There’s a story about a son who called his parents to wish them a Happy New Year. When his dad answered the phone, the young man asked, “Well Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?” His dad replied, “To make your mother as happy as I can all year,” When his mom got on the phone he asked her the same question and she replied, “To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution.”

We stand on the threshold of a new year. In doing so, we remember the events of the year just past and reflect on the year lying ahead of us. The beginning of a new year gives us a special opportunity to reflect on the gift of time. Part of that should be to express our gratitude to God for all the good things that happened, being aware of the sad and painful experiences, acknowledging and repenting of the sinful realities in our lives and resolving not to repeat missed opportunities to do good. But most of all we look upon the promise with the upcoming months of potential, even as we deal with the uncertainties that accompany them. And, as Christians, we remember to include a prayer for God’s blessings when making our resolutions. A good one comes from the Old Testament book of Numbers (6:24-26) in the “Aaronic blessing” first offered by Moses and repeated countless times in the three thousand years since:

As we continue our celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation during this Octave of Christmas, as we are poised at the beginning of a new year, remember to always keep Christ on our minds, in our hearts and upon our lips every day of the year!