The proverbial New Year resolution comes to all of in many different ways. From my general observations, I think people pretty much fall into one of three groups. Group 1, have a sense of renewed hope. These folks commitment themselves to growing something totally new in their life or seek to restore something that has withered and died from the previous year. Group 2, have a sense of dread and despair as they look back over many failed attempts at New Years resolutions. Possibly they tried to do to much only to fall flat on their face and end up in the same place as last year. Group 3, ignore resolutions thinking it is just some gimmick to sell 'self help books'. They may think that if change is needed, they will just do it.
As I've been reflecting about the coming year, I stumbled upon a wonderful write up by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick about New Years resolutions that I would like to share. Regardless of which group you fall into (hope, despair, or indifference) I think you can find encouragement to simply do what you can to grow closer to Christ in the coming year (see full article HERE).
First: In this year, I will begin with a firm resolve to believe that my wife, my children, my family, my colleagues, my superiors and my fellow-parishioners are not “in the way” of my life. They are all given to me by God as “the way” for my life. I am being saved through them.
Second: In this year, I will begin with a firm resolve to pray. Prayer is not just a duty. It is not a formal “requirement.” It is not just something I do at church or before a meal or even in a crisis moment. It is my ongoing life of being real before God. I will do it with my family, with you, with the Church, and I will do it alone. I will do it in speech, in song and in silence.
Third: In this year, I will begin with a firm resolve to order my life by what is good, not by what feels good. I am often tempted to order my time by whatever coddles my exhaustion, whatever numbs my struggles or whatever gains me possessions or advantage. But my life has to be ordered with prayer, with fasting, and with reading that is good. From that interior structure flows my exterior interactions.
In this time of beginnings, will you join me in these three resolutions? If we do not begin now to nurture our souls with God’s grace, when will we? If we do not resolve now to make this beginning, when will we? Faith in Jesus Christ, our identity as Christians, is not something that fits conveniently into a life which is otherwise defined by other pursuits—praying or going to church or reading spiritual things when I don’t have something else going on. No. True Christianity means living in this way, that the life in Christ is who we are. Everything else happens in between that and in service to that.
If we have to ask ourselves whether our Christianity is “good enough,” or especially if we actually say to ourselves that our Christianity is “good enough,” then we have missed the whole point. Good enough… for what? For getting into heaven rather than hell when we die? I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.
God isn’t in the business of selling tickets to heaven. Christ is the Knower of hearts. He is looking into your very heart, and He sees whether your heart is with Him or if it is somewhere else.
So let us resolve to make this beginning. He began all this Himself some two thousand years ago, making many beginnings all in the service of one, the beginning of our salvation, our healing from sin, corruption and death. So let us make this beginning.
As I've been reflecting about the coming year, I stumbled upon a wonderful write up by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick about New Years resolutions that I would like to share. Regardless of which group you fall into (hope, despair, or indifference) I think you can find encouragement to simply do what you can to grow closer to Christ in the coming year (see full article HERE).
First: In this year, I will begin with a firm resolve to believe that my wife, my children, my family, my colleagues, my superiors and my fellow-parishioners are not “in the way” of my life. They are all given to me by God as “the way” for my life. I am being saved through them.
Second: In this year, I will begin with a firm resolve to pray. Prayer is not just a duty. It is not a formal “requirement.” It is not just something I do at church or before a meal or even in a crisis moment. It is my ongoing life of being real before God. I will do it with my family, with you, with the Church, and I will do it alone. I will do it in speech, in song and in silence.
Third: In this year, I will begin with a firm resolve to order my life by what is good, not by what feels good. I am often tempted to order my time by whatever coddles my exhaustion, whatever numbs my struggles or whatever gains me possessions or advantage. But my life has to be ordered with prayer, with fasting, and with reading that is good. From that interior structure flows my exterior interactions.
In this time of beginnings, will you join me in these three resolutions? If we do not begin now to nurture our souls with God’s grace, when will we? If we do not resolve now to make this beginning, when will we? Faith in Jesus Christ, our identity as Christians, is not something that fits conveniently into a life which is otherwise defined by other pursuits—praying or going to church or reading spiritual things when I don’t have something else going on. No. True Christianity means living in this way, that the life in Christ is who we are. Everything else happens in between that and in service to that.
If we have to ask ourselves whether our Christianity is “good enough,” or especially if we actually say to ourselves that our Christianity is “good enough,” then we have missed the whole point. Good enough… for what? For getting into heaven rather than hell when we die? I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.
God isn’t in the business of selling tickets to heaven. Christ is the Knower of hearts. He is looking into your very heart, and He sees whether your heart is with Him or if it is somewhere else.
So let us resolve to make this beginning. He began all this Himself some two thousand years ago, making many beginnings all in the service of one, the beginning of our salvation, our healing from sin, corruption and death. So let us make this beginning.
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