I'm leeaving, on a jet-plane...

the USA




This Sunday (3rd July) at 2:45am GMT, I will be waving good-bye to my family & Chris as I leave for the 16hour trip which will take me the furthest away from home that I have ever been alone....to the USA!

I'll be spending the next 5 weeks (till August 4th) working at a Catholic summer camp in America! eeeeeek!
I'm really excited & kinda scared!


Excited cos I've always wanted to work at an American summer camp, and realistically this is the only summer I have left ever to be able to do it. Also, I found out about this camp on St. Joseph's day (March 19th) and I had been praying for months for his intercession in finding...well, a Catholic summer camp in America!! Also, I'm sure it'll be really really fun, and an amazing, un-repeatable experience for personal growth and spiritual development! PLUS, it's CATHOLIC! Yey! Daily mass, praying and everything will be Christ-centred! woohoo!

Originally this summer I had been invited to spend 5-6 weeks in China with one of my University friends, but it broke my heart that I wouldn't have been able to go to mass at all while out there, so I am SO happy that I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend my summer being entirely immersed in the Church!

I'm kinda scared though because, this will be my first time away from home totally alone. I'm not 100% sure what to expect, and I'll miss Chris & my family...

but I guess it is only for a month, & it'll probably be over before I know it and i'll be all upset at having to leave!!

Plus, I get to spend 4th July in America!! woohoo! That's a rare treat!

anyway, on Saturday 2nd July I have my graduation, but I don't know if I will post some pictures then so if not......FARE-THEE-WELL my dears!

You shall hear from me in early August!

God Bless!

-x-x-

Contraception part 2

Originally Posted by 'a friend'

Why do so many people think that the purpose of sex is to have children? That is a concept that I have not come across in the reading of scripture. Surely sex is, first and foremost, an expression of love and unity between a husband and wife?

Hi there,

I am extremely anti-contraception as I think it degreades women in a horrific way, and has played a huge and central part in the break-down of the sanctity of marriage and in spousal relationships...but I certainly dont think the purpose of sex is solely the have children.

Furthermore, the Catholic Church, who also believes that contraception turns the sexual act into a false shadow of what it is meant to be, also doesnt believe that sex is just for children.

The Church has no problem with couples having sex when the wife is pregnant and thus biologically unable to conceive or even if the couple is infertile.

So you are mistaken in saying that anyone believes that sex is JUST for procreation. Noone thinks that!

However, I disgree with you saying that sex is "first and foremost an expression of love and unity".

No, first and foremost it is not that.


Sex is both procreative and unitive. BOTH together. EVERY SINGLE SEXUAL ACT MUST TO OPEN TO BOTH. One without the other means the sexual act has been steralised and is not God-given intercourse, but rather man-made intercourse.


Of course sex is procreative; babies can only come from sex!

Of course sex is unitive; there is nothing more intimate, physical and personal two people can offer each other other than the free, open and willing gift of themselves, just like Christ offered Himself freely and uninhibited to the Church and mankind.


Think about what contraception-use does;

it gets rid of the procreative, and it also gets rid of the unitive.

Because sex no longer becomes an act of mutual self giving, it becomes an act of mutual self-taking. Of selfishly using the other person's body for your own self gratification.

Our fertility is not something to be despised and thrown away. It is part of being human, just like breathing.
God gave us fertility. It is not man's job to block out that very wonderful gift of fertility that God has given, any more than it is man's job to stop someone lungs from breathing.

This is something which modern society doesnt recognise. Modern society sees fertility as something to be despised and to be done rid of at all costs because it leads to an "unwanted" consequence of children after sex which was purely selfish and self-interested.

A child in this case is, of course, seen as being a mistake, because the sex itself was not a TRUE expression of mutual self-giving and love, it was meant to be only about sexual gratification.
I want pleasure and I'm going to use you to get it.
When you are only taking, then of course a child, which is an act of love and self-giving is seen as being a mistake.


God must be present in all part of our lives, including the bedroom.
Being selfish in day to day life is seen as being wrong...wel so is being selfish in bed with your spouse.
and contraception makes the mentality of the sexual act very very selfish indeed.

Natural Family Planning, as I mentioned earlier, works WITH the God-given fertility of a woman.

It complements what God has give to her.

It is of nature, and thus of God.

It does not insult God's wonderful gift of fertility, or see it as a disease, but rather works in harmony with it.

A women is fertile for no more than 6 days per month. She is infertile the rest of the time.
A couple who can not have a child at the moment due to their life circumstances etc may abstain from intercourse during the fertile days, and only have intercourse during the infertile days.

Put excellently below:

As Pope John Paul II states in his Apostolic Letter, Familiaris Consortio: “When . . . by means of recourse to periods of infertility, the couple respect the inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative meanings of human sexuality, they are acting as ‘ministers’ of God’s plan and they ‘benefit from’ their sexuality according to the original dynamism of ‘total self-giving’, without manipulation or alteration.”



Furthermore, contraception and NFP are not the same.
When judging the morality of an act one cannot just look at the end, but at the means used to come to that end.

If you want to do something good (e.g. feeding the poor) but have to employ a bad means (e.g. stealing from a bank) then the ends does not justify the means.

Similarly, the end of 'avoiding children at the moment' must be examined in the light of the means used, i.e. either

- contraception:
- NFP

Contraception violates the order established in nature by God between intercourse and procreation.


Also, there is a profound difference between an immoral act and no act at all. This difference is not only metaphysical (between being and nonbeing), but can be felt personally and intensely on a psychological level.

Suppose, for example, an engaged couple is preparing its list of wedding guests. The couple wants some people to come and others not to come. The traditional approach is to invite those whom you want to be your guests, and not invite those whom you do not.

But let is imagine that this particular couple, instead of simply not inviting certain people, sends them a disinvitation: “Dear John and Mary: We are getting married, but we do not want you to come to our wedding. Our ushers have been instructed to escort you to the parking lot if you dare show up. Your presence is not wanted. Stay away. We do not want to see you.”

It is not difficult to appreciate the difference in impact on John’s and Mary’s feelings that receiving such a “disinvitation” would have, as compared with their not receiving an invitation. Sending out such a disinvitation could very well ruin whatever vestige of friendship existed between the two parties. The difference between the disinvitation and no invitation is the difference between insult and etiquette, contempt and civility. It is one thing not to invite a person; it is quite another to explain to him that his presence is unwanted.

Using contraception is like sending a disinvitation to God. It is like telling God that He should not show up, that His creative act is not only unwanted, but disrespected.

But abstaining from intercourse as part of NFP does not send any such message. By refraining from intercourse at a time when a couple does not want to conceive sends an altogether different and more tacit message: “We do not invite or invoke your creative act at this time, but we will not insult you by profaning the means you have established to inititate new life by exploiting it for our own purposes while disinviting your presence through contraception. We will abstain rather than profane.”



anyway, I hope that all makes sense and clears up your ideas.

The Church thinks sex is a wonderful, amazing and increadible gift. One so special that it must be treasured for your spouse ONLY. and one that must not be profaned by insult to God in the use of artificial contraception.


--
nb: I had help with my answer from a website whose address I have lost, so I'll give them credit where it's due..!

