Nine ways to kickstart your year

Make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral Basilica, one of only four basilicas in Texas. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

For most of us, January means both celebrating what’s ahead and learning from the year that’s ending. For Catholics, it’s seeing the past year not just through the rearview mirror, but also through the lens of faith. A new year offers us more than a fresh start. It can be an opportunity for conversion of heart – to take what we have experienced and resolve to grow more deeply as people of faith.

Losing weight and exercising are great — good luck with that diet! — but how about exercising our spiritual muscles?

This is a moment to resolve to get our faith in shape — to live more prayerfully, more gratefully, more thoughtfully, more hopefully. How can we do that? Here are a few ideas and suggestions to chart a new path as we return to Ordinary Time. You don’t have to tackle them all; try one or two. You might be surprised at what happens. Our God is the God of astonishment and miracles.
 

1. Prayer and gratitude

Kickstart your daily prayer life by resolving to begin and end every day in prayer. Try starting this with a prayer comprised of two simple words: “Thank you.” Find a moment or two to offer a quiet prayer of gratitude. Count your blessings. Find a reason to hope. You’ll be amazed at how it can change your perspective — and reset your day. Want to give your renewed prayer life a little “oomph”? Pick a patron saint for the new year. 

Read up on your saint. Pray with him or her. Ask for guidance, intercession or just help. You might find you enjoy the company!
 

2. Adoration

“O come let us adore him.” You don’t have to sing those words just at Christmas or only on Sundays. Resolve to carve out some time during the week to drop by church and have a talk with Jesus. If your parish has Adoration and Benediction, try to work that into your schedule. Simply sit in church and spend some spare time with God. 
 

3. Pray the Rosary

Grab those beads off your rearview mirror and pray them! Maybe you only grab them as a last resort when you’re desperate for some divine intervention. Want to start a new habit for the new year? Resolve to pray the Rosary — and not just when you need to ask God for a really big favor. Build this into your prayer life. Intimidated? Start small. Begin with just one bead, then try a decade, then two. Soon enough, you’re praying the Rosary like a pro. Tuck it in your pocket or purse before you head out the door. (Need some help? See our guide on Page 20!)
 

4. Get involved

Stop avoiding that parish group that’s been asking you to join! Family is more than just the people you live with. It’s also the people around you in the pews every weekend. Resolve to get to know some of the people you only see in the parking lot at Mass. Resolve to learn what your parish is doing to reach out to the sick, the elderly, the hungry or the poor. Find opportunities to give and give back.
 

5. Confession

Get a few things off your chest. When was the last time you went to confession? The catechism tells us we’re only required to go to confession once a year (No. 1457), but why be stingy about wanting all that grace? Let’s call this “committing to the Three Rs”: Resolve to be reconciled regularly. Aim for once a month. If that’s too challenging (or daunting), try every other month — or every six months. Build up a routine. Make it a Saturday ritual. Find a church, go to confession and take yourself out to lunch or dinner.
 

6. Fasting and abstinence

Try life in the fasting lane. Why limit it only to Lent? The ancient Catholic discipline of fasting and abstinence can do more than just help you drop a pound or two; it can, in a very real and tangible way, become a form of prayer. It reminds us of the poor, the hungry and the suffering around us. And it can connect us powerfully to all of those who have had to go without.
 

7. Works of mercy

Remember that “giving up” begins with “giving.” You’ve heard about them; you’ve read about them. Now you can resolve to live the Corporal Works of Mercy. In a nutshell, these involve acts of generosity and sacrifice that can bring abundant amounts of grace. It all begins with giving — giving time, giving attention and giving a prayer to someone in need.
 

8. Pilgrimage

Take a hike. That’s another way of saying pack a bag and go on that pilgrimage you’ve been meaning to take. Ever wanted to visit Mexico City, Lourdes or Rome? It doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t have to cross borders. Pack a lunch and visit the San Antonio Missions or the Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. Visit the Painted Churches, some of which are in the Archdiocese, like St. Mary in Plantersville and Guardian Angel in Wallis. 
 

9. Reflect

If you do nothing else, just do this: remember. Resolve to remember what the last year was like. In your remembrance, remember patience, kindness and mercy. Remember lessons learned, hope restored. We Catholics live as people who every week hear again the quiet, transformative command: “Do this in memory of me.” Remembering is central to our faith. So do this: remember. Take nothing for granted. Reflect on it all. Pass it on. Share what you learned with your children and your grandchildren. You won’t regret it.
 
Most of all: Resolve to have a truly blessed new year — one that is new, focused on growing, learning and hoping. Every page of the calendar is blank. By the grace of God, every day holds promise and possibility. Recall the stirring and hope-filled words from Revelation: “Behold, I make all things new” (21:5).
 
Isn’t that what we all really want? May we all resolve to trust, to pray and to collaborate with God to make it so!