Farewell to 2024

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  Remember, the Christmas season has hardly begun. Traditionally, it continues until Candlemas Day on February 2nd. So keep the celebration going. If you have any family birthdays or other events, rejoice and enjoy them. Keep the tree and the creche up, the lights lit, the carols playing, and the feasts going! After the seasons of penance in the Church, the celebrations are always longer. And the Master of the House is Jesus Himself. Let us adore Him with praise and thanksgiving and keep the wedding feast of God's love for mankind in style!

•  I'm grateful to God to have made it through another year as I run, walk, limp, crawl, stumble through this valley of tears. 2024 had its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, its blessings and curses. Thank you, God for everything. As Fr. John Hardon, whose anniversary into eternal life was yesterday, often said nothing "just happens." All is God's will; all is His Providence. Yes, He wills our suffering. He wills our joy in suffering as it unites us to His Sacred Heart. What a tremendous, holy paradox. Reading the lives of the saints emphasizes the importance of embracing suffering. It unites us to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Man of Sorrows and to His Blessed Mother who shared so deeply in those sufferings. St. Joseph too. On the Ignatian retreat I attended for so many years, Fr. James Buckley, the retreat master, generally did an additional meditation on the sorrows and sufferings of St. Joseph. What a great saint to teach us how to act in times of sorrow: obey God quickly, do our duties, and be silent and uncomplaining. That last one is hard for me!

• I like to light a candle while I do my morning prayers. Today that little light reminded me of the scripture passage, "A bent reed I will not break; a smoldering ember I will not quench." The flame struggled to stay lit, faintly flickering. Every now and then it flashed with a pop of light and then resumed its struggle. It seemed like a metaphor for my spiritual life with its weak flame and occasional spurts. How I long to be bright and steady giving off as much light as possible. I think of St. Teresa of Avila who prayed to be a burning furnace of charity. I long for that as well, but keeping a strong fire lit takes a lot of work and sometimes I'm too lazy or distracted to feed the fire. Pray God I will never let it go out. I hope and trust to faithfully persevere. With God's grace all things are possible. I'll pray to do better in 2025.

• May God bless us all abundantly as we say farewell to 2024 and welcome the new year. For some of us, it will be our last. My prayer each day will be to ask God for the grace to make every minute count on the plus side of the ledger. I don't want to be on the naughty list next Christmas!