The Bible & Contraception

If someone ever says "Where does the Bible say contraception is wrong?".....

~~~~


First it is necessary to start from the beginning.

Sex and marriage.


I will define each, and state what the Bible has to say about each, and then go on to have a look at how this relates specifically to contraception.

Firstly, marriage...

Gen 1:27 -- God made humanity specifically male and female in 'his own image and likeness'. This means that somehow in the complementarily of the sexes, we image God. As male and female we make visible God's invisible mystery.

So what is God's invisible mystery? John tell us that it is love (1Jn 4:8).

Part of this is God's love for us, but even before that, God is love itself. He is love in himself, in the relationship of the three Persons of the Trinity.
God is in Himself a Communion of Persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in a relationship of love so real and profound that it sustains and creates life.

So among other things, this is what our 'being made in the image and likeness of God' reveals; we're called to love as God loves, in a life-giving communion of persons.

and we do this specifically as male and female. The love between male and females can be so real and so profound that, God willing, it can even become another person. A baby is an icon of the love that its parents have for one another.

(note that God of course, is not sexual. The fact that our sexuality reveals something of the mystery of the Trinity does not mean that the Trinity is sexual. God is not made in our image and likeness, but rather we are made in His. God's mystery remains infinitely beyond any human imagination or analogy and we must remember never to make the serious error of reducing the infinite God to our finite human concepts).

So God made us male and female and he allowed us to imitate and express His own free, total, faithful and fruitful love via our own sexual intercourse.

This idea is further strengthen in the New Testament when Christ is called the heavenly Bridegroom and the Church is called His Bride.
Christ gave up His very body, His very self, entirely and totally for love of His Bride. He gave up Himself, holding nothing back, every ounce of Himself for us was poured out for love of us.

Ephesians 5 very clearly tells us how this relates to husbands and wives...

"22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour."
and:

" 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"

Husbands and wives are called to imitate the love between Christ & His Church in a way that is fully self-giving and fully self-sacrificing.

It is meant to be full pure love poured out for each other and expressing the love they have for one another.

It is not self-seeking or self-interested. It is not about ME, but about YOU.

It must be fully self-giving.


So when, according to the Bible, is this sexual love allowed to be expressed between a man and woman?
Any time two people feel like it?

No..

Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis show clearly how God made ONE man, for ONE woman.

Jesus Himself says in Mt 19:6 that ONE man will be united to his ONE wife and the two will become one flesh.

He then adds..."therefore what God has separated, let man not separate":

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

There are two levels of understanding to what he says...

1. God is the one who joins a man and a woman in marriage. Therefore, what God has joined together in marriage, no man can separate (i.e. Divorce is not only not allowed, but even more fundamentally, not possible).

2. "What God has joined, let no man separate". It was God Himself who joined sex & babies and it is the right of no man to separate these two acts.
Sex ==> babies.

Contraception has the specific aim of separating these two processes that God Himself has joined together.

In Mt19:8 Jesus then continues to go on and say how "For your hardness of heart [i.e. sin] Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning [before sin] it was not so."

This further shows the importance from the beginning of a marital union between one man and one woman.


So, we have established that males and females are made in the image and likeness of God, and are called to expressed this image in (amongst other ways) their spousal love for one another via an undissolvable marital union and sexual relations between one man and one woman.
These sexual unions are also meant to imitate the heavenly bridegroom and His bride (i.e. Christ & the Church) -- they are meant to be entirely infused with love for the other, and those involved are meant to express their full self-giving love, holding nothing back.


Okay, so we have established a little of what the Bible tells us marriage is supposed to be about.

I now want to look in a bit more detail at sex, and what the Bible says the point of sex is.

Gen 1:28, 9:1,7; 35:11

In each of these verses the Lord commands us to be 'fruitful' (fertile) and to multiply. As established before, the only way to 'multiply' is to have sex.
Gen. 28:3 - Isaac's prayer over Jacob shows that fertility and procreation are considered blessings from God.

Exodus 23:25-26; Deut. 7:13-14 - God promises blessings which include no miscarriages or barrenness. This shows that children are blessings from God.

Psalm 127:3-5 - children are a gift of favour from God and blessed is a full quiver

1 Chron. 25:5 - God exalts His people by blessing them with many children.

So one very central and pivotal purpose of sex is to have children, and these are a gift and blessing from God.

Secondly, sex is a unifying experience. It is physically pleasurable and one can not give any more of themselves physically to another person. We don't really need a Bible verse to support this because it is a biological fact. It's like saying we need the Bible to say we have a liver in order to say that the liver control blood glucose levels. The Bible doesn't have to say everything single thing that is true if our bodies express that truth biologically...(which they do regarding the emotional bond formed and strengthen via sexual union.)

What more can you physically and intimately give someone than your very body?

So we have established that sex is an expression of love between two people who are married and that sex is the gateway for procreation and for greater unity between these two people.

The Bible shows us that to desire physical pleasure alone from sexual acts is not right.
I will now discuss a few examples from the Bible which clearly indicate that using sexual acts to obtain only the pleasure, but not the procreative side, is morally wrong.

1. Masturbation is physically pleasurable but the Bible is pretty explicit in numerous places about what it thinks of masturbation.

2. Genesis 38:8-10

Onan is killed by God for practicing contraception (in this case, withdrawal) and spilling his semen on the ground.

Some people say that Onan was not killed for spilling his seed, but rather because he refused to fulfill his duty and obey God's command to have a child with his brother's wife. After reading a number of commentaries, I would disagree with this interpretation for 3 reasons...

a- Gen 38:11-26 Judah, like Onan, also rejected God's command to keep up the family lineage, but he was not killed. This was because he didn't 'spill his seed'.

b- Deut. 25:7-10 - the penalty for refusing to keep up a family lineage is not death, like Onan received, but rather a mere public humiliation.

c- Gen. 38:9 - also, the author's usage of the graphic word "seed," which is very uncharacteristic for Hebrew writing, I believe further highlights the reason for Onan's death.

So I would say that Onan was killed, rather than just being punished, specifically because he spilt his seed (i.e. basically the withdrawal method of contraception). He tried to get the physical satisfaction of sex, while purposefully blocking out the procreative side.


3. More evidence showing that physical pleasure alone from sexual intercourse is not permitted:
Lev.18:22-23

22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
23 " 'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

Lev.20:13

13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.


These clearly show that homosexual acts and bestiality are morally corrupted behaviours, but they also show how God doesn't like 'wasting seed' with non-generative sexual acts.

That is, these are sexual acts which have been so twisted that their only goal is self-seeking pleasure.


4.
Lev. 21:17,20 - crushed testicles are called a defect and a blemish before God.

Deut. 23:1 - whoever has crushed testicles or is castrated cannot enter the assembly.

Deut. 25:11-12 - there is punishment for potential damage to the testicles


The only purpose of a man's testicles is to produce sperm.
Damaged testicles have only one consequence for a man....he is infertile and will not be able to have children.

The fact that damaged testicles are so clearly stated as being a 'blemish' , and attempting to damage someone's testicles is also a punishable offence, is a clear indication that it is not good for something to purposefully prevent procreation.

This is therefore directly applicable to vasectomies and condoms as these both have the same biological effect as 'crushed or damaged testicles' as mentioned in Deut & Lev. above.

5. Finally to end off this section indicating why it is wrong to desire pleasure alone from sex (which is the effect of contraception) I want to briefly go over a bit of the psychology.

Desiring pleasure alone when engaging in sexual intercourse means that you are effectively using someone's body in order to experience physical pleasure yourself.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul responds to reports of sexual immorality in the church at Corinth. He specifically uses the example of prostitution, which, in Corinth at the time, would have been both heterosexual and homosexual. Paul’s preaching about sexual morality (1 Corinthians 6:12–20) points to the fact that, whereas most sins are “outside the body”—that is, they are offences against charity to other persons—sexual sins are also sins against one’s own body. Paul reminds the Corinthians here that they are “members of Christ,” and tells them that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own” (6:19–20).

Seeking sexual physical pleasure by using someone else's body means one does not respect either their own body as a temple of the Holy Spirit nor that of the person they are with.

Lust over someone is basically desiring them physically, and when one engages in sex simply because one wants, above all else the pleasure derived from the sex, they are definitely committing sins of lust (Mt. 5:28, Mt 5:29-30).


Okay, so I hope I have shed some light on the Bible's perspective regarding the desire to obtain pleasure alone from sexual intercourse.

Okay, I will now attempt to tie in most of what I have said above to contraception.

To make this easy for myself I will divide contraception into barrier methods (e.g. condoms) and post-fertilisation methods (e.g. the pill, the intra-uterine device, the morning after pill).

The second group all work by preventing a fertilised egg (the embryo) from implanting into the womb.

Life can only start when a new life exists, and this occurs at the moment of fertilisation. Therefore, anything at all which aims to destroy a life after this point, regardless of why one is trying to end that life, is murder.
