New Year’s Resolutions
This Sunday, we as a Church begin a “new year!” So Happy Catholic New Year! Every Advent, we begin a new liturgical cycle and relive the mysteries of our salvation ‘from the top,’ starting with this season of postured anticipation of our Savior, who will be born among us again at Christmas. We move from studying Luke on most Sundays to Matthew. In all of our liturgical books, we make what we as seminarians used to call the “big flip,” moving all the ribbons from the very back of the books to the front.
I’m not sure it’s ever necessarily been the practice to make “spiritual resolutions” at the beginning of a new liturgical year, but I think this ‘new beginning’ does present us with a perfect opportunity: to examine our spiritual lives with fresh eyes; to ask the Lord to illumine those ways in which He is calling us to grow deeper in the mystery and in the practice of our faith; and to resolve to adhere to some simple and achievable practices in this coming year.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Come to confession, especially if it’s been a long time. Experience a fresh start!
- If you don’t already, pray with your family before meals or kneel by your bedside every night and thank God for the beauty of another day.
- Commit to reading the Scriptures every day, at least for Advent. Read a single chapter of one of the Gospels or start with the Book of Psalms. If you want something systematic, look up the Bible in a Year program; it only takes about 20-30 minutes/day.
- Spend a weekly or monthly hour in adoration. Start coming to our parish’s adoration chapel, or take a nighttime hour for Advent or the coming year!
- Pray the Rosary daily or weekly or spend your commute offering a Divine Mercy Chaplet.
- Invite a friend or relative back to Mass! Be gentle and welcoming, witnessing to them the reason why you love your faith.
- Ever tried going to a daily Mass? Try going one extra day a week. If Sunday Mass is difficult, commit to every Sunday, no exceptions.
- Pick a different thing to fast from every week (coffee, snacking, salt, dessert, social media/internet, etc.). Offer the little suffering for someone you know who is sick or in need of your prayers.
- Explore the world of Catholic podcasts or apps. There’s so much out there!
- Follow our parish and the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois on Facebook or Instagram. Share a post every once in a while. Be “that” person that shares their faith on social media!
- Consider your contributions to our parish and school or to a favorite local charity. Commit to living discipleship more in your financial life.
- Pick up a book for spiritual reading. Learn about the saints. Dive in deeper with some theology or spiritual classics. If you need suggestions, call me!
The options are endless; just be sure to pick something you can accomplish. Don’t try and do everything; but as a spiritual director once told me, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Resolve to do something good, even if we’re never going to implement it perfectly. One thing I know is that our Lord can never be outdone in generosity—if we commit to growing with the Lord, even a small effort can be met with great reward!
Keep spreading joy!
Fr. Friedel