Message of Joy
This week is the third week of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation for celebrating the coming of Jesus as a baby at Christmas time. Christmas time is always a festive time for people all over the world. Presents have to be bought, meals have to be prepared, decorations have to be put up, Christmas cards have to be sent out and so many other things. Preparation takes time. John the Baptist is an important character in the scripture readings for the third week of Advent. He is the one saying to the people to repent and to turn from their evil ways because there is a time of reckoning that is coming. Jesus is coming to teach them a new way to live so that when the challenges of life get too heavy they will be able to cope.

If we make a parallel to our school life we note a number of things. Exams are coming, they are right around the corner. In fact many of you have said that you intend to spend most of your Christmas holiday studying. What are you doing to prepare? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? What about long hours on your phone or playing video games? Are you managing your time well? All of these factors play a part in preparation for your future. As the term draws near to a close have you completed all of your assignments? Are all of your notes in order? Do you listen while the teacher is teaching or are you too busy playing video games on your IPAD during class time? Preparation requires discipline. School is a time of preparation for life in general. The skills you learn here will assist you in your journey to success long after you would have left the halls of our beloved school.

Everybody wants to do well in their exams. Nobody likes getting bad news, we all want to hear good news. Just like John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, they both came to bring good news to the people of their time. What good news are you going to be able to give to your parents when your report card day comes around? Will they react with joy or will they be sad and disappointed? Its up to you and your performance to determine that. Don’t allow the time and opportunity to prepare to pass you by. Take advantage of it and don’t squander it.

Max Brooks, the author of The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead sums up my point beautifully.

“If you believe you can accomplish everything by "cramming" at the eleventh hour, by all means, don't lift a finger now. But you may think twice about beginning to build your ark once it has already started raining”

Amen