Murder is a deadly sin and related to countless times all over the Bible. So rather than list every supporting Bible verse, have a look at the Ten Commandments!! I don't think 'THOU SHALT NOT MURDER' could get any clearer!

Okay, now looking at the barrier methods of contraception.

I have thus far attempt to show that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. The deep, unbreakable bond of love between these two people is expressed by the act of sexual intercourse between them.

Sexual intercourse has 2 'purposes' ......the creation of new life, and strengthening the physical bond of love between the two spouses.

Children are a gift from God and are to be desired. The Bible clearly teaches that they are blessings.

Abusing the sexual act so that its only purpose becomes to derive physical pleasure is a sin of selfishness and lust and an insult to the Holy Spirit's fruits of chastity.

Masturbation, homosexuality and bestiality are, I would argue, all examples of when sex is used in a way it was not meant to and in a way that the Bible teaches is incorrect -- that is, purely to derive pleasure, with no interest whatsoever in the life-giving potential of sex.

and I would say that using contraception also falls under the same category.

Contraception was not invented to prevent pregnancy. There is already a perfectly infallible method for that--> it's called abstinence. Contraception was invented to allow people to indulge in their sexual instincts.

But what is so wrong with that if the two people involved are married?, I hear you cry!

well...

Spouses are meant to love one another as Christ loves His Church, as I mentioned before, in a fully self-giving way.

We are humans, and part of being human is our biological fertility. Our fertility is not a disease or a mistake but an integral part of our humanity.

Sex is an expression of the marriage commitment and it is all or nothing. You either give yourself FULLY to your spouse, or you do not.

Contraception sterilizes the act of sexual intercourse. You do not give yourself totally to the other person. You knowingly and intentionally hold back part of yourself from your spouse.

This is not an imitation of Christ's total self-giving to His Church, and it is not an imitation of the deep relationship of love between the persons of the Trinity.

The act of love becomes a lie, because it is not an exchange of self, but rather a sterilised introverted egotistical act.

why? Because you are not giving your whole self. You are intentionally holding something back which is totally integrated into you...your fertility.

Furthermore, if the husband is to be a true symbol of Christ in the "one flesh" union, then he must speak the language of Christ: 'This is my body which is given for you' (Lk 22:19). But the contracepted act of intercourse declares "This is my body, not given for you".

and if a wife is to be a true symbol of the Church in the "one flesh" union then she must speak to language of the Church (most perfectly modelled by Mar): "Let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). But a contracepted act of intercourse declares "Let it not be done to me according to your word".

So I would argue that an act of contracepted intercourse is not, and can never be, an authentic expression of love.

In true spousal love each member is called to give themselves away freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully in an imitation of Christ Himself.

Contracepted intercourse contradicts each of these..

-Freedom: Because you are a slave to your own sexual desires and hormones. Those engaging in contracepted intercourse do not practice chastity or self control, but rather indulge in their own sexual urges while intentionally blocking out God's life-giving intention for that act.

- Totally: Because those engaging in sexual intercourse are holding something of themselves back; their own biological fertility.

-Faithfully: Wedding vows are an expression of God's love on earth. God's love is fully self-giving, and therefore if the expression of love in marriage is not fully self-giving, one is not being faithful to their own wedding vows.

-Fruitfully: The act of intercourse is not life-giving, but rather entirely self-seeking.


But don't just take my word for it, these Bible verses all support this....

Hosea 9:11; Jer. 18:21 - God punishes Israel by preventing pregnancy. Contraception is a curse, and married couples who use contraception are putting themselves under the same curse.

Mal. 2:14 - marriage is not a contract (which is a mere exchange of property or services). It is a covenant, which means a supernatural exchange of persons. Just as God is three in one, so are a husband and wife, who become one flesh and bring forth new life, three in one. Marital love is a reflection of the Blessed Trinity.

Mal. 2:15 - What does God desire? Godly offspring. What is contraception? A deliberate act against God's will. With contraception, a couple declares, "God may want an eternal being created with our union, but we say no." Contraception is a grave act of selfishness.

Matt. 19:5-6 - Jesus said a husband and wife shall become one. They are no longer two, but one, just as God is three persons, yet one. The expression of authentic marital love reintegrates our bodies and souls to God, and restores us to our original virginal state (perfect integration of body and soul) before God.

Matt. 19:6; Eph. 5:31 - contraception prevents God's ability to "join" together. Just as Christ's love for the Church is selfless and sacrificial, and a husband and wife reflect this union, so a husband and wife's love for each other must also be selfless and sacrificial. This means being open to new life.

Acts 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira were slain because they withheld part of a gift. Fertility is a gift from God and cannot be withheld.

Rom.1:26-27 - sexual acts without the possibility of procreation is sinful. Self-giving love is life-giving love, or the love is a lie. The unitive and procreative elements of marital love can never be divided, or the marital love is also divided, and God is left out of the marriage.

1 Cor. 6:19-20 - the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; thus, we must glorify God in our bodies by being open to His will.

1 Cor. 7:5 - this verse supports the practice of natural family planning ("NFP"). Married couples should not refuse each other except perhaps by agreement for a season, naturally.

Gal. 6:7-8 - God is not mocked for what a man sows. If to the flesh, corruption. If to the Spirit, eternal life.

Eph. 5:25 - Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, by giving his entire body to her and holding nothing back. With contraception, husbands tell their wives, I love you except your fertility, and you can have me except for my fertility. This love is a lie because it is self-centered, and not self-giving and life-giving.

Eph. 5:29-31; Phil. 3:2 - mutilating the flesh (e.g., surgery to prevent conception) is gravely sinful.

1 Tim. 2:15 - childbearing is considered a "work" through which women may be saved by God's grace.

Deut. 22:13-21 – these verses also show that God condemns pre-marital intercourse. The living expression of God’s creative love is reserved for a sacramental marriage between one man and one woman.

Rev. 9:21; 21:8; 22:15; Gal. 5:20 - these verses mention the word "sorcery." The Greek word is "pharmakeia" which includes abortifacient potions such as birth control pills. These pharmakeia are mortally sinful. Moreover, chemical contraception does not necessarily prevent conception, but may actually kill the child in the womb after conception has occurred (by preventing the baby from attaching to the uterine wall).



Contraception is a lie of love.



Natural Family Planning (NFP) is completely different from contraception.

God did not make women so that they are fertile every single day of their cycles. There is only a short window of fertility during which a woman can get pregnant. This a biological fact, and thus God-instated.

NFP works WITH this natural cycle of fertility-infertility each month.

If couples feel they can not afford etc a child at the given time, they abstain from intercourse during a woman's fertile period.

A couple is not obliged to have sex all the time, but in fact it is even said by Paul that they may abstain for a time (1 Chor 7:5). Therefore, during the time of fertility, the couple practices the virtue of self-control and chastity, spoken about by Paul. Self control is a gift of the Holy Spirit; the couple is not a slave to their sexual desires, but rather, they are in control of them.

When a woman is no longer in her fertile period a couple may have intercourse without contraception. They are working with what God has given them (that is, both their fertility and their current life circumstances) in a loving, integrated and full way, rather than in a selfish self-centred way.

Contraception and NFP are as alike as abortion and miscarriage, suicide and natural death.

The difference between sterilizing an act of intercourse yourself and accepting the God-given infertile time is one of cosmic dimensions.


Hope this helps show that the Bible DOES indicate that contraception is not part of God's plan for spouses, and it in fact an insult to the beauty of the act of sexual intercourse.

----------------------

Yes, I did actually write all this myself (except for a few paragraphs I stole from Christopher West's Book 'Good News about sex & marriage', and the list of Bible verses were from here.)

I know it may be a bit long, but I feel this is a vital topic and without a comprehensive set of arguments and ideas it is harder to convince others. Better over than under prepared when evangelizing!

Hope this is useful & of some help!

-x-

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Upload your photo to make a huge portrait of John Paul II

http://www.thank-you-jpii.net/eng


World Youth Day in Cologne is now only 52 days away and what a perfect time to reflect on the man who made it all possible – Pope John Paul II.

Whilst it is very sad that the founder of the world youth gatherings won’t be in Germany this time, his spirit will undoubtedly inspire over a million people and help them tune in to Christ and his living church.

JPII remains in the hearts and minds of many and it’s not too late to say thank you to an inspirational leader who showed young people that they are at the very heart of Christianity.

Help build a huge mosaic portrait of JPII


JP2 Collage

domradio in Germany has teamed up with Fujifilm to offer you the chance to help build a massive photo mosaic of John Paul II. Thank you JPII want you to upload portrait photos of yourselves to the site and, with many thousands of others, your pic will make up a small tile on the face of one of the most recognized figures in history. We want to show that love is stronger than death and that John Paul II’s positive message is commemorated by millions of people.

Thank you JPII organisers


This is a tremendous opportunity to be part of something special and, no matter where you are in the world, you can submit your image to make a significant contribution to the 'Thank You JPII' project. The finished mosaic portrait will be presented at the beginning of World Youth Day 2005 opposite Cologne Cathedral.

