HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

 

HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2024!  Have you made New Year’s resolutions?  Catholics are always making resolutions, especially in Advent and Lent, and whenever they go to confession.  Of course, confession is only valid if the penitent is contrite and resolves to the best of his or her ability to avoid sin in the future.  According to the Council of Trent, repeated in the Catechism, contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.”  In fact, usually the first act of the Mass after the celebrant’s greeting is the Penitential Rite, which is a communal confession of sins spoken by everyone in the first person: “I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do...”  If the deacon or priest uses the option to speak the penitential tropes everyone responds by saying “Lord, have mercy.”  Together we humbly acknowledge our sins and ask Mary, the Angels, the Saints, and our fellow worshippers to pray for us.  This communal act of penance not only expresses regret for our sins but implies a desire to reform. 

Sometimes I have avoided making New Year’s resolutions because I doubted that I would keep them.  This year, however, I am making a change!  Like many priests, I have a large collection of books on shelves and boxes in various locations.  I have not read half of them.  My new resolution will be to read all the good books which are waiting for me to pick them up.  What better way to spend my time? I was inspired to make this resolution after looking for a book that I used to have but cannot find.  After searching for this title through all my books I felt humiliated that I had neglected so many. 

Priests usually have a lot of books from their seminary studies.  They acquire more after ordination in part to have a ready reference when preparing a homily, an article, or a talk.  Or they used to.  Now, most of what they need can be found on the internet.  For example, a great resource is the Vatican website (www.vatican.va) which provides free access to everyone.  Included are homilies of the popes and almost every encyclical written by them over the years.  I often look up subjects on Catholic Answers, the US Bishops’ website, St Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and more.  Nevertheless, I grew up without the internet and I prefer to read a book by holding it.  I will order my missing book on Amazon and get it tomorrow.  I am determined that it will not be just another addition to the pile!

We are free to make or not make a New Year’s resolution.  When it comes to living our faith, however, we have to make resolutions every day.  For example, in the Our Father, which includes the petition to “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  The resolve not to sin and to do God’s will is part of living the faith.  We may fall short even after having the best intentions.  Instead of giving into discouragement we ought to allow the experience to increase our humility and reliance on God.  Concupiscence is part of our inheritance from Adam and Eve.  We can weaken temptation by increased prayer and penitential acts, but it will always be crouching at our door, as St. Peter warns us in his epistle: “Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).  Even the Saints regularly confessed their sins, as menial as they might have been.

Whatever our history might be, God is pleased when we make a sincere effort to change.  We might be reluctant to make a New Year’s resolution because of past failure, but we should never be reluctant to ask God to forgive our small and even our big sins, and ask his help.  On the road to Calvary Jesus fell three times.  Each time he struggled to get up off the ground he won us forgiveness for repeated sins.  The Scriptures assure us that God is patient.  Consider this beautiful Scripture from King David: “A contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not spurn” (Psalm 51:19).  David’s sin was great, but he discovered this truth.  It is there to be discovered by all of us.

Happy New Year!  And good luck with any new resolutions you make.  But especially, may God’s powerful blessing be on all your holy resolutions.  “The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.  To him be dominion forever.  Amen” (1 Pet 5:10-11).