Monday, December 10, 2012

Advent 2012!

Here we are- Advent! Some years it sneaks up on me, some years I can't wait for it to begin. But as God would have it, in the spirit of this pretty great year, it has been a good balance right now of challenge and peace. As it should be right? I think I keep proving to myself that by our 30s, we finally start to get things right ;)


I know it's week two...I couldn't find one with two candles lit and I'm not that tech-literate to create my own. Though I did find this fun generated image on the internetz:




I last blogged on the Feast of Christ the King. With that feast, which ends the liturgical year, began my prayers for a holy Advent. I wanted to enter into the season fully. I went to confession right away, made some resolutions (I am re-committing to daily Mass for one. This school year we switched to a five minute earlier start time for classes and somehow that through my whole morning off! Finally getting it back into gear this Advent!) and am trying to make my daily prayer time special and Advent-y.

I think around this time of year I find myself blogging about hope because it just fits in so easily with the season. No one gets sick of hope,though, right? My thoughts are naturally drawn to hope again this year and like I said, we can never have too much of it.

I love the readings from the prophets during Advent that speak of this hope that I can't get enough of:

"The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song...


Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God..."  Isaiah 35: 1-10


I think I have blogged before about the difference between "Christmas Joy" vs. "Easter Joy". "Easter Joy" comes from the fruit of our suffering having entered into the desert with Jesus during Lent. Advent is a penitential time, too, but one of more waiting and anticipation. And the Joy of Christmas is more a free gift (certainly, the salvation of the Resurrection is free gift! But in the Spirit of Lent, it is a joy we feel after weeks of sacrifice).

Let's put it this way: Easter is more like  an "ALLELUIA! OM THANK GOD EASTER IS HERE!" than "oh, HEY. Christmas is pretty sweet!" . Christmas joy comes out of these messages of hope from the prophets and it is unexpected and truly free.


And so on that note, I'm just feeling real positive this month, y'all! I have passed one test so far towards my Masters degree, I have one final this week which I am also feeling surprisingly confident about. 


My prof gave us about 13 options for possible exam questions last week. ( I made sure to tell him that 13 was a terrible number, but I'm guessing since he teaches the course which is actually numbered TRS 666, he isn't one for numerology or superstition. Priests are like that. )


At first I was overwhelmed about the research I might have to do to find all the answers to said questions,  but once I dove into my notes I realized a.) I had taken REALLY good notes (despite all the texting and tweeting I did through classs...sshhh! I become the WORST student after teaching all day!! and b.) the concepts wouldn't be as hard to remember as I first thought. Whew!


Today in one of my sophomore classes a student actually asked me (without her knowing it) one of the questions on the exam! We were talking about human suffering and Christ's own suffering and she asked: "Does God the Father suffer?" One of my exam questions was on the heresy of patripassianism and I FREAKED OUT. I was like "NO! I know this one! And the answer is NO!" 


I then attempted to explain to her "divine impassibility" the best I knew how. 


I then emailed my prof to tell him all of this and that I was going to nail Question #2 should he ask it on the exam.


He wrote back to tell me he LOL'd. 


This is my life. 


I'm such a nerd.


But Advent Hope! It's here! Christmas Joy! Let's get it! I'm all about it! 


It all reminds of THIS SONG that my roommate introduced me to (whom I'm soo thankful for, btw. Mainly because she watches tragic reality television with me. We gagged together when we watched Honey Boo Boo make "sketti" and also are obsessed with Tamar Braxton- "GET YOUR LIFE!")


Anyways, as the song says: Go get your blessing! It's your time!


(Mary Mary also have their own reality show, too, btw ;)


Peace, Love, Hope and JOY-


Julia



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