It’s the time of the year to make New Year resolutions, a tradition that has its roots in religious customs. The ancient Babylonians and Romans began the new year by making promise to their gods. In Judaism, the new year culminated in the day of atonement or Yom Kippur in which one reflects on past transgressions and asks God for forgiveness. In our modern culture, we often make promises to ourselves: I promise to lose weight, eat better, get exercise, or quit some unhealthy habits such as overspending, smoking, or drinking; typically, however, our resolutions falter.
While we have trouble keeping promises we make, God will always keep the promises God makes. God promises to bring new understandings if we keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open.
We enter 2022 and watch as God beckons us to a pilgrimage of discovery. The road ahead, while perhaps different, unknown, and maybe challenging leads to sacred encounters.
Personal Reflection:
“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road” (Matthew 2:12).
Like the magi, we may find our lives transformed by events beyond our imaginings, only to have them altered again and again. It can be both wonderful and a little scary to find ourselves living in openness to change. As you embark on a new year, invite the Spirit of God to guide you. Open yourself to the idea that sometimes God may need to take you down new and different paths.
Prayer:
Thank you, gracious God, for the possibility of another way. Help us to follow where you lead. We know you are with us on the journey. Amen.