Resolutions

Another year is winding down and another year is about to begin! It doesn’t seem like too long ago that we all gathered together with friends and family and watched that shimmering crystal ball in Times Square lower onto a fresh set of 365 days for us to live, hope, and dream. But now as 2011 is worn out and tired, and 2012 is fresh and ready to begin, we have an opportunity to reflect, be thankful, celebrate, and prepare.

This time of year I’m always reminded of the New Year’s scene in Forrest Gump where one of the ladies in the bar comes up to Forrest and says:

“Don’t you just love New Years? It’s like you get to start over. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

How true! We get to start over in so many ways, and not just with a brand new calendar. So many people recognize the opportunity in the New Year, and that’s why so many people start making resolutions on how to be a better “ME.”

We all know the type of resolutions people make: maybe we’ve grown lazy in something we used to be more committed towards: exercise, reading, playing a musical instrument, etc. Maybe we say things like “This’ll be the year that I finally do this.” Maybe we’re just renewing the same resolution we made last January 1; while we were faithful to it earlier in the year, for whatever reason our faithfulness to those things fell apart. Whatever the resolution, however well we did, the New Year is a perfect time to “start over,” to have a “second chance.”

While a lot of resolutions made this time of year have to do with the physical, material, maybe we should consider some spiritual resolutions as we start another year. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve been to Mass, or maybe you haven’t been praying that often. It’s always easier to notice physical flabbiness or see guitar strings gather dust and rust, but it’s a lot harder to notice where we’ve grown slack spiritually, in our relationship with God. While it’s good to make a renewal in physical goals, we should also try and find ways to improve our spiritual lives as well.

Maybe you’re unconvinced. “Why do I need to do that? I’m trying to be a good person and that’s all that matters.” While that’s a great start, we need to remember that God has great things in store for us each and every year, and wishes to be with us through the peaks and valleys of the days and months. By growing closer to Him we’ll find it a lot easier to embrace the ups and downs of our lives.

I know, I know. Maybe it’s been a while. Maybe you’re so daunted by it all that you don’t know where to begin. But that’s where a spiritual resolution is similar to all the physical ones we make. Just as you can’t start off running a marathon on January 1, we can’t expect to all of the sudden make sense of everything and have our relationship with God all figured out.

And by the way, He wants to help you along the Way!

If you’re looking for a good way to get back on track, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is your best bet. There’s no better way to rid yourself of the sin and gunk and such of the past year (or more) than by meeting up with a priest and allowing God to wipe your heart clean of the past hurts and wrong doings. Trust me, there’s nothing better than a clean slate to begin your New Year!

Once we’re renewed through God’s grace, let's try and make a resolution to allow God to guide us through the next year and beyond. Resolutions take time (sometimes more than a year), but when we stick with them we’ll find some wonderful results!

Prayers for a great 2012!