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Searching for the Epiphany
Dear Friends,
The beginning of our calendar year can feel a lot like the season of Lent. Between the joy of celebrating followed by stillness and solemn waiting for a happier (and warmer!) season to arrive, and the tradition of making new commitments or casting off old habits, there are quite a few similarities between these periods of waiting.
With Lent, what exactly we are waiting for is starkly defined. We are waiting for Christ to rise again, of course! Our forty days of fasting, alms, and prayer that spring out of our generally redoubled effort to live as devout and faithful people are directed toward a definable end. There is no expectation or apprehension that at the end of those forty days, Christ will somehow not be risen. There is never any thought that Easter won’t come, and Jesus will still be snugly resting in his tomb.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t really say the same for myself when it comes to the New Year. The Christmas season is still ongoing and will be until the Epiphany on January 6th, but what then? In the wake of such a wonderful and relaxing few weeks surrounded by family and friends, I frequently find myself wondering what comes next as the calendar switches over. The bitter cold is much less pleasant once everyone’s taken down their Christmas lights and there’s no more Bing Crosby on the radio. In this next month, unlike the season of Lent, I’m not sure what to wait for.
Perhaps this is why I always find it so tough to stick to my New Year’s Resolutions. I commit myself to doing all sorts of productive and wonderful things for myself, but tend to lose focus on the ‘why.’ When the rest of the year stretches onward over the horizon with no end in sight, it’s easy to return to old habits and forget why I made a choice to change the way I live in the first place.
The truth is, we are always waiting for something specific, but due to scale, we often lose sight of what it is. We are always waiting for Jesus to return, and we are always waiting for the next moments of celebration and joy with our loved ones. We are always waiting to return to God, as odd as that might be to practically think about. There are all kinds of parables about what it means to wait for Jesus’ return, but I don’t think any of them talk about New Year’s Resolutions. All that I can say is that, whatever happens this year, maybe, for once, I’ll try to root my resolutions in things that remind me of what it means to wait for Christ.
I’d like to spend the next year prioritizing the things that matter – the things that bring me joy. I’d like to prioritize spending more time with my family, my friends, and the communities of which I’m apart.
I can’t wait to see you all in the New Year!
Gus, on behalf of the Paulist Center Staff
Alvaro, Barbara, Deb, Dorothy, Gus, Liz, Norm, Fr. Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, and Timmy
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