New Year, New(er) Man
The New Year is on its way and it’s coming fast. Indeed, 2017 is upon us and we come to hear most of the common phrases like, “Was 2016 everything you wanted it to be”, or, “What are your New Years resolutions for the upcoming year?” We all hear these same questions and we may end up giving similar answers to where it becomes an annual ritual for us to respond a certain way. “Yeah, 2016 was great, can’t wait to do it again next year!” Or even, “I’ll do something totally different next year. Yeah, 2017 will be the year for me!”
That’s all fine and good and there is nothing wrong with reflecting. We Catholics should do it with regularity with our examination of conscience on a daily basis. However, I would like to propose perhaps a different take on these timeless questions that reappear at this time of every year.
With the Christmas season underway, I know that my wife and I are going to continue forward with what we had intended to do during Advent, and that is to pray the rosary in the evening. A lot of times, Catholics will only add/remove certain habits or things during Lent to strengthen their spiritual life. I argue the same should be done during Advent, the arrival of Christ, and also during the Christmas octave. My wife and I are going to continue the rosary and also likely some other things to help us along our climb toward Christ.
Having this style of thinking fresh on our minds, I would again like to propose that we use the New Year and the Christmas season (which is not yet over) as the grounds for the foundation of a new spiritual catalyst for our lives. Instead of hitting the gym to get back down to the weight of your glory days when you were a junior in college, why not work on something profoundly more important, namely, your salvation?
There is nothing wrong with your usual New Year’s resolutions. What I am getting at is that we should use this sort of resolution “mindset” to become more engaged Catholic men instead of mediocre spiritual slobs. There are a few suggestions I would make to men both active, and inactive in the Faith.
For our readers who are not actively engaged in the Faith, or who have fallen away due to whatever reasons, I have three suggestions for you:
Go to Mass. At a minimum, you need to be going to Mass every Sunday (or to the vigil Mass on Saturday evenings should your schedule require it). Vatican II says that the Mass “… is the source and summit of the Christian life…” The Holy Mass is the place where Jesus Christ offers Himself to us with the Eucharist; the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. It is necessary for us as Christians to receive Him here (John 6:51-55).
Go to confession. The sacrament of reconciliation is one of the most beautiful gifts that Christ has given to us. Confession brings us rightly in order to God. We all know that confessing whatever can feel like a weight lifted off of your shoulders, but how much more with doing so to the Lord in person, through the priest who is acting in Persona Christi, or, “in the person of Christ.” Confession brings us back to Christ in right order.
Get some male Catholic friends. I cannot stress how important it is to find like-minded men of the Faith and have them in your inner circle. The Twelve had one another, why shouldn’t you have other Catholic men to bounce your victories, struggles, hardships, and life experiences off of? They can help keep us accountable. Read Proverbs 27:17: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
For those of us who are moderately engaged in the faith and at a minimum going to Mass every Sunday (and hopefully every Holy Day of Obligation), I would make three recommendations in spiritually charging the new year to be a better Catholic man:
Go to Mass more than just Sunday. Why go to the Place that is the source of the divine life? It is the Place where Heaven and Earth most truly meet and Christ encounters us in the most holy Eucharist; His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. “Give us this day, our bread.” Go to Mass more often, your soul will thank you.
Pray the rosary. The rosary is an extremely powerful weapon in the spiritual life. It has given us countless graces and helped accomplish miracles throughout history. If you haven’t learned how to pray it, you can learn here. Allow the most Blessed Virgin Mary to help guide your heart to her most Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Read Scripture. Do it. It’s the Word of the God. If Jesus Christ is the Word, and we learn of Him in the Word, than it makes an awful lot of sense to study the salvation story of mankind. There are plenty of resources to find orthodox teaching and education of Holy Scripture, one of which on the Old Testament that I cannot recommend enough by Fr Lawrence Boadt, CSP: Reading the Old Testament.
For those of us who find ourselves to be more of the “die-hards” for the faith, here are some (3) suggestions I might offer to strengthen your spiritual life:
The Divine Office. I was gifted the full volume set of the Liturgy of the Hours (synonymous with “The Divine Office”) this Christmas, and I am thrilled. I am going to start praying this daily once I learn how, as it is a goal of mine for the New Year. Vatican II suggests that the Liturgy of the Hours is considered an extension of the Mass, and, besides the Mass, is the highest form of prayer; higher than the Rosary. Whoa, pack a punch, why don’t ya.
Regular Adoration. , or, “mouth to mouth” with God. That is how we ought to be aligned properly to God. God breathed life into Adam, so let it be so with us. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a beautiful way to let Christ radiate onto us, whether we are simply sitting in His presence, praying the rosary, or reading Scripture. Get in front of Christ as often as you can, as His graces flow unendingly.
Become (more) well versed in apologetics, theology, and philosophy. I find that the more I read of these genres, the deeper in love I find myself with the Trinitarian God. As I write this, I am finishing Pope Benedict XVI’s and it’s the most dense work I’ve read on Jesus Christ, but arguably the most beautiful. If I hadn’t gotten into this fine work, perhaps I couldn’t have the intellectual understanding or capacity to try and understand further the profoundness of God (will we ever?). These genres open avenues that bring us closer to God.
Gentleman, obviously there are about a million more suggestions I could make for each of these categories, but I find that these are some of the most beneficial starting points for the New Year that is upon us. I recommend prayerfully considering some of these suggestions, or, during prayer, ask God to bring to light something He wants you to initiate in your life to draw yourself closer to Him.
Pax Christi
