HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017

Just as a father has compassion on his children,
            So the LORD has compassion on those who                 fear Him.

For He Himself knows our frame;
            He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

            As a flower of the field, so he flourishes

When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,

            And its place acknowledges it no longer.

But the loving kindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

            And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who keep His covenant

            And remember His precepts to do them.

These verses taken from Psalm 103: 13-18 remind us on this New Year's Day how fragile we human beings are and how fleeting are our days upon this earth!

Some receive these words with a sense of fear and loathing as they are reminded of their mortality and the realization that all things in this created world are temporary and finite.

Others rejoice as these words reassure them of the Eternal Love of the Father and His Promise of immortality to all who acknowledge His Sovereignty over Creation.

The year 2016 is now committed to history and will be relived in the wonderful memories of the relationships we have strengthened and forged with our families and friends.  For yet another year, Our Heavenly Father gave us the privilege of time to discover the love of those with whom we share our lives, especially the Lord Himself.

In 2016, we may have welcomed new family members into our circle of life.  Some families grew with the birth of infants.  Some families greeted new members as sons and daughters married and began families of their own.

Sadly, 2016 may have been a moment when our Faith was challenged as we bid farewell to loved ones and commended them to Eternity in the company of Almighty God as well as family members and friends who have gone before us.

As with life itself, 2016 was a rich and complex mixture of joyous moments, sad experiences, challenges, defeats and victories.  Through it all, the Lord was with us each step of the way.

Beyond the horizons of our own lives, 2016 saw our world still suffering the wounds of global strife and terrorism. The modern world is still not immune from warfare, hunger, as well as natural and man-made tragedies of all kinds.   2016 ended with peace among human beings still being a prayer instead of a reality.

Today, the New Year 2017 begins.  As with all beginnings, everything that lies ahead is promise and potential.  If we truly believe that we are made in God's image, endowed with reason and free will, then we understand that the promise of the future is ours to realize.  With faith and prayer to empower us, all things are possible.

May 2017 be a year of deepening personal sanctification for each of us.  May we enter into a more intimate relationship with the Lord, beginning and ending each day in His Presence through prayer.

May the Holy Word of God that comes to us in the liturgical celebrations of our Catholic Faith and in our own reading of the Scriptures be the light to guide the pathways of our lives.  And may our frequent Sacramental Communion with Jesus in the Eucharist be the nourishment to give us the energy to do God's will with enthusiasm and joy.

A Healthy and Happy New Year 2017 to all!

God bless us throughout 2017 and always!