Everyone who uploads a photo will receive a personalized link so they can trace their individual contribution to the project (this will zoom in on a web-based version of the JPII image).

“We want to show that love is stronger than death and that John Paul II’s positive message is commemorated by millions of people”, say project creators Ingo Brüggenjürgen, Lutz Langel and Ralf Walter.

This is an exciting initiative and not only will it keep JPII’s memory burning brightly in the minds of the pilgrims, it will also result in the world's biggest ever photo mosaic.


So click HERE to get your picture uploaded!!

Chastity..

Along with the lies of artificial contraception and the purity and power of Natural Family Planning, chastity is one of the areas that I could talk about all day if given the chance!

Did you know that over 20 scientific studies have shown that Natural Family Planning has, contrary to popular belief, a 99% rate of preventing pregnancies?
It is such an outrage that popular medicine is so insulting women, the family and society with all their spew about artificial contraception which is physically, biologically, emotionally and spiritually damaging to all who engage in it.

pah!

anyway, a rant about contraception will have to be saved for another day, because today I want to talk about chastity. The other day a friend confided in me that he is a bit worried because he has never had sex with the girl he thinks he might want to marry, and so how can be *possibly* know how 'compatible' they are together..?

This notion that people *have* to have sex before marriage as a way of testing their love, is very ridiculous and based on false ideas about what love and sex are.

While flicking through tv in Italy last summer, I saw a chat show where the topic of discussion was; "Is it possible to have love without sex?" (referring to before marriage)

I almost choked on my tea!! A better question might've been; "Before Marriage: Is it possible to know you are TRULY in love WITH sex?"

Needless to say I boycotted the chat-show!

So anyway, sex before marriage. Is it 'needed' to test out your compatibility for marriage or your strength as a couple?

First of all, what is sex?

Sex is an expression of 2 people's love for one another.

Sex does not equal love. and nor does it define love. It is an expression of love.

There is nothing more, physically, that 2 people can give one another. It is a total giving of yourself to another person. Just as Christ gave Himself fully to HIS bride, the Church, by dying on the cross and not holding back anything that was His on earth (i.e His own life or even His mother), spouses imitate this in a mini-version when they engage in intercourse.
(incidentally, this is another reason (of many) why artificial contraception is morally wrong; because instead of intercourse being fully and purely self-giving, it becomes sterilised as you are holding back from your spouse something that is a intrinsically part of you as a human (namely your fertility) and thus the act becomes purposefully self-taking and akin to mutual masturbation.)

So, because sex is an expression of love which is totally self-giving, it is only appropriate in a context in which the 2 people involved have totally given themselves to one another.
That is, marriage.

Two people who aren't married have not made this commitment to one another. They have not been joined before God and His Church, they are not one.
Therefore, it is inappropriate for them to express a love that flows out of total unity with one another, when they are not unified.


So sex will not make two people compatible for marriage. If you can't stand the person, then no amount of sex will change that. I mean, that simple fact doesn't get more obvious than in today's world. Take a glance around...S-E-X everywhere. You cant get away from it. How horrendous! How skewed! Today's perspective of what 'sex' is couldn't be further from the truth.

In my own experiences in life, those couples who are happiest, most devoted to each other, more respectful and loving towards each other, are those who didn't have sex before marriage.

Those who are unhappy, having affairs, who divorce, are those who did (and who did with multiple people).

So how do you know if you are compatible with someone for marriage ?

Well, very simply....SPENDING TIME WITH THEM!

Enjoying their company! Doing activities together! Talking together about everything from the most superficial to the most profound! Praying together! Going on retreats! Group events! Parties! Cinema! Dinner! General hanging out!

If you can't wait to see someone because you love their company, they make you laugh, you have a great time together, and you love who they are as a person...then you are in love with them! Sex will not show you that!
Sex will then be (in marriage) an expression of that love!

If you can't wait to see a person because you want to have sex with them, but then hope they will leave as soon as possible because they annoy you....then what does that show?!

If anything, I think sex before marriage can totally cloud your judgement, and actually question how much you love THEM, as oppose to just the physical side of your relationship.

The physical gratification will never (and can never) overpower emotional true love. It might temporarily be more of a motivating factor, but it will never overpower it in the end. If you think about it, you will see how true it is.
People who are fundamentally unhappy will try everything to bring themselves transient happiness....sex...drugs...money....but none of that is capable of changing the fundamental underlying feelings of loneliness, being un-loved etc etc.

Loving someone genuinely because of who they are as a person is more powerful than anything physical. Sex expresses that, it doesn't make it or test it.

So for those who aren't married, chastity is the only option and it is certainly the best option. Don't accept anything less than the best, which is what sex outside of marriage is (and what sex inside marriage using artificial contraception is).
Don't accept a shadow of true beauty, or a false imitation of true love.


And for those who say it is impossible....it's not! I (and many of my contemporaries) are living witnesses! Chris & I have been going out chastely for 2.5 years and I love him more dearly than anyone ever and we spend time together every single day as well!

God will always give graces to help us live our lives in most perfect conformance to His will, and so pray for the grace to live chastely. It is a beautiful path and one that will lead to true love.

Mary, most pure and chaste - pray for us!
St. Joseph, chaste father of the Son of God - pray for us!
St. Maria Goretti - you died for love of chastity and purity - pray for us!

Don't mess with me...I know my doctrine...

wow

Crucifix


I got this picture from here Isn't it amazing?!

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony with the child Jesus


St. Anthony of Padua is my patron saint. My parents said if their first child had been a boy, he would've been called Anthony, and if a girl, Antonia. Hence my name!

It was his feast day on June 13th while I was on retreat in Minster. Our Chaplain who came to Minster with us is a Franciscan (like Anthony was) and so of course the homily in mass that day was all about this great Franciscan preacher living some 800 years ago.

I decided to dedicate an entire post to him, my special Saint, and to share some biographical info, as well as my own personal St. Anthony experiences.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Born
1195 at Lisbon, Portugal

Died
13 June 1231 (aged 36, having spent only 11 years as a Franciscan)


Canonized
30 May 1232 by Pope Gregory IX


Name Meaning
inestimable


Profile
Anthony's wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman, but for the sake of Christ he became a poor Franciscan Priest.

When the remains of Saint Berard and his companions, the first Franciscan martrys, were brought to be buried in his church, Anthony was moved to leave his order, enter the Friars Minor, and go to Morocco to evangelize. Shipwrecked at Sicily, he joined some other brothers who were going to Portiuncula. Lived in a cave at San Paolo leaving only to attend Mass and sweep the nearby monastery. One day when a scheduled speaker failed to appear, the brothers pressed him into speaking. He impressed them so that he was thereafter constantly travelling, evangelizing, preaching, and teaching theology through Italy and France

A gifted speaker, he attracted crowds everywhere he went, speaking in multiple tongues; legend says that even the fish loved to listen. There is a story in his Basillica in Padua, Italy, that one Sunday at mass, noone turned up to mass, so St. Anthony was so frutrated with the people that he went out to preach to the fish in the river, and hundreds of fish popped their heads out of the water and gathered below him to hear him preach!

One of the most beloved of saints, his images and statues are found everywhere. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946.


Patronage
against shipwrecks; against starvation; against starving; American Indians; amputees; animals; asses; barrenness; boatmen; Brazil; diocese of Beaumont, Texas; domestic animals; elderly people; expectant mothers; faith in the Blessed Sacrament; Ferrazzano, Italy; fishermen; harvests; horses; Lisbon, Portugal; lost articles; lower animals; mail; mariners; diocese of Masbate, Philippines; oppressed people; Padua, Italy; paupers; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; sailors; seekers of lost articles; shipwrecks; starvation; starving people; sterility; swineherds; Tigua Indians; travel hostesses; travellers; watermen

(note: he is most well known, and well prayed to as the Patron of lost items).


from a sermon by Saint Anthony of Padua:

Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.

But the apostles "spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech." Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself!

We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith so our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendor of the saints and to look upon the triune God.


Among the many miracles St. Anthony wrought in the conversion of heretics, those most noted recorded by his biographers are the following:

The first is that of a horse, which, kept fasting for three days, refused the oats placed before him, till he had knelt down and adored the Blessed Sacrament, which St. Anthony held in his hands.

At Padua also took place the famous miracle of the amputated foot, which Franciscan writers attribute to St. Anthony. A young man, Leonardo by name, in a fit of anger kicked his own mother. Repentant, he confessed his fault to St. Anthony who said to him: "The foot of him who kicks his mother deserves to be cut off." Leonardo ran home and cut off his foot. Learning of this, St. Anthony took the amputated member of the unfortunate youth and miraculously rejoined it.

A third important miracle is that of the poisoned food offered him by some Italian heretics, which he rendered innoxious by the sign of the cross.

A final miracle is that mentioned previously of the famous sermon to the fishes on the bank of the river Brenta in the neighbourhood of Padua.

He is pictured most often holding the child Jesus because the child Jesus used to appear to him.


