Happy New Year! I hope you all are still basking in the joy of Christmas as we come to the end of the Christmas Octave. In addition to honoring Mary under the title “Mother of God”, New Year’s Day is also designated the World Day of Peace. We all know that, sadly, there are many places in our world that are plagued by violence and war. We also know that violence affects many people even closer to home. On this World Day of Peace, there is much to pray for.
The New Year is often a fresh start for people, which makes it a time of great hope for many folks (especially after how crazy the last few years have been for so many people). I hope that, as you look ahead to the new year, many of your goals for the year involve your faith. I know that New Year’s resolutions often fall by the wayside, but I still think that articulating concrete goals for growing in faith in 2023 is an important way to get the year started on the right foot. Whether that’s being more faithful to Mass; returning to confession after many years away; making some daily commitment to prayer (such as the Bible in a Year podcast or another daily resource); asking for forgiveness from someone we’ve offended, or granting forgiveness to someone who’s offended us; or making a concerted effort to fight that sin we’ve been struggling with for years – whatever your next step in growing in holiness may be, I hope all of us take advantage of this great opportunity to work on it, so that when 2024 rolls around, we find our relationship with Christ stronger and more secure.
Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, may peace reign in our worlds, our families and our hearts in 2023!