Christmas Season Has Come To an End
With this weekend’s celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas Season comes to an end and Ordinary Time begins once again. Do not get too used to that, however, as the Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday on February 17. Until then perhaps some New Year’s resolutions given to us by Pope Francis could help us stay focused on the gift of Christmas well into this new year.
1. Don’t gossip. It is one of our hobbies, but for the Pope it is one of the most evil activities. He calls it “murder”, “doing what Judas did”, and “there is no such thing as innocent slander.”
2. Finish your meals. Francis slams a “culture of waste” that neglects the plight of the hungry. “We should all remember that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the poor, the hungry.”
3. Make time for others. Call up folks you haven’t seen or heard from. Check in on your neighbors, especially the frail and elderly. Say thank you to those who serve us each day.
4. Choose ‘more humble’ purchases. The Pope writes: “certainly, possessions, money, and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always want to have more.
5. Meet the poor in the flesh. “It is not enough to mediate care for the poor through institutions, which obviously help because they have a multiplying effect, but that is not enough. They do not excuse us from our establishing personal contact with the needy.”
6. Stop judging others. The Pope reminds intolerant Catholics, for one, to respect atheists. “If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that a culture of encounter: we need that
so much. We must meet one another doing
good.”
7. Befriend those who disagree. Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. “Others always have something to give me, if we know how to approach them in a spirit of openness and without prejudice.
8. Make commitments, such as marriage. “In a culture of relativism and the ephemeral, many preach the importance of ‘enjoying’ the moment. They say it is not worth making a life-long commitment, making a decision ‘forever’ because we don’t know what tomorrow brings. Have the courage to swim against the tide; have the courage to be happy.”
9. Make it a habit to ‘ask the Lord.’ “Dear young people, some of you many not yet know what you will do with your lives. Ask the Lord, and he will show you the way. You can ask the Lord: “What do you want me to do? What path am I to follow?”
10. Be happy. The true Christian, says the Pope, exudes great joy. Sometimes melancholy Christians’ faces have more in common with pickled peppers that the joy having a beautiful life. Christian joy should transfer us to love of neighbor.
