New Year, New Me
We’ve all heard this phrase. We’ve all made New Years resolutions — promises of self improvement (often broken by the end of January). This year, I will get my act together and work out more. This year, I will get my act together and study more. This year, I will get my act together and save more money.
Here’s a resolution for 2022: this year, I will get my act together and grow in my relationship with the Lord.
You may be thinking, “That sounds great, but where do I begin?” Begin wherever you are. We can look at people who we think are holy and tell ourselves we can’t do what they do. Perhaps we won’t live up to their level of holiness. But no one is asking us too… God is inviting you to live up to the level of holiness that He has planned for you.
If you wanted to be like a musician you admire, you may try to emulate their style of song. If you wanted to to be like an athlete you admire, you may emulate their workout routines. If you want to be holy, then try to do what holy people do: align your will with His.
If we are looking for a lesson in holiness and growing in His ways, we should look to Christ himself. Consider this excerpt from His Sermon on the Mount. He gives three simple steps for this endeavor.
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)
Ask: How is it that God wants me to live? What is it that He is calling me to do? Do I ask for the grace to do His Will?
Seek: Live in a manner that makes you move toward the Lord — not away from Him. Look for Him always. If you are doing something that makes you want to hide from him, perhaps you should reconsider your ways.
Knock: Realize that you depend on the Lord. While we our responsible for our own actions, we still rely on Christ in all things. There are some doors we must rely on Him to open, and can’t depend fully on our own self reliance.
In this new year, if you commit to anything, commit to making yourself new in Him. If you can’t remember these simple steps, then pray with these words of the Blessed Virgin Mary when she committed herself fully to the Lord:
May it be done unto me according to thy word. (Luke 1:38)
Sean Cintron
Sean serves in youth ministry and IT at the Basilica of Regina Pacis in Brooklyn. Sean was born and raised in Brooklyn. After high school, he served in the Army as a Paratrooper for six years and is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. He then attended Fordham University, where he studied philosophy and theology.
Sean has a strong dedication to serving overseas missions and bringing the presence of Christ to those who do not know Him. He has spent much of his adult life evangelizing in Cambodia (and even adopted a dog there!) and Central America. He speaks often at retreats and other events, wishing to inspire our young people to respond to the call of holiness and sainthood. In his free time, he enjoys fishkeeping, road trips, and watching the Yankees.
