The Octave Day of Christmas, Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Happy New Year! What a whirl 2022 has been. I’m sure there are tons of people reminiscing and thinking back to all the good times and maybe some bad times too. It’s always around this time of year, we start to reflect on where our lives have come, and how they got here. Now, we reflect a lot on the past, but this is also the time of year where we start punching in all those new year resolutions. Maybe you have fitness goals, or academic goals, or career goals. This time of year, starts to encourage people to really look ahead at what it could end up looking like if we started putting in the work now.

So, what is it about us that has us always looking to the past to be able to focus on the future? Don’t we end up losing sight of the present moment? I know I always get to that point at some part of the year, and I realize so late in the year that I haven’t taken a minute to think about the fact that I’m here! Right now! We worry so much about what our past has determined for our future that we forget one big piece of that tendency. The one memory of a person that holds all the possible futures.

Jesus.

Jesus’ birth was and is the ultimate promise for what our future will be. The promise of salvation, new life, community, deep love, and protection. In this weekend’s readings we hear from the book of Galatians. Chapter 4, verse 4 – 2 says, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!” So, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son then also an heir through God”. Now ladies, first off let me tell you, this is not just talking about the men out here. You are included in this promise too! Jesus lives within you, and as a daughter of the Lord you are an heir to the Kingdom of Heaven too.

So, this promise ya’ll. It’s something that happened thousands of years ago, that every year, as Catholics, we look back and think about and reflect on through Advent all the way up to Christmas followed by the octave. But what are we doing to grow closer to Jesus, to set ourselves up with goals for our spiritual life? God literally sent His son down so that we would no longer be slaves to the everyday life of the world. So that we could have a place of our own in the Kingdom of Heaven when we die…for ETERNITY. Now that’s something to look forward to. That’s an insane promise, that goes even further than a pinky promise. You know how serious that makes this right?

So, this week, while you’re planning all your new year resolutions, try to focus on your spiritual life. Where am I now with my relationship with God? Where do I want to be with Him by the end of the year? I can’t guarantee it’ll go exactly the way you would want it, but it’ll be just what God desires for you. You see, God loves to hear our hopes and dreams, but what He loves even more is when you do it with Him. So, in this new year, make it about your forever, and not just your next year. I promise, it’ll place your life in the perspective of soo much more than just 365 days. Pinky promise