“New!”
By Father Frank Hernandez
It is a little hard to believe that we are already in 2022. It feels like last year went by so fast. But it is that time of year, making new year’s resolutions and seeing how we can make this new year better. Reflecting on the moment of joy and struggles of the past and see how we can do better. But this same idea of resolutions applies in our personal journeys of faith. How can we improve that personal relationship with the Lord? How can we live His example more in our lives? We have finished one of the great seasons of the church, the season of Christmas, where God takes on our humanity, our flesh and sends us the gift of His Son. How can this unique exchange in history inspire us every day of our lives?
As we all know, faith is not only on Sundays or moments of struggle or on these special holidays in the church, but faith is an everyday event. Our faith SHOULD BE 24 hours /7 days a week. We do not have a day off of faith. Faith is something we need to live at every moment of our lives. When we are at church, home, work, school or the store. We should not be hiding from our faith, we need to live and embrace our faith. We should not be putting Jesus in a closet and only taking Him out when we need Him. Faith is not like a light switch that we only turn on when we need Jesus in our lives and turn it off when we are done or do not need Him anymore. With family, friends and with strangers we are meant to live our faith, not be shy to talk and teach Jesus to others. How many of us say grace or thank the Lord for our meal in public? Many of us shy away from that situation because we may be embarrassed to show our faith in public, but that is a public declaration of our faith to say, “I am a believer in Jesus and I am thankful for the food that I have.” Jesus does not shy away from us; we are the ones who shy away from Jesus. How can we change that this new year? How can we trust more in Jesus and truly know He is walking with us closely in our lives?
2021 was still a challenging year for us. Covid has not gone away, but the situation is getting better as we all do our part to stop the spread of the virus in our families and community, but there is more we can do. 2021 was also a test of our faith. How is Jesus real to me and how can I live my faith? 2022 should be a year of renewal for us; not only as a human but also as a person of faith in Jesus. Blessings this New Year.
