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By Heidi Comes
Life is cyclical. The natural world is cyclical. Our human bodies are cyclical. We cling to patterns and thrive when we embrace healthy ones. There is something about fresh starts; each morning when we arise, we are given a fresh start.
We see it in the seasons, as winter always gives way to spring. And most beautifully in the Sacrament of Reconciliation where we are welcomed into God’s grace of forgiveness and invited to begin anew.
Even though the start of a new calendar year is, in many ways, an arbitrary mark in time, it can hold symbolic meaning for us. It whispers of another chance, another opportunity to live more fully, to walk more faithfully, to love more deeply.
Just as God’s mercies are new every morning, the turning of the year invites us to renew our trust, our hope and our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The new year is not about perfection but about a realignment and coming back to the one who orders our days and gives rhythm to our lives.
The world offers endless suggestions for how to improve our lives, mostly centered around beginning new habits and breaking bad ones. As Catholics, we can use the new year to conduct a thorough examination of conscience and reflect on areas of our lives needing special attention. Through some practical steps, we can take a secular practice of New Year’s resolutions and turn it into something a bit more holy.
Reflection and release
Often, we approach the new year with the same recklessness with which we do a lot of things in our lives. We jump on trends, buying products, gadgets and promises of better health without thinking past the purchase. But for true growth and change, our first step needs to be reflection—a time of quiet reflection and contemplation about where we’ve been, where we are and where we want to be. This involves deep introspection and honesty, where we choose to forgive and let go of burdens, disappointments, or doubts from the previous year. This process allows us to see God in these moments and ask him what lessons he most wanted us to learn and thank him for the ways it deepened our faith.
In order to move forward with change, we must work to look back with gratitude—even in struggles—and always look forward with a hope only found in Christ. Let’s face it, the world offers little in the way of hope. In fact, the world expects us to fail. We set a resolution for ourselves, knowing the odds are against us, and as soon as we fall short, we give up. When we approach God full of gratitude and hope, we don’t see our shortcomings as failure, but as opportunities to grow in grace. The book of Revelation reminds us, “Behold, I make all things new” (21:5). We do not do it; we rely on him.
Recommitment
We need to invite Christ into our hearts to allow him to realign our interactions and dreams in a way that brings glory to him. This may include daily practices that we’ve let grow rusty or have become stale. Maybe it includes attending daily Mass, praying the Rosary as a family or beginning our day with Holy Scripture. These practices aren’t meant to be benchmarks of perfection but instead a daily desire to be faithful and grow in holiness. Resist the temptation to view this as a “resolution” to be completed with a succeed/fail approach. Instead, ask God to walk with you in each moment, giving the grace needed.
The beauty of the Catholic faith is the mosaic with which we can approach prayer and our spiritual life. There are as many ways to worship as there are individuals. Finding a personal game plan may take some experimentation, but open yourself up to trying something new. Here are just a few ideas for enriching your prayer life and relationship with Christ in the upcoming year:
- Start a daily examen or journal.
- Go to an hour of adoration weekly.
- Dedicate time to spiritual reading.
- Pray and reflect using Lectio Divina.
- Choose one virtue to cultivate this year.
In this upcoming year, may we not simply make resolutions, but seek renewal of our hearts, asking God to help us set aside what is heavy, release what is broken, and take hold of the fresh grace he offers us.
