The Time For New Year's Resolutions Is Now

Now that we’re almost a week into the new year, how are you doing with your resolutions?

Wait … what?! It’s not time for resolutions? The new year is still weeks off, you say?

Not in our Church. The first Sunday of Advent – Dec. 1 this year – marks the start of a new liturgical year in the Catholic Church. It’s been that way since the 900s, although the early church marked the start of a new year on Dec. 25 – Jesus’ birthday.

From here, this isn’t the time for resolving to keep your home or workspace neater, or resolving to exercise more and/or eat a bit less.  No … this is the time to work on our respective relationships with the Lord by starting some things that we aren’t doing now.

Here are some suggestions to consider:

n Arrive for Mass five minutes earlier than normal, and use the extra time for prayer.

n Match Pope Francis’ publicly stated schedule – go to Confession every two weeks; make that at least every two weeks.

n Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet daily. It takes 15 minutes or less.

n Go to a Mass you don’t normally attend because you might meet someone new. You probably will.

n Read the Bible daily. That can involve as much or as little time as you like.

n Pick a saint you don’t know well and learn about him or her.

n Spend five minutes less online, and use those 300 seconds for prayer.

n Make a donation – no matter the amount – to a Catholic organization. Catholic Charities of our diocese is a perfect example. The organization is one of many that truly deserve our support. And if everyone who gets this issue of The Message would give only one dollar more than they planned in the special collection this weekend (Dec. 7-8) for retired religious, our diocesan contribution would swell by thousands of dollars.

n Pray the Rosary daily. It takes 20 minutes or less.

n Do something nice for someone.

That last item probably ought to be a lot higher on the list. Recently, I heard it in the confessional. “For your penance,” the priest said, “I want you to do something nice for someone … today. Don’t put it off or you might forget.”

As his words sunk in, I felt the smile spread across my face. It connected a lot of dots, which is why I suggest it here.

Our Holy Father has asked us to be witnesses of our faith. Consider this passage from “Evangelii Gaudium,” his Apostolic Exhortation, which the Vatican released on Nov. 26: “Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.”

What better way to bring the love of Jesus to others than by doing something nice for someone? We truly are loving our neighbors as ourselves in those moments, no matter how brief. We definitely are keeping one of the two greatest commandments and, I dare say, actually keeping the other, too. Loving the Lord God above all else involves keeping His commandments, right? Aren’t we showing our love for Him by loving our neighbors as ourselves?

What are some other things you’ve done along these lines? What are some other spiritual resolutions that have helped you grow closer to God? Drop me a note and tell me – as long as you don’t mind my sharing them (anonymously) in a future issue of The Message.

Stay faithful, my friends.