If a question is asked thus: “What is the New Year?” Most people would jump at the answer that says that the New Year has to do with the commencement of the calendar year beginning from 1st of January every year. This is not a wrong answer in anyway. However we should also know that the world as a whole does not enter the New Year the same time. Australia, New Zealand and Japan get there hours before the rest of the world. Furthermore, the Chinese New Year is still months ahead. Beyond the passing seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and the year itself, what is it that actually constitutes the New Year? Put in another way what is the Real New Year?
During the last New Year Day I did ask the question: “what is New about the New Year?” It is after all going to be the same sun, the same moon, the same rain, the same body we have, the same house we live, the same people around us, it is the same 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. What then is it that makes the Year New?
The Year will become New for you when you become New yourself. You cannot expect New Realities when you are still an Old Reality. In the synoptic gospels, our Lord Jesus Christ did instruct that new wine ought to be put in new wine skins (Matthew 9: 14-17, Mark 2: 18-22; Luke 5:33-39). This actually means that the new realities we desire in our lives in the New Year should be received with new lives. Often we pray and ask God to change situations for us but we don’t want to change. We want God to step up and speed up things for us, but we want to remain where we are and what we used to be as those changes occur.
The Real New Year is a New You and New Me. The Real New Year is when we are able to drop the unproductive past and pick up a New and productive future. The Real New Year is when you are able to let go and let God. The Real New Year is when you are able to open up a new chapter of life for yourself and for others. The Real New Year is when you allow God to make the way for you in all circumstances. The Real New Year is when you give chance to love, peace, forgiveness, and patience. The Real New Year is when you begin to walk on a new path.
The New Year can only become what you design it to be right at this moment. If you are living in enmity, anger, and hatred how do you expect a peaceful year? If you are disruptive of the progress of other people how would you expect progress? If you have not forgiven how would you expect forgiveness? We basically reap what we sow as seeds.
Often people make resolutions that do not meet the middle of the month of January. This happens when such resolutions are made without proper introspection and deeper examination. Often they are made without God. Our Lord Jesus Christ said: “apart off from me you can do nothing”(John 15:5). We need to think about this very deeply: APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. This includes your plans and aspirations in the New Year. For them to become New Realities (not ideas) they must have divine support and direction.
A more practical way of confronting the New Year is to see it as a bed. You may have the idea of making your bed to look beautiful with all the exceptional bedding accessories; that is really fine. However you will lie on your bed the way you finally made it. This can be likened to the New Year. The New Year will finally become what you make out of it. If it will be peaceful it starts now and with you. If it will be successful, it starts now and with you. Yes! The Newness of the New Year depends on you. Work towards New Realities beginning from YOU because you are the Real New Year.
Happy New Year
Fr. Bonnie
(fatherbonny@hotmail.com)