The A, B, C, D of New Year Resolutions
Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2: 16-21
Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap
Introduction:
A son called his parents to wish them a happy new year and when his Dad answered the phone, He asked his dad,” well Dad, what’s your new year’s resolution? His dad replied, “to make your mother as happy as I can all year,” When his mom got on the phone, he asked her the same question. His mom replied my resolution is “to see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution.”
Last year on 1st Jan 2023, some of you were saying, this year, things are going to be different! I’m going to change! I’m going to be a better spouse. I’m going to spend more time with my family. I’m going to spend more time reading my Bible. More time praying to God. More time serving others. Were you able to keep up with your New Year resolutions? Do you know what they say about New Year’s resolutions? They usually go in one year and out the other!
Here it is! Brand New Year 2024. What are you going to do with this New Year? How will this year be any different than last year? Last year might have been a tough year full of challenges and painful choices and may be even some crises. For some 2023 may have been a year of disappointment, a year of loss, may be even a year of setbacks and failures and heartbreaks. The bad news is that there is nothing we can do to change the past year. The good news is that we can learn from the past and start over and make some changes.
The five most popular resolutions made most every year are: to take up a new hobby, to make more money, to improve relationships, to stop smoking and losing weight. New Year’s Resolutions basically fall into 3 categories. They deal with: 1. Things to make us look better and live longer. 2. Things to make us have more. 3. Things that will help us to get along with everyone. In short, they are focused on long life, prosperity and peace. Most of the resolutions are worldly. They have nothing much to do with spiritual life. That is why the church dedicates the first day of the New Year to Mother Mary the Mother of God to bring back our focus on God.
At the beginning of every year God says, let’s wipe the slate clean and let’s start with a brand-new year. Proverbs 17:24 says “An intelligent person aims at wise actions, but a fool starts off in many directions.” If you are planning to make some resolutions for the New Year, may I suggest the following ?
A, B, C, D of the New Year Resolutions
A – Accept responsibility for your life.
This is something that is hard for many people to do. Some people would rather blame someone else for the problems and difficulties in their lives. Accepting responsibility for one’s life is not popular concept in our society, because we live in a culture that embraces a concept called “political correctness”. This basically says, “None of your problems are your fault. Everything bad in your life is somebody else’s fault. Blame the environment. Blame your parents. Blame anybody else, but it’s not your fault.” We must accept responsibility for our own lives. Galatians 6:5 says “Each person must be responsible for himself.” The King James Version says, “For every man shall bear his own burden.” All of us here face two kinds of circumstances. Those circumstances which we have no control over. None of us know what we will face throughout this coming year. There are some circumstances that we face as a result of my own choices, our acts of commission or omission. While we may not be in control of all the circumstances that we will face this coming year, we do have control of how we will act and respond to them.
Psychologists speak about three kinds of people in life: accusers, excusers and choosers.
Accusers always blame everybody else for their problems. Their favorite phrase is, “It’s all your fault.” Excusers are people that always have an excuse for not making a decision or doing something. In the long run they end up being the losers. The Bible says, “A lazy man is full of excuses.” Choosers say, “I choose to accept responsibility for my own life, goals and happiness. I’m not dependent upon somebody else. I choose the direction of my life.”
B – Believe You can change-Stop saying, “I can’t” and start saying, “I can”. The person that believes that they can change with the help of God will change. Philippians 4:13 “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength.” The Bible is full of stories of people who changed because they believed that they could change after God touched them (Moses & Gideon).
C – Clarify what’s important and what’s not important. God has given each of us an incredible gift called the freedom to choose, the freedom of choice. Like Mother Mary during this New Year choose to make your relationship with God number one. Choose to make your relationship with your family stronger and better. Choose to make your relationship with your church more frequent and enduring. Know what you want.
D – Don’t postponed– Eccl 11:4 says “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” We always say, “When things settle down.” Or “When things get better.” The problem is things may never settle down or get any better. That’s called life!
Conclusion: What kind of person will you be this year? Will you be an accuser, an excuser, or a chooser? Will you choose to make the most of 2024? Will you accept responsibility for your life? Will you believe you can change? Will you clarify what you want this year and what is important to you? Will you start right now? Will your relationship with God be on the top of your priority list? Will your family and church be at the top of that list? The choice is yours. What will it be?
God says a new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you. Ezekiel 36.26. I will make a new covenant…I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. Jeremiah 31:33. Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, the old has passed away, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus said to Nicodemus, you must be born from above, in other words, you must be born again. So, take responsibility for your life and be born again.
As we begin the New Year, the Church invites us to honor Mary, the Mother of God. Just as human life starts in the womb of mothers, so also, we begin another year with the mother of all humankind, the Blessed Virgin Mary. May Mary the mother of God be our inspiration and motivation to be born again, all new pleasing to the Lord. Amen!