 2 but will turn 3 in the end of December; he is an excellent big brother and is doing a great job of helping take care of the new baby.
JohnPaul was born on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which we celebrate the sinlessness of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who from the first moment of her conception was preserved from the original and personal sin which would have interfered with her welcoming of the Lord with love and joy. True joy comes from fixing our minds and hearts on God and acting in accordance with His will; because she had no sin to draw her away from God, Mary’s joy was complete. The customary purple of Advent reminds us of the penance by which we prepare our hearts to share in her joy over the coming of Christ.
The theme of this 3rd week of Advent is Joy. Today is Gaudete Sunday, which is Latin for “Rejoice!” Today, the repentant purple gives way to a jubilant rose that is an expectation of the joy we will feel when the Lord comes on Christmas. Throughout Advent, we imitate Mary’s loving waiting and careful preparation; how appropriate to welcome a new baby as we begin the week when we share in her joy at the coming of the Christ Child. Several happy events in my life have given me much reason to rejoice this week; but my jubilation is paltry compared to the joy that the Lord brings. The joy of welcoming a pure and innocent new baby is a fitting symbol of the joy of welcoming the perfect and holy Christ Child into our hearts on Christmas morning.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” ~Luke 1:46-47