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JMJ
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loses his life, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves Me." (Jn 12:24-26)
The beginning of a New Year is a special period of grace that God mercifully allows once again shed the old self and take on the new. It is imperative to prayerfully examine one's conscience, and not simply allow the first few days of the year to come and go like the lazy tide. Hopes may be high for annual resolutions, but if they are not accompanied by decisive action and an earnest desire for conversion, they continue to remain unattainable. A resolution must not be wistful but willful. It is realistic, rooted to the ground by the humble acknowledgment of a fault, and the eager desire to correct it. The Church wisely dedicates the first of the year to the Blessed Mother, and who better than a mother can gently advise her children as to how they must improve. She knows a contrite heart, and looks kindly on a willing spirit; ask her help, and through her hands, beg for His grace.
