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Happy New Year!

December 1, 2007 |

Every New Year’s Eve, we’re supposed to think about the past year and make resolutions for the coming year.  Think about what we did right and wrong, and what we plan to do better. 

Tonight is the end of one Church liturgical year and the beginning of another.  Tonight, is the Church’s New Year’s Day, so to speak.

So, maybe this new year is a good opportunity to reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the coming year.

How’s our prayer life?  How’s our Mass attendance?  Do we know more about our faith today than we did a year ago?  Are we closer to Christ?  Are we better at living our lives and are we walking the path set for us by God?  Are we better to ourselves and each other?  Are we a better husband, father, worker, friend, community member?

And how about for the coming year?  What are our plans to grow closer to Christ?

Today is the day to think about where we are at and where we are going.  If we’re on the right path and doing the right things, then what do we need to do get stronger and better?  If we are not on the right path, then what are we going to do to ensure we are on the right path this time next year?

The start of this new year is also the beginning of the season of Advent.  CatholicCulture.org has a great overview of this time -

“The month of December is filled with expectation and celebration. Preparation is the key word for the first 24 days of December. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas — shopping and decorating, baking and cleaning. Too often, however, we are so busy with the material preparations that we lose sight of the real reason for our activity.

Christmas is a Christian feast — and we must reclaim it as such! In the same way that a family eagerly prepares for a baby, so should we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child. We should keep Advent as a season of waiting and longing, of conversion and of hope and keep our thoughts on the incredible love and humility of our God in taking on the flesh of the Virgin Mary. Let us not forget to prepare a peaceful place in our hearts wherein our Savior may come to dwell.

The best person we can turn to for help during Advent is Mary, Christ’s and our Mother. She awaited the day of His birth with more eagerness than any other human being. Her preparation was complete in every respect. Let’s crown our preparation and borrow something of Mary’s prayerfulness, her purity and whole-hearted submission to God’s will.”

Let us make this our best year yet.  And let us start with a great and blessed Advent season.

Happy New Year!


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