30/12/2023
LET US RING OUT THE OLD AND RING IN THE NEW!
We are at the threshold of yet another new year. January, the first month of the year, derives its name from the Latin word Januarius. It is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of doorways and beginnings and therefore, the new year. Janus had two heads, which faced two ways, forward and backwards. Each new year is a time to look backwards and forward, which means to the past and to the future. New Year’s Day is not merely a legal holiday but a regal holy day for us to learn from the past and to plan for the future.
Today the world has become evil and its repercussions are seen everywhere in the form of conflicts, wars, epidemics and calamities. The relation between Man and God and the relation between Man and Nature have been severed. We have to reinstate this lost network of relationships to bring about the harmony of life. Let’s dream and work out the materialization of what is envisaged in the book of Isaiah 11.
Let us not lose our life like Lot’s wife who looked backwards when she was asked to run for her life from S***m. (Genesis 19:26) Instead, let us be like Abram who went into an unknown place from a place where he was quite familiar and comfortable, trusting fully in God(Genesis 12:1)
The passing year has already been a dream. For some people, it leaves behind a dream of joy and sweet memories but for some others, it happens to be a dream of despair and nightmare. Many people are entangled in the vortex of the past. Such people do not progress in life for they are not able to withdraw their thoughts from past events. They are preoccupied with their sufferings, loss and pains. They are down with their guilty feelings of sinful life. Similarly, many people become ecstatic and eccentric by way of being intoxicated with sensual pleasures and secular gains.
To mull over the past is a grave sin, which makes us incapable of using the opportunities which God provides us every moment. In the same way, daydreaming about the future and worrying about life will weaken us and lead us to lethargy. At this point, we have to bear in mind that tomorrow is only a vision. We have to work out our visions by carrying out our missions consistently. Our hopes about the future should be centred on the will of God. Lofty goals and aspirations are indeed good, if they help us to work hard and pray. Hopes and dreams which keep us away from hard work and prayer will harm our lives. Always count your blessings!
We are not to live in the past or in the future. But we are to live in the present. We have to thankfully enjoy each moment that God gives us. Every day is a good day. Each day, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Ups and downs, are parts of life. Let us with the Psalmist say, “Even if I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, for God is with me”(Psalm 23: 4).
The Sun sets every evening to rise up in the next morning. Therefore, let us leave everything to God. Live a life of happy- go-lucky! Be content with what you have and what you are! Everything that you and I have on the face of this earth is given by God. We have not brought anything into this world nor do we take away anything from this earth when we die. Anything mundane will not last long. Peace is what we need perpetually. It cannot be bought by money. Only God can offer perpetual peace(John 14:27) and we can have it for free by His grace provided we keep His company. As the prophet Jeremiah says “God has a plan and purpose for each one of us, a plan to prosper us and not to harm us” (Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, “Cast all your worries upon Him, for he cares for you”(1 Peter 5:7). St Paul says: “...And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”(Romans 8: 28).
God loves you and me. May His abiding presence be with us! Let us trust in God. Let us ring out the year 2023 and ring in 2024 with hope and prayer! Wishing you peaceful days ahead!
