Happy (Catholic) New Year! A Practical Tip to Make Your New Year's Resolution Count
This week I’m in the throes of preparing for Advent. I’m grateful that we have this buffer week between Thanksgiving and the first Sunday of Advent, and I’m using it as well as I can. Our Advent wreath is on the table, new candles rest in their slots, and the rest of my house looks quite lived in.
I’m still trying to figure out where the year went. I’ve always loved the expression, “The days are long, but the years are short.” This past year had some very long days, but as the year comes to a close, I can’t help but feel like it was a blink.
This Sunday, December 3, we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent and the start of the new liturgical year. Year A (mostly the Gospel according to Matthew) is ending, and we’re kicking off Year B (mostly the Gospel according to Mark). This can be a beautiful time of reflection, and a time of looking forward.
I’m doing something new this Advent—I got the girls Advent gifts! I ordered them each their own copy of Hosannah in the Highest, Sunday Mass journals created by Kathryn Ineck. They start at the beginning of the year (the 1st Sunday of Advent), so we will start them this weekend. I always encourage my girls to journal and let God speak to them through the readings, homilies, music, or prayer time. I can’t wait to see how they use these journals throughout the year.
During Advent, we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus, both by remembering his coming as an infant into this world over 2,000 years ago, and by contemplating and looking forward to his final coming. We are reminded that we don’t know the day and the hour, so today is the right day to prepare.
Every New Year, people make resolutions for the upcoming year. Often, these resolutions build around personal goals like weight loss or professional aspirations. Gym memberships spike in January, and new habits are implemented. Inevitably, after weeks or sometimes months, the trips to the gym die down and new habits are long forgotten.
Some people commit to spiritual resolutions, recognizing that the most important place for improvement is in our own relationship with God. Increased prayer time, Bible studies, or a particular devotional may seem like the obvious choice, but I believe we’re still missing something.
(Quick note—if you’re not reading or hearing Scripture daily, you’re missing out on God talking to you. Stop reading this right now and pick up your Bible! Reading the Daily Gospel is a perfect place to start and not too overwhelming. Seriously, this is not the sort of thing that you should wait for the New Year to start. Unless you’re gonna start the Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz (which I’ve done twice and cannot recommend highly enough.))
Our American lives have become BUSY. And I mean busy. We hardly have time to sit and just be with our family members, let alone God. Noise, in the form of music, conversations, television, social media . . . the list goes on, constantly keeps us distracted and stressed out. There’re always more things that need to be done. There’s always more money that can be made. There’s always one more post to read or one more episode to watch. There’s always always always something going on.
I recently heard on the Endow podcast that the word ‘busy’ stands for: Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Whoa. Sit with that one for a minute. I know this hits hard for me. I’m always the most stressed, impatient, and cranky when there’s more to do than I have time for. When I’m overwhelmed and running late, that is when I’m snapping at my kids and treating my husband like an opponent instead of a partner. That’s when my life least resembles Christ’s.
As we come to the time of year to set goals and resolutions for ourselves, I want to encourage you to throw out any plans of adding something to your plate. Don’t try to exercise everyday. Don’t plan to read 30 pages each night. Don’t add one more thing to your already BUSY life.
This year, as we enter the New Year, resolve to do less. Find something in your life that you can cut out that will enable you to hear God’s voice in your life. Here are a few ideas:
Mute the radio in the car and embrace the silence.
Skip the nightly Netflix binge and converse with your spouse.
Stay home from the gym and have a dance party with your kids to stay fit.
Turn off all notifications on your phone so it doesn’t constantly demand your attention.
Cut back on your kids’ extracurriculars and enjoy family meals together.
God speaks to us in the silence. Do you let him?
I pray you all have a blessed and fruitful Advent season! Happy (Catholic) New Year!
Copyright 2023 Maria Riley
Image: Canva
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