Year of Resolution – Weekly Message for 01-05-2016

Dear Friends in Christ,

Among G.K. Chesterton’s many famous lines is his answer to the question, What is wrong with the world? The British essayist’s pithy reply: “I am.”

Such a surprising answer, coming from someone known for his literary cheekiness, challenges the rest of us.

Indeed, it is a fitting line to keep in mind at the start of the New Year, when we feel the nudge to make (and actually keep) a resolution for 2016.

If you are still searching for a resolution, why not consider Chesterton’s line? If ever the world is going to change, it has to begin with each of us having a deeper conversion. We need to improve. We need to make an effort to draw closer to Christ. The onus is on us.

That means the best resolution for 2016 should be something that touches on the spiritual life.

Maybe this is the year to carve out three or four times a day for prayer. This could include morning prayers, a midday Angelus, a bit of Scripture or a rosary, and a nighttime examen of the day’s activities and how we fared or failed, along with a resolution to do better tomorrow.

With such a program, faithfully followed, a person could make big spiritual gains in a year’s time.

For guidance or encouragement, you might try browsing the RC Spirituality website. The online Retreat Guides are an easy way to trek into the realm of the spiritual life. Add in the help of a devotional book of prayers, and a Bible and rosary, and you have the basic tools for going deeper in your spiritual life.

And in this Year of Mercy, you can likely count on a special assistance of the Holy Spirit.

With prayers for a holy and happy New Year,

Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
Ask a Priest contributor