New Year, New Spirit

Bulletin Column for December 29 – All Things New

            This week we will celebrate yet another year passing by. Welcome, 2020! Around this time, many people like to make New Years’ Resolutions. Maybe it’s to lose weight, or take up a new hobby, or start working out. A new year is a chance to become a new person.

            Sometimes our spiritual life gets stale, as well, and needs to be refreshed. God made us humans to love variety, but sometimes we’re still praying the same way we prayed twenty years ago or sixty years ago, stuck in the same routine and same rut. We get into a habit, and are still in that habit decades later. Perhaps God wants to do something new in your life? Breathe some fresh air into your soul?

            Here are some great new year’s resolutions that can help us to experience His love in a powerful new way!

            Visit a New Church – I have met people here who have worshipped at St. John’s for their entire lives. Some of them have told me that they have literally never attended Mass in a different location! Although that is impressive dedication, it can also be stultifying. It can be a beautiful experience to worship at a Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC, or even over at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Stamford (just make sure your contribution envelopes still make it to St. John’s! J). Different architecture, different preaching, a different setting can be a way to refresh the spiritual life.

            Take a Pilgrimage – We have some great spiritual places in the Northeast that many people have never visited. The Lourdes Shrine in Litchfield, CT; the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, MA; the North American Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, NY; the Cloisters in NYC…the possibilities are endless. All you need is an afternoon. Take a picnic lunch and a few hours of silence, visiting these spiritual places, and you will find yourself with a new appreciation for the love of God.

            Read a New Spiritual Book – There are so many writings of the saints and other holy people that we could never read them all in our lifetime! Some of the best include “Introduction to the Devout Life” by St. Francis de Sales, “Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis, “Divine Intimacy” by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdelene are some of my favorites. There have been so many times in the spiritual life where God spoke to me through a spiritual author. Open your hearts, and listen, and He will speak!

            Go on a Retreat – When’s the last time you’ve taken a weekend to reconnect with God? The Sisters of Life offer wonderful retreats for men and women; as do the Regnum Christi lay movement. We have a great retreat house in Darien, run by the Bridgettine Sisters – anyone can make their own personal retreat there.

            Pray in a New Way – If you’ve always said three Hail Mary’s before going to bed, why not add a chapter from Scripture? Perhaps you have always prayed in your favorite lounge chair – why not take a walk in the woods instead? Much like investing, I find that diversification is key in the spiritual life – there will be a time when I find the Rosary dry, but that’s when God speaks to me in Scripture. Then Scripture will become dry, and God will speak to me through spiritual music. The more avenues we have for God to speak to our hearts and souls, the more likely we will be able to hear Him. Try something new!

            Come to Something New at St. John’s – Most parishes find that any of their programs are only attended by 10-15% of parishioners. That means that 90% of men have never tried the Holy Name Society; 90% of women have never come to Walking With Purpose or Women, Wine, and the Divine; 90% of teens have never come to the Youth Group. But our spiritual life dries up when we lack the good Christian community that we hope to foster here at St. John’s. We don’t believe in a “me-and-Jesus” mentality – we’re not individualists when it comes to the Faith. Rather, we are a Church who is pilgrimaging together through life, seeking the Face of Christ together. Why not give some of these things a try? You might find a powerful encounter with Christ and some good Catholic friends as well!

            Jesus promised in the Book of Revelation to “make all things new”. We have a new year, and a new chance to become the men and women that God has created us to be. Why not do something new in your spiritual life?