The beginning of a new year invites us to ponder the brevity of life, the gifts of time and opportunity we enjoy, the need for improvement in aspects of our character and behavior, and the importance of prioritizing the right things.
As Christians, we consecrate all time and history in light of the Lord’s birth, so we are now in the Year of Our Lord 2023.
How will we live this year with greater faith, hope, and charity? In what areas of the spiritual life do we need to grow the most? How can I draw closer to Christ?
As I pray through those questions, the following resolutions come to my mind and heart.
I want to rely on the Lord more in faith, trust, and hope
Often, when faced with a problem, question, or crisis, I immediately start thinking about how to respond.
Such strategizing is necessary, but the very first action needed is prayer.
How different our emotions, words, and responses to the challenges of life could be if we went to the Lord in prayer right away, laying before Him our troubles, questions, and concerns.
The Litany of Surrender with its repeated refrain, “Jesus, take care of everything” is a beautiful way to daily place our hopes, fears, crosses, and troubles into the heart and hands of our Lord and Savior, the One who truly knows best and wills only the good for us.
I want to slow down in 2023
We live in a warp-speed culture which is rushing 90 miles an hour to nowhere.
The gift of praying, eating, driving, studying, and working more purposefully and meditatively bears fruit in the peace of soul and mind that a more contemplative approach to life can give us.
To always rush about, multi-tasking and frenzied, leaves us spiritually empty and emotionally unavailable.
Do we have to be on Facebook every day? Must a parent go to every sports event? Do we have to have the latest gadget or device?
When I truly make prayer a priority, lift my heart and mind up to the Lord many times throughout the day, drive the speed limit, perhaps do less, but be more present to the people around me, life is more peaceful and deliberate.
I want to exercise, eat, and sleep toward better personal health in 2023
Because God made us incarnate spirits, we possess both a soul and a body.
We cannot afford to neglect the latter without harming the former. In a sedentary, fast-food, sleepless society, how we eat, exercise, and sleep has spiritual implications for us.
Health gurus speak often about all the toxins we take into our bodies and spirits.
The toxicity of social media, the typical American diet, our consumerist culture, and an increasingly godless culture can literally kill us. The Lord came that we might have life and have it abundantly.
Part of an active Catholic faith is exercising vigilance about what enters our bodies, hearts, souls, and minds. Joy and peace flow as fruits of being fully alive in Jesus Christ.
I want to read and meditate on the Scriptures more often, confess my sins more frequently, give more money to help the poor and suffering, and pray in front of the Eucharist with deeper devotion
The Church offers us so many spiritual practices and opportunities to grow in the love of the Lord, we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety and quantity of Catholic devotion.
We cannot do it all, but we all can embrace a deeper life of prayer and service, seeking a deeper relationship with Christ through some basic habits of faith.
To be an excellent pianist, athlete, or actor, one must steadily practice the basics in order to become proficient, to internalize the order and pattern of music, sports, or drama.
It is the same with the spiritual life. Our greatest aspiration should be the noble ambition to be an excellent Catholic who lives as an active, generous, and joyful disciple of the Lord Jesus.
Practice makes perfect.
At Christmas, eternity broke into time, heaven descended to earth, the Son of God became human, the Lord stepped into the time and space of this world.
When we keep our hearts fixed on Him and the good things of Heaven, we can make use of this world without becoming its slave; we can prioritize what truly matters and let the shallow and ephemeral rightfully slip through our fingers.
A prospector mining for gold retains the treasure and lets the silt and sand wash away.
So it is with the Kingdom of God. Think of the parable of the Pearl of Great Price or the Buried Treasure in the Field (Matthew 13: 44-46).
When we discover the richness of God’s abundant love and grace, in a life of worship, sacramental practice, prayer, study, and service to Jesus Christ and His Gospel, we willingly sacrifice all else in order to make way for the treasure of His Kingdom to be our all in all.
To let our Catholic faith be the burning passion of our lives, to make use of the time, talents, and treasure entrusted to us in order to lead others to the Lord becomes our fundamental purpose.
Blessings on this new, wonderful year of spiritual opportunity!