Here are some resolutions you might consider for your interior life in the upcoming New Year.
1. Head to confession
What a better way to celebrate a new year than with a clean soul? Check out the local confession times in your area and plan to make a good confession before Christmas comes.
Advent is a great time to find yourself in the confessional line. “With all that’s going on, we want to be absolutely ready to receive that little Infant Jesus,” Retired Auxiliary Bishop Louis A. DeSimone once said. “When I go for Holy Communion on Christmas, I want to go as white and pure as I can.”
2. Take time for daily reflection
Advent invites us to pause, despite the holiday rush, and spend time in reflection.
Resolve to not give into the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays and simply stay with the Lord in this time, getting your heart ready to receive him as a little baby born in Bethlehem.
3. Give generously
Dr. Seuss popularly wrote, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Perhaps Christmas, rather, means a little bit more!” We each have special gifts (charisms!) that we can give others, and they aren’t gifts that we can pick up off of the shelf at Target. Target is awesome, but it only has so much.
This year, volunteer your time with an organization that you’re passionate about. Maybe you have a gift of instructing. Spend time at an after school program in your area and invest in the kids of your community and parish.
Notwithstanding what your gifts and talents are, there is a way to share them (and your time!) with the world and your community. Spend time researching the options out there for you and commit to one during this new year!
4. Ask a saint to walk the journey with you
Need some special assistance for the (Catholic) new year? Probably you’re looking ahead to major life changes, new jobs, or trips. Maybe this upcoming year will be full of privileges to trust the Lord.
Notwithstanding what your new year will look like, you don’t have to go at it alone. You’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and the saints are an incredible source of assistance Pick a patron for the upcoming year and start getting to know them and including them in your daily prayer.
Don’t know which saint to pick? Check out Jennifer Fulwiler’s Saint Name Generator for great recommendations.
5. Pray the rosary
Looking for some Heavenly assistance, protection against temptation, and a privilege to receive an indulgence? Look no further than adding a Rosary to your daily prayer life this new year!
Already pray the Rosary on a daily basis? That’s awesome! In this upcoming year, decide to invite others to pray the Rosary with you, or teach others to pray the Rosary.
6. Take a look at your media
It can be easy to cogitate that what we consume on social media, television, and our smartphones won’t affect our relationship with the Lord, but we’d be fooling ourselves to think that the media we consume doesn’t make a significance in our lives.
This new year’s, take a good long look at your Netflix queue, Spotify playlists, iTunes podcasts, and the social media accounts you’re following. Do they lead you closer to the Lord?
If the answer is “no,” exchange them with media choices that motivate you to grow deeper in your relationship with God.
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