~~~~~~~


The Basilica of St. Anthony, Padua, Italy.



Since before I was born, my family has been going on an annual pilgrimage to St. Anthony's basilica in Padua, Italy. I have been every year of my life too (except for the about 2 years when I didnt actually go to Italy at all).
St. Anthony's body is there, in a massive marble tomb, and his uncorrupted remains are on show. His right hand, and his tongue and jaw, despite being over 800 years old, have not decomposed and are still perfectly intact.
This is presumed to be because he was a priest and was very keen on blessing people (hence the uncorrupted right hand) and he was a very talented, holy and inspiring speaker (and hence the uncorrupted tongue).
They also have on show the hard stone he used to sleep on.

In August 1983, a month before I was born, my dad and (8 month pregnant) mum were driving back from their annual visit to St. Anthony (& St. Leopold, who is another Saint burried in the same town as St. Anthony is). I forget the exact story, but while on the motorway 2 crazy people in their early 20s who weren't looking where they were going somehow managed to crash their car into my parents' car at a pretty high speed...
Both cars flipped over and flew down the highway. My mum said that as soon as she felt the impact, her immediate reaction was to pray to St. Anthony to protect me & my dad.

My dad was thrown out of the car and had his legs trapped under it. The 2 young people in the other car didn't have their seat-belts on, the young girl seriously damaged her back and to this day is still paralysed from the waist down, and the guy with her seriously hurt his head.

And I, despite being a month away from birth and potentially very vulnerable, was totally unharmed!! (as were my mum & dad thankfully!) As they crashed a trucker was driving along and he immediatly stopped and went and lifted up the car off my dad's legs and helped him get out (he wasn't seriously hurt). Their car was totally destroyed however.

And we put it down entirely to St. Anthony's intercession! He looked after me even before birth! So I am extra proud to be named after him!

I have many other St. Anthony tales, but most involve him helping me to find things that I've lost, and so rather than go through every item, you will just have to trust that he is an awesome Saint!

St. Anthony - Pray for us!

http://www.basilicadelsanto.org/

My crazy post exam life...

Im baaack! Although technically speaking I didn't go anywhere...I'm back in a virtual cyber-space kinda way!

I have started typing this post about 7 times, but it's amazing how much stuff there is to do, when you are supposed to be doing nothing! I am still at University (although, now totally exam- and work-free!).

Hm, lemme think...where do I even start with my tales of what I have been up to these last 20 days...shall I start with seeing the Queen, or the President of Ireland, or with my retreat, or final oral exam, or getting my results, or the BBQ, or the many videos I have watches, the Ball, or the hours waltzing around shopping malls...

How about I start from the beginning..

Are you sitting comfortably?

right, then I shall begin..


Continuing on from my last post on Saturday 4th of June...I went to watch Star Wars with Chris & one of his bestest buds (also called Chris...why is everyone called Chris? My boyfriend, my brother, my good friend, my boyfriend's best-friend...?!!)

I fell in love with Yoda. He is so small, compact and cute that I would question anyone's sanity if they didn't just find him adorable! Yoda like do I.


Wise Yoda is.

The next couple of days were spent going to daily mass, hanging out at the Catholic Chaplaincy for 3-4hour lunch breaks and then watching dvds with my friends/in bed!

On Wednesday Queen Elizabeth came on a tour of my city which was very exciting. The roads were all blocked off with hundreds of police cars. We knew she was in one of the museums and the rumour was that she was going on a walk-about when she got out. Being lazy students with nothing better to do, a friend & I decided to push our way through the crowds of 'adoring fans' and spent about 40mins under the scortching heat waiting for her to come out. When she eventually came out she was about 50 metres down the crowd from us, and had got into her car without walking past our end of the crowd. My friend managed to see her, but despite my jumping up and down I didn't get any glipse of her or her yellow hat.

pah! oh well! I have seen Prince Charles up close, and John Major too. And of course John Paul II, but I can't I cant ligitimatly add the Queen to my list of famous people I've seen as, technically speaking, I didnt *see* her!


HRH Liz

That evening I went to my first ever Tridentine mass. That's the mass that was in place globally in the Western Catholic Church before Vatican 2 in the 1960s. It was quite interesting; it's all in Latin and the Priest faces his back to the congragation for the whole time. Communion can only be recieved while kneeling down and on the tongue.
While of course I am happy with the Novus Ordus masses (i.e. the ones we have nowadays) I do feel that we have somewhat lost the reverence and love towards the Eucharist that the Tridentine masses fosters. Nowadays, the majority of people in the congragation recieve Christ Himself in the Eucharist without even appreciating or being aware of it. But I definitly agree that mass in the venacular is a good thing.

Anyway, the following day I had my oral exam. They asked me some pretty dodgy questions like "If you were Health Secretary how would you divide up the budget between spending on abortions and spending on IVF." I don't think any of my answers were very satisfactory as they kept nit-picking on everything I was saying, and so in the end I said; "Well, to be honest with you, if I was Health Secretary I would probably ban all public funding for abortions and IVF anyway!!"

The high-light of the next few days was going to see the President of Ireland. A good friend of mine is the new Chairman of our University's Ireland society, and he invited the President to come over to England and inaugurate the University's Ireland Society. I didn't really know who she was but now I do!!


My dad then came back from Saudi for the summer! Yey!! Hii daddy! Glad you are back!! -x-x-x-

I also went on a 3 day retreat last week to stay with Benedictine nuns down in Kent. It was so so nice. We joined in with all the Divine Office & Holy Hours with the nuns (matins, laudes, compline, vespers, sext, none) & of course mass. The theme for the retreat was 'the Beatitudes' which was nice, as it really gave me a chance to contemplate and meditate them and to really think about what they mean.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land.
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Plus, the group I went with from the Catholic Chaplaincy was awesome! I had such a fun time with them and they made it even more memorable.


Minster Abbey - The Chapel


a pretty flower


The dude himself


The group + nuns + papal flag


the Chapel again


The next few days were spent going from one BBQ..


fruit salad! Mmmm...!


Dominican BBQ-ing!


to dinner...


someone threw a chip in the water jug...

to other dinners...to garden parties....and so on!


my life honestly isn't like this normally! Just post exams!


Last Saturday I went on a mini pilgrimage to Walsigham, a Marian Shrine in Norwich. A couple of hundred years ago a guy had a dream (which was approved by the Vatican as being authentic) of Mary telling him to build a shrine in Walsigham of a replica of the Holy Family's house in Loreto. Mary has never appeared (in an approved apparition) here in England, so Walsigham is the closest we have to a Lourdes or Fatima!

The occasion was for the National Day of prayer for Vocations in England and my brother & I both went with a Dominican nun & brother.

My brother got chosen to carry the statue of Our Lady of Walsigham on the 40 minute procession. Here he is:


bro + our Lady statue. Doesn't it look like he is talking to baby Jesus?! How sweet!


back of brother carrying our Lady statue

The day was nice. I got to lead a group of people on the 40 minute procession as we said 2.5 rosaries in the sweltering heat! (penance + prayers --> hopefully more vocations to the priesthood and/or religious life!)

Then there was a holy hour of adoration which was nice. To end the day off there was mass..which was a bit dodgy. The main priest celebrating it had us all sit down at the beginning for about 15minutes as he reeled off a list of the different parishes represented this year, and then gave us the life history of all the priests present. I always think those sorts of notices should be kept till the END of mass (i.e. after communion and before the final blessing) and not after the initial opening of mass. In fact, I think it has been specifically mentioned in the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missel). Plus, his welcoming speech was so long that he made us all sit down, so consequently we were all sitting when it came time for the penitential riet and the 'Lord have mercy' bit.

The priest then kept making up bits of the prayers and adding in his own words and phrasing, which isn't the greatest liturgical abuse ever, but still. It shouldn't really be done.

THEN, he got some random woman to read the Gospel!!!!!! There was 8 priests and 2 deacons present at the mass, there was absolutely no need to have some random person read the gospel! Plus it's not even allowed anyway.

At the end of mass I asked him whether he was aware that it's against the General Instruction of the Roman Missel to have someone who isn't a priest or deacon read the gospel during mass, but he told me that
a- she didnt read the gospel (which was a lie.)
b- that he had got permission from "the powers that be" but then he wouldn't tell me who these "powers that be" were.

He was very jumpy, and clearly making up excuses on the spot, and then he turned away from me and totally ignored me, so I just had to walk away.

*sighs*

it's very sad. I am praying for him.


On Sunday evening a group of us from the Catholic Chaplaincy watched a taped 3 hour reality tv show which has been pretty big in England recently (at least in the Catholic world!)...it's a show called 'the Monestary' and basically it's about 5 guys who go a live in Worth Abbey, a Dominican Abbey somewhere in England. The 5 guys live with the monks, participate in all the Divine Office and mass, and do manual labour with them.
It was a very good show. It was so nice to see something sane on tv, instead of the usual garbage that is most reality tv like Big Brother etc! I mean, how many tv shows have you see which explain how true freedom is actually achieved by obeying your superiors, and not actually doing whatever you want?!

On Monday evening I then went to a May Ball (the name comes from the fact that, not surprisingly, the Balls were traditionally held in May and not in June). 4 of my medic friends & I went (& Chris) and it was a lot of fun! Loads of food and games never-ending drink! (although I actually didn't drink a single alcoholic thing all evening! Not even a sip of champagne!)
Basically, how the balls work is that you buy a ticket, and then everything else is free; unlimited food, drink, rides (e.g. ferris wheel, hot air balloon, bouncy castle), music tents, comedians, hypnotists, magicians. The food is also amazing, everything from a freshly cooked hog roast to chocolate fountains, and sushi to donughts, cheeses, fruit, chip, hot dogs, belgian chocolates, cakes, hamburgers, ice-cream, olives, bacon rolls, waffles, crepes, kebabs...basically pretty much anything you can think of!
The ball starts at 9pm and lasts till 6am. So basically it's an all-night event. My friends & I left at 5am though. Here are some pictures from the evening:


fire jugglers


ferris wheel


fountain of milk chocolate (into which you dip strawberries, grapes, marshmellows, melon...etc) it was SO YUMMY!


A blurry photo of my friends & I


Artistic shot of the ladies


Chris + random statue of Marylin!

