Recently we celebrated Christmas – the birth of Jesus our Lord and Saviour. He came on earth and became one with us and brought peace, joy, faith and love. What a great gift He has given to us – a gift that lasts and that no one can ever give but Him alone. He is the author of life and He alone can give these gifts and graces. We who receive it, rejoice and spread it to others in many ways.
We are now in 2017, a year full of grace and new hope in the Lord. Looking at the graces God has given us is the gift of life and how this life would be. Our life is from God, a perfect life that we have borrowed that is to be cared for, lived and we are to share in His blessed life. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. (The Life of man, p.7 – CCC)
My heart lifts with joy for another year of journeying together and living what we are called to do: to seek God in our lives. As religious nuns, we read and meditate on the words of God each day, a way for us to hear and listen to Him. Through His words we know Jesus and how He lived and cared for His disciples and the people around Him – great and small alike. Furthermore, we can know Jesus through our experiences, not only in the Bible but also in the homilies of priests, reading spiritual books, other good books, etc. The more we seek Him, the more we know Him, and the more we know Him, the more we love Him.
Yes, as we begin our journey together again in this new year, we open our hearts to God in faith, joy and love. I would like to share the ten resolutions of Pope Francis with you:
- Don’t gossip
- Finish your meals
- Make time for others
- Choose the more “humble” purchase
- Meet the poor “in the flesh”
- Stop judging others
- Befriend those who disagree
- Make commitments such as marriage
- Make it a habit to “ask the Lord”
- Be happy
For sure some of you have your own resolutions too. Live them and put them into action – but you can add more: we can also learn from the resolutions of our Pope Francis. His resolutions, I am pretty sure, are applicable to all of us, not only for the first three weeks or months of the year, but for the whole year 2017.
I myself will live what I am sharing with you. I have to deepen them (the resolutions) in my life for I believe each resolution has a deeper meaning. For instance, “Don’t gossip”, reflecting on it I can say that every individual is worth being respected. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Each person has the dignity and the image of Christ and we have to love them instead of gossiping about them.
You and I can ponder more about the other resolutions that we can apply in our day to day life. Through these our relationship with the Lord will be deepened and strengthened. Let us not be worried, for God is with us.
Yes, God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
May the year 2017 be a fruitful year for all of us, full of hope, faith and love for Christ.
Images courtesy of turnbacktogod.com
Daughters of Divine Zeal Vocations 