This morning in the Vatican there was a short ceremony that takes place every year on this date. Today is the feast of St. Agnes, a young girl martyred in the early 4^th century. “Agnes” in Latin means “lamb” as in Agnes Dei-Lamb of God. The custom today is to bring two baby lambs in a basket blessed by the Pope. These lambs are raised by Trappist monks and after they are blessed by the Pope, they are given to nuns who will use their wool to make a special vestment worn only by the Pope and the Archbishops. It’s a happy event and everyone can be seen smiling: the Pope, the monks, the nuns, even the guards. Everybody except the lambs.

There is also something else at the Vatican today. The outdoor Christmas Tree in St. Peter’s Square is still there, still lit with lights. It has been there since December 24^th, and will stay there until February 2^nd. That’s 40 days. That number 40 has special religious significance. It means a complete amount of time. Christmas, the feast of light shining in the darkness, continues to be observed in the Church during this time of year when darkness outlasts daylight.

This is a tough time of year for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not only dark outside, it is also cold. Winter began only a month ago. At the USNA in Maryland, they call this time of year the “Dark Ages”. People spend more time together indoors. They sometimes tend to get sick more often; they sometimes tend to get on each other’s nerves and everybody would like to get more sleep.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have conducted an informal poll. I have asked several students how much sleep they are getting when school is in session. The overall average of my poll was about 7 hours. This is actually slightly more than the national average which is 6 ½ hours of sleep per night for American teenagers.

That is not enough. Doctors agree that adolescents need 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep per night.

One in four US high-school students falls asleep in class at least once a week.

Without enough sleep, human beings suffer in body, mind, and spirit. In fact, sleep deprivation is classified as torture by the United Nations Treaty Against Torture. The United States is one of the 156 countries that have signed the Treaty. Prolonged sleep deprivation leads to mental impairment, diminished response time, and the breakdown of the immune system. It can also lead to long term problems such as a depression and addiction. These are the well documented medical facts. Some school districts have even moved the start of classes to a later hour. That isn’t going to happen here any time soon.

I want to give a suggestion about how to better arrange a daily schedules in order to get adequate sleep.

Students here at Bishop Kelly, have very demanding schedules. Many hours of class, even more time for practice in clubs and sports, not to mention homework. Some students work after school. These activities are required and necessary. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for sleep. But there is enough time if unnecessary distractions are minimalized. I am speaking about the use of electronic devices. Television has been around for several decades. But now we have iPads, smartphones, lap tops and other devices that are something new in the history of humanity. I think we have not fully understood the consequences of these things.

(Demonstration of an iPpad’s light)

You all know what this is. Let me turn it on. I think you can all see the light in this iPad. Ask your physics teacher to explain this. There is a lot of light in this gym. But this light is different. Its called “blue light”, similar to the light from the sun. After looking at them for hours during the day, when they are used in the dark of the night, the eyes see sunlight. That is transmitted to the brain and the rest of the body has difficulty getting to sleep. Sometimes, too much light is a bad thing.

This is a matter of personal responsibility, but keep these devices out of the bedroom. Recharge them in another room. Let the mind, the body and the spirit get the rest they need.

There is a spiritual aspect to not getting enough sleep: the lack of dreams. Everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams, ironically because they are too tired to remember.

We find in Sacred Scripture examples of the power of dreams. God often sends messengers to people while they are sleeping. The Greek word for messenger is “angelos”, in English “angel”. God often sends angels to people in their sleep.

These are just a few of the examples, found in both the Old and New Testament:

• Jacob’s famous dream of a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels going up and down the ladder. This dream confirmed to Jacob that he would receive the Promise made to his ancestor Abraham.
• Joseph son of Jacob and Rachel, is one of the most famous of dreamers- and interpreters of dreams- in the Bible. The Joseph Story in the Book of Genesis is all about dreams.
• The boy Samuel, who became a great prophet, discovered his life’s work in a dream.
• In the New Testament there is another Joseph, husband of Mary. He found out about Jesus and protected the child and his mother by doing what God told him in his dreams.
• Finally, the Magi from the East were told in a dream not to go back to King Herod, but to take another way home.

There is danger in not paying attention to dreams. Not all angels are good and we need to know the difference between a dream and a nightmare.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel speaks to this issue, “I will pour out my spirit on all humanity (says the Lord). Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young people shall see visions, your old people shall dream dreams.” (Joel 3:1-15)

This is quoted in the New Testament by St. Peter on the day of Pentecost.

Notice how the generations- young and old- are connected by visions and dreams. Each requires the other. If the young are not seeing visions, the old will not dream and God’s voice of prophecy will not be heard.

If one doesn’t sleep well, one won’t dream well. This is the spiritual way of letting the light shine through the darkness. That is why the Christmas Tree is still standing in the Vatican.

Get a good nights sleep. Pleasant dreams. Go Knights!

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