Pastoral Message – December 31, 2023
Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
I have always been a believer in new beginnings. The beginning of Advent, the beginning of Lent, my birthday, the beginning of each season: all of these days call me to make resolutions about improving my relationship with the Lord, my relationships with others, and other facets of my personal life. Do I always keep these resolutions? Of course not. But to set a good goal and strive for that goal is still a good thing, for as long as it lasts.
It’s no surprise, then, that with a new year approaching, I’m thinking about making a resolution or two. Lots of people make New Year’s resolutions, and many others do not make them because they are convinced they will not keep them. That’s fine; there are no rules about such things. But I’d like to share with you a few thoughts about resolutions.
In my opinion, an effective resolution needs to have three qualities. First, it must be specific. A general resolution, like “I’m going to be more prayerful,” is hard to verify. A specific resolution, like “I’m going to spend 5 minutes in prayer as soon as I get up each morning,” is much easier to track. Secondly, it must be practical. An unrealistic resolution, like “I’m going to read an entire book of the Bible each day,” is doomed to failure. A practical resolution, like “I’m going to read one chapter from the Gospels each day,” is much more likely to succeed. Thirdly (and this is the most important quality), an effective resolution must be renewable. If you slip up one day, you don’t give up on the entire idea; you renew the resolution and start over. That’s how we move forward.
In my case, I like to list several possible resolutions and then pick one (only one) to work on. If, after multiple attempts to keep it, it just doesn’t seem to be right for me, I go back to the list and pick another. For me, the key is to aim towards progress—to keep growing.
Whether you choose to make a New Year’s resolution or not, I wish you a happy and blessed New Year. If you want to ponder the possibilities and express your hopes for the year 2024, you might like to Google and read Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem entitled “Ring Out, Wild Bells.” As we “ring out the old” and “ring in the new,” let’s hopefully strive to “ring in the Christ that is to be.”
Fr. Philip