I've often wondered about the morality of May Balls...not from a getting-drunk-and-being-crazy point of view (because most people don't really get very drunk as the tickets are so expensive that I guess they think it's a bit stupid to get really drunk and then pass out and miss the whole ball...plus I have never been drunk in my life anyway!), but rather its morality from the perspective that it is such...excess. There is an excess of everything. People get food, take two bites and leave it there. They get a glass of something to drink, take a sip and then just leave it there. There is a hyper excess of everything...it is honestly sheer gluttony that drives you to keep eating all evening even when you are stuffed full already (that, and the fact that you paid a mini fortune for the ticket and want to get your moneys worth).

Hm, last year our Chaplain went to a Ball and I consider him a very holy man, so maybe I am just being a bit scrupulous..

At any rate, I guess this is the last year I will ever go to a ball anyway (as next year I will be working (still as a student) in hospital as so wont have any time).

Last night I went overnight punting with some of my medic friends to celebrate someone's 21st birthday. It was a lovely 1.5hour punt upstream to our destination in a lovely field, and we arrived at about 10pm. But 11pm I was freezing cold and a bit tired and wasn't too keen to stay there till dawn like the others. At about 00:30am Chris & I decided to walk back as he has to go into the lab today anyway, and I didn't really want to get back at the crack of dawn and then miss the whole of today by sleeping into the afternoon.

I have just got back from mass now and the weather outside is glorious!

I have a couple of books that I really want to read, & I may go outside and enjoy the sunshine now and read one:

-The Little Flowers of St. Francis
- The Confessions of St.Augustine
- The Mind of St. Therese of Lisieux
- Screwtape Proposes a toast (by C.S. Lewis)

I think I will start with the latter as I have been meaning to read it for ages and ages and it's apparently an amazingly good book. Basically, from what I understand, it's a book written in the first person by an older devil, teaching a younger devil how to better tempt humans and lead us astray into Hell. It apparently is extremely perceptive in its detailing of human sin and weakness.

*phew*

I am glad I have finally caught up on my blogging!

Enjoy the sunshine!

-x-x-x-

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Today is the feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; that most loving and pure heart which loved God so fully and humbly.



ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, and tender Mother of men, in accordance with thy ardent wish made known at Fatima, I consecrate to thee myself, my brethren, my country, and the whole human race.

Reign over us and teach us how to make the Heart of Jesus reign and triumph in us and around us, as It has reigned and triumphed in thee.

Reign over us, dearest Mother, that we may be thine in prosperity and adversity, in joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness, in life and in death. O most compassionate Heart of Mary, Queen of Virgins, watch over our minds and hearts and preserve them from the deluge of impurity which thou didst lament so sorrowfully at Fatima. We want to be pure like thee. We want to atone for the many crimes committed against Jesus and thee, We want to call down upon our country and the whole world the peace of God in justice and charity.

Therefore, we now promise to imitate thy virtues by the practice of a Christian life without regard to human respect. We resolve to receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday of every month, and to offer three five decades of the Rosary each day together with our sacrifices, in the spirit of reparation and penance. Amen.

Hehe! Pope Doll!

Pope Benedict Doll

A doll in honor of the Pope has gone on sale in Germany.

The 16-inch collectable version of 78-year-old Pope Benedict XVI costs £93.

It has moveable arms and legs for emulating the Pope's wave and even wears the full papal apparel.

Only 999 of the limited edition dolls will be sold by toy makers Schildkroet.


(from ananova.com)

Body Clocks and Binturongs

Inside our brain there is a little nucleus called the supra-chiasmatic nucleus and its' job is to be the body's clock.
It is involved in the process which makes us feel tired at night, and makes sure we feel awake in the morning.
Also, I'm sure you've all had the experience of waking up 10 mins or so before your alarm clock was due to go off and thinking 'hm, isn't it funny that I woke up at the right time without the need for my alarm clock to ring...'
Well, that was due to your suprachiasmatic nucleus gearing your body up ready for awakeness (as opposed to sleepness).

I think my supra-chiasmatic nucleus is wako.

I knew this would happen this year, like every year. My exams are over, I have nothing to do, nowhere to go, no pressures, no deadlines, I am free to sleep till noon if I please...

But no, my SCN has different plans for me. I woke up, bright eyed and rearing to go at 6:58AM!!!! Two minutes before my alarm has been set for this last week. (although it was obviously swtiched off today!)
My crazy body thinks I *still* need to get up at 7am to prepare myself for the day's work and so it has decided to wake me up.
Pah, and it's not as it I went to bed really early either (1:30am).

Last year I had an exam period than spun over 10 days, and so every morning for those 10 days I was getting up at 7am. Well, the 2 week period afterwards was horrible as I just couldn't sleep late in the mornings! I just wasn't allowed...by my own brain! I kept on waking up before 7:30am every single morning and being simply unable to actually sleep afterwards! Plus it doesn't help that the curtains in our University rooms are so thin and cheap that it's almost as bright with them drawn, and it is with them open!

*sighs* so here I am, at the crazy time of 7:15am thinking...hmm...what to do...


So I have decided to do some research on the Binturong.


Googled Binturong

When Chris & I went to the zoo a while ago there was this insane animal that looked a bit like a large cat-dog hybrid. I'd never seen one before so it was all very exciting to discover a whole new type of animal exists!

It was actually very sad as I think the zoo had made it go crazy. It was enclosed in a very small area (probably equivalent to if a person was perpetually enclosed in a small bedroom) and all it was doing was constantly pacing round and round and round and round its enclosure. The same circuit just over and over and over again. I seriously think it had some kind of disorder due to lack of space.
Poor thing.

Actually, it was a pretty horrible zoo on the whole. It wasn't like one of those big safari-park-type places that they have where the animals are free to roam around in huge areas of land, the poor creatures were all enclosed in pretty small cages with actually quite limited freedom to move and roam.

But anyway, the binturong...

here is a picture that we took at the zoo. We had to take the shot about 7 times because the mad thing wouldn't stop pacing about but here ya go...


Binturong behind glass


Why do people get kitties and puppies....baby Binturongs are clearly the way forward:


I WANT ONE!!

Isn't the wee one cute?!! :o)

Anyway, here are a few snappy facts about THE BINTURONG (Arctictis binturong)

* It is an arboreal animal, meaning it lives in the trees.

* They have black fur and can weigh 30 to 40 pounds.

* From head to tail they are 46 to 73 inches long, but their body length is only 24 to 39 inches long.

* They can walk upside down hanging from branches with the use of their tail. The tail is also used as a brake when running head first down a tree, like a squirrel.

* It can be found in the tropical and sub-tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Palaway Island, Burma, Indochina, Sumatra, Bangka, Java, Borneo, and possibly Nepal.

*The binturong is rare in its current range due to habitat destruction.

* They are mostly nocturnal,

* Their diet consists of both plant and animal matter. They usually eat moving prey and fruit.

* Unlike cats, their bite is not aimed at a specific bodypart and birds are not plucked before eating.
Binturongs are very good swimmers and are very playful.

* They have been known to leap 5 feet into the air and kill animals by leaping on them.

* Binturongs begin breeding at age two.

* Usually one or two young are born after a gestation period of 92 days. At birth they weigh 11 ounces. Females have two pairs of teats and the young nurse for at least 8 weeks.

* They have a keen sense of smell, and it has good vision and hearing.

* They themselves have an unusual odor like buttered popcorn, and they mark their territory by scent.

