"Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the newness of the Nativity in the flesh
of Your Only Begotten Son may set us free,
for ancient servitude holds us bound
beneath the yoke of sin."
2015 will be an exciting year.
That's not a prediction, but my New Year's resolution, based
on the prayer above, the Collect from the Mass for Dec. 30.
"God does not like boredom," I heard a priest say,
reflecting on the prayer. "He is eternally new."
It's sin that's old and boring, he said. At first, our sins
might seem exciting and new. But after a while, as we become ensnared, we
realize our sins are just old and predictable. How many of us go to Confession
and repent of the same sins again and again?
But we are not to give up on the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. In fact, we need God's grace to break free. He's always there
for us, wanting to set us free from our bondage, the priest said.
That is why God sent His Son to us.
So my resolution for 2015 is to go to Reconciliation as
often as I can.
I'm bored with sin. I'm ready for the excitement Jesus
offers, His eternal newness and happiness that we can experience in its
fullness in Heaven.
Good riddance sin. Happy New Year!
Inspired
by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for
us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her
to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on
Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.
