Just one
more month and we’ll be finishing another calendar year. One of the constants of this time of year is that
in the coming weeks, we’ll hear reflections on the news, music, entertainment,
sports, and so forth from around the world in 2023. Those reviews are almost always followed by
talk of New Year’s resolutions.
In the
liturgical sense, we’re down to today and tomorrow. Advent, and the new liturgical year, starts Sunday. Our biblical readings recently, have been
focused on the end times. Certainly, a
focus on the long view of our salvation is important to keep in mind. My recent seventieth birthday celebration, has
made me realize that it might be a good idea if I borrow from the calendar year
traditions and take a closer look at my current relationship with God.
The close of
the liturgical year is an appropriate time to reflect on our spiritual journey
over the past year and prepare our new liturgical year resolutions. There is no formula to follow, no right or
wrong process for reflection. My usual
method is to just sit quietly with God and open my heart to the promptings of
the Holy Spirit.
Here are
some of the questions I ask myself pretty regularly in my reflections. How have I grown spiritually? How have I fallen short in my growth? Have I made time in my life for meditation and
conversations with God? In what ways did
I follow the two greatest commandments:
love God and love my neighbor…and how and when did I fail to do so?
The act of
remembering our past is a powerful way to connect with God. This is our opportunity to give thanks for the
blessings we received, to ask forgiveness for our shortcomings, and to pray for
the wisdom to carry forward the lessons we have learned into the new liturgical
year and calendar year.