* When the binturong is moving, it sometimes makes low grunts or a hissing noise.

* Although usually very tame, they can be aggressive when they are cornered and can give a very powerful bite.

*Otherwise when they are challenged by another animal, they give a low growl and spit.


well, ain't that simply fascinating...?! Plus I'm intrigued by the description of it smelling like 'buttered popcorn'...how odd!

So mummy & daddy, that's what I want for my birthday, a teeny-weeny-popcorn-smelling Binturong!



*sighs*

*looks at watch*

7:45AM.

It's gonna be a long day..!

-x-

exam 4

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Today is the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This morning I went to mass at 7:30am as usual and because it was a feast day everything was sung so mass took 50 MINS! It ended at about 8:25am and I had my exam at 9am!

It must've helped me however as my exam went REALLY well!!! I was convinced this was gonna be my worst paper and a total disaster but it was actually good!

It took me over 1.5hours to read the actual scientific paper that we had to evaluate, but then the remaining 1.5hours weren't enough to say all I wanted to say! I could've gone on and on which is amazing as I didnt think I'd be able to think of any evaluative points at all!

The paper itself was a study on the use of behavioual techniques used to try and curb risky homosexual behavious and the spread of HIV and so was a bit...ew...but oh well!
It's done now!

I have no idea what the quality of my writing and comments were like, but at least I had something to say!

yey!!!!!!!!!!!

MY EXAMS ARE OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO MORE PAIN OR STRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

My oral next Thursday should be okay, and then my results come out a week today!

After my exam I went to the student Chaplaincy for the rosary and then mass again!! (I've had an extra holy day today!)

YEY!!!!!!!!

At the moment I am in Chris' room because he came to mass at the Chaplaincy too and then had lunch with us (we have a big student lunch there every day) so he gave me his room key as he had to go back to the lab to work on his phD stuff (I use the word 'work' in its loosest possible sense as we all know phD students dont do any work!!)

I'm chilling here till 4:30pm when my friends finish their exams and then we are going to wander round the shops for a while!

We might all also go out for dinner tonight, not sure!
But hey, I'm a freeee girl now, so I can do what I like with no guilt that I *should* be working!


YEY!!!!!!!

I FINISHED MY EXAMS!!!!!!!!

FUN AND FREEDOM...HERE I COME!

Jesus' Sacred heart; such an amazing picture

update on exam 3

my exam this afternoon was...bizarre.

There wasn't a single sciencey question. They were all social and ethical ones that required thinking and the construction of a convincing argument.

eugh, I probably sound really lazy what with all my complaining about having to *think* in exams but I cant help it! After years of science exams (which is basically what medicine is) I'm used to revising lists of facts and then spewing out those facts to answer a question.
This year the exams have been much harder, all requiring an application of the science & theory to social real-life situations that we've never considered before.
Hence thinking!

The questions I did today were:


"Sex education in schools is controversial. Discuss some areas of controversy and how these can be addressed".

It went kinda sorta okay...I think...?

and then another question about whether 2 people with achondroplasia (dwarfism) should be helped via embryo selection to have a baby with dwarfism too, and then how this compares to a couple with 3 boys who want embryo selection to have a girl.

I am, of course morally opposed to abhorrent things like pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and embryo selection, but for the sake of the exam, I tried to be impartial and give both sides.
It was hard though as I had learnt all the science about embryo selection, how it is done, what the techniques are...all the facts and figures....but then I couldnt really use any of it to answer the question (except in the introduction).

and all the questions have been a bit like that

(Two other avaliable questions were... "Why is there a lack of biological evidence for homosexuality. Does this matter?" , or "Design a study to study the effects of stress on sperm quantity".)

hmm...very random as we hadn't really learnt anything applicable!


PLUS, my pen ran out half way through the exam and I didnt have a spare one!!! I know, I know, I probably should've bought more than one black pen but I didnt think it would run out of ink!!
One of the exam invigilators gave me a leaky biro instead and so half of my exam paper is totally illegible because biros + my handwriting + timed exam conditions = scrawl!


Anywayz,

tomorrow is my dreaded exam.

I will have to do a critical evaluation of a scientific paper.

One 6-7 page paper. 3 hours and I need to write a competent critique on the paper.

I cant do things like that! All I can ever think of is stuff like "The picture should be bigger", "The heading should be underlined".
And I will need to do stuff like comment on the effectiveness of the chosen methodology, or on the use of statistical tests. Are the results convincing? Evaluate the conclusions.


haaaaaaaaard!

Ah well!

It finished at noon, and at 12:30 we have the rosary in our student chapel so I will be on my knees praying for my examiners (may their hearts be softened and may they write down the wrong mark for me...) (preferable one that is HIGHER than what I deserve!)

hehe!

better go get to work!

almost over....

almost over...

almost over...

-x-x-

update on 2, looking to 3

Morning,

I'm sure my 8am posts are getting boring now, but only today left! (doubt I will post tomorrow b4 my exam)

Yesterdays exam was...um...well...hmmmmmm

There were 4 main problems as I see it:

1. NONE of the questions were particularly good ones. The only easy & straight-forward to answer question was on the topic I ditched! pah! In my 10 years of taking exams I have never ever not revised a topic! But this year I thought that due to the vast load of stuff i need to know, I will drop one topic to give me time to revise in more detail all the rest.
how typical is it that the easiest question was on that topic?! waa!!

2. The other questions were all asked from really wierd angles, asking us to look at the information from a perspective that we'd never considered it before. I dont like those kinda questions as they require hard thinking which is always stressful under exam conditions and you are never quite sure you are actually answering the question..

3. It took me about 10 mins before I could decide which question to start with. There was about 4 that I could write something on, my main problem was, which ones would limit the damage?!

4. I spent 20 mins planning an essay and 5 mins writing it before I realised that i actually had no more than 10 mins worth of writing to do for it (we're supposed to spend an hour writing them). So I ditched it and started doing another one! (it worked out ok in the end....i think. hope. pray!)

So all in all...the exam itself was stressful and a generally unpleasant experience.

ah well.

In other news, I got my letter of confirmation from the hospital taking me for my Clinical course next year! It welcomed me to the hospital and had my time-table details and info to get an ID badge!
woohoo! I'm a proper Clinical student!

which is all very reassuring....I'm already into Clinical School, these exams dont really count to my Medical degree....

(but of course, if I dont ever get to my medical degree in 2008 I will need my BA degree to fall back on, in which case these exams are vital!)

ahhh.

better go and work for this afternoons!

Before mass this morning I arrived early and the Dominicans were saying their morning prayers. One of the responses to the psalm was:

"Lord, bless and protect our work today"

and I say:

AMEN!

update + EXAM2

mornin all,

just got back from mass, am eating my cereals out of a mug again cos I cant find my bowl in our kitchen (and I am using the other bowl as a plant-pot holder!) ah, the life of a student!

My exam yesterday went okay. The questions weren't exactly what I would've chosen for myself, and I spent the first 8 mins of the exam semi panicing cos I didnt know which questions to do as there were 3 I could do equally badly/well and I wasnt sure which I should go for.
But in the end I decided and went for the ones with the most science content and lest personal input. My brain already hurt and I didnt want to risk losing marks due to lack of creativity, so I just blabbed out science and theory!

But on the whole I'm sure I didnt fail it, which is all that really matters!

anyway, better go start revising for today's exam in EXACTLY 5 hours!

see yous
-x-