Dear Friends,
We are still early enough into the year of our Lord 2020. Maybe you're still writing 2019 on various documents, which is understandable. Maybe you're still going strong with the resolutions you've made for this year, or maybe you've already given up on resolutions for this year. Even if we are already about halfway through January, it may be good to think about resolutions with regard to discipleship and following the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 118 states, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.” Even if we haven't lived up to expectations and standards, today, this day, is a day to begin again. The following are some modest proposals for 2020.
Attend a weekday Mass once a week. Sunday Mass is obviously mandatory for those able to attend Mass and is the source and summit of life in Christ. At the same time, attending Mass during the week is powerfully helpful in growing in holiness. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati states, “I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles, the struggles against passions and against all adversities, because Jesus Christ has promised to those who feed themselves with the most Holy Eucharist, eternal life and the necessary graces to obtain it.”
Go to Eucharistic Adoration. Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist waiting for us to visit Him. Praying at Adoration will change your life. Every Monday at St. Mary of the Snows from 11am to 9pm, and every Thursday at Resurrection from 6pm to 9pm.
Pray the Rosary. Our Blessed Mother will always lead us to her Son, Jesus Christ. The Rosary is a meditation on the mysteries, the secrets of Christ's life. Maybe praying the Rosary is something you do every day or every week; maybe you simply pray a decade everyday.
Seek forgiveness and work to forgive. Seek forgiveness from God in the sacrament of Reconciliation, and apologize to those whom you've hurt and wounded. If you've been hurt, ask God for the strength to forgive. Without a doubt, forgiving others is difficult, but it's good for us, and we ask the Father to forgive us as we forgive others.
Seek service opportunities. There are always various opportunities to help at the parish, whether it involves taking Holy Communion to the homebound or those in nursing homes, or helping with funerals, or supporting struggling families. In the midst of our busy lives, giving of ourselves, while challenging, will help us grow. Pope St. John Paul II reminds us, “Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for himself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self.”
Pray for peace, for all political figures and leaders of nations, for the Pope and bishops, for the protection of human life, for our parishes, and for vocations to the priesthood.
There are many more resolutions to explore, but I'm limited by space. Have a blessed 2020!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt