As each new year evening and day arrive, most people plan to make resolutions for the upcoming year. Many select such goals as losing weight, following a healthier meal plan, exercising more, and even cutting back on bad habits: smoking, drinking, gambling, and other off-the-chart pastimes. Some of these goals may be positive, but shouldn’t Catholics make New Year’s vows that include spiritual resolutions and encompassing God in daily life through prayers, saying the rosary, and attending regular Mass?
As Alex Strittmatter wrote for the Catholic Stand several years ago, “As humans, we will inevitably sin throughout our lives, but we can work to overcome those sins and temptations by bringing ourselves closer to Jesus. This is the only way we can overcome these challenges that will constantly face us.”
Father Hezekiah Carnazzo, founder and director of the Institute of Catholic Culture and pastor of St. George Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Sacramento, California, strongly affirms that the most important resolution a Catholic—or any Christian—should make is to renew one’s faith. “The new year is the opportunity for renewal of faith, which is central to our Catholic faith. Our baptismal life is relayed throughout our life, and it ought to grow every day of our life. So the new year offers us yet another opportunity for the restoration and fulfillment of our baptismal gift.”
As the church explains, baptism is a sacrament of initiation and regeneration that removes the original sin that all are born with, and thus baptism can makw someone a Catholic. Fr. Hezekias further outlined, the chance to make this new year’s resolution is to get renewed with our walk with Christ.
“How? The practical steps people ought to have as their goal is go the deeper in their communion with Christ,” he said. “That happens by encountering the word of God through studying Sacred Scripture. If then in renewing our baptismal identity has not been fulfilled, the first step is going to confession, to avail ourselves of holy confessions. …Then people should study Sacred Scripture, study of the Word of God as presented in the teachings of the church. And this brings a renewal of our minds in conformity with His word.”
Finally, Fr. Hezekias noted that having confessed one’s sins, people can look for spiritual renewal through fasting and feasting, exercise, and living out the liturgical life of the church. To keep sacramental days in mind, he offers a simple solution: “Put up a church calendar, and commit to observing the liturgical cycle, the life cycle of the saints.” All of these suggestions offer a chance to make resolutions to get renewed with our walk with Christ.
And to inspire anyone looking to further strengthen their Catholic faith, start the morning with prayers; plan to say the rosary, if not daily at least weekly; be kind and loving to others; meet regularly with your spiritual director; and just as importantly, attend Mass regularly.
Photo by George Bakos on Unsplash
