A Simple but Powerful New Year’s Resolution

Please note that I’ll be on retreat and then a little vacation until January 9.  On my retreat I will pray for all of you who read my blog.  I may not be posting again until mid-January.  My new post is right below this disclaimer!

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“Make yourself a capacity and I will make myself a torrent” (The Lord’s words to Blessed Angela of Foligno).

The Christmas rush is over and now we turn the page to a New Year.  Many of us may be tempted to feel regret for failing to enter into the spirit of Advent.  Each year we promise the Lord and ourselves that we will focus on Him and not get caught up in the cultural rush, but so often we do lose our focus.  The good news is that even though the world thinks Christmas is over, the Church continues to celebrate this great feast until the Baptism of the Lord (Sunday, January 10).  We can take time, then, over the next several days to rejoice in the salvation that has come to us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  We can prayerfully draw close to the baby Jesus.

But what about the New Year?  Many of us will begin it with a new attitude and new resolutions.  And in two weeks some of us will be dealing with the frustration that comes from failing to keep our resolutions.  But I have a solution to that.  I propose one simple but powerful resolution that each of us should make for the New Year.  Just one.  And if we keep this one resolution we will experience tremendous spiritual growth and it will overflow to the other areas of our lives.  Others will notice this growth and it will not only help us but will affect our relationships as well.

The one resolution that I propose is to spend more time in silent prayer.

If we learn anything from the final days leading up to Christmas it’s that our culture is too fast-paced, too consumer driven, too filled with distractions, and too noisy.  But our hearts long for silence.  So why not make more time for silence during this New Year?  True, to many people, it doesn’t seem like a life-changing resolution.  In fact, we can imagine the looks on peoples’ faces when they ask us what our resolutions are for the New Year.  “Oh, me?  I’m going to spend more time in silence.”  “Silence?” their looks may be betray, “how is that going to increase productivity in your life?”  However, silence and contemplation, more than anything else, will enhance the quality of our lives—if we only give it a chance.

So often the frustrations and difficulties we face in life are exacerbated by the flurry of activity that constitutes our daily existence.  We’re constantly on the go, rushing from one thing to the next; and when we’re not on the go our minds are filled with distractions about what needs to get done.

But what if we let go this year?  No, I’m not talking about being irresponsible and neglecting our duties.  I’m talking about taking time each day to simply let go and let God, to truly make time for Him and Him alone.  As the Lord said to Blessed Angela of Foligno: “Make yourself a capacity and I will make myself a torrent.”  What the Lord was saying is that we must make room for Him in our lives, and if we do He will fill our lives with His love and the grace we need to live in holiness.  Our hearts long for God.  Why, then, do we spend so much time on other things and neglect Him?  The answer to this, I believe, is because we don’t have the patience to reap the fruits of silence.  Spending silent time with the Lord is the one thing that can improve our lives, but some don’t believe there’s much value in silent prayer because it’s completely contrary to our instant-gratification culture.  Being silent takes spiritual effort, but as we build our “silence muscles” our capacity increases for a deeper friendship with God.

So what am I proposing?  Make one New Year’s resolution: to spend time in silence with the Lord every day.  Begin with just ten minutes.  It doesn’t matter what time of the day.  Whatever works best.  Gradually increase your silent time as the year progresses.  You will be amazed how your life begins to change.  And your silent time with the Lord will lead to progress in other areas of your life because the Lord will teach you in the silence.  He will speak to your heart and show you where you need to change.

The key is not to get discouraged.  So what if you keep your resolution for a week and then miss a couple of days? Keep going.  Just because you fail doesn’t mean you have to give up your resolution for the year.  Persevere.  Keep in mind that you are trying to make a greater capacity for the Lord in your life.  Some days you will feel He is filling your heart and expanding your capacity; other days you may feel that you simply can’t sit still.  Keep going!  Keep renewing your commitment to silence.  It’s about progress not perfection.

So this is my one resolution: to spend more time in silence in order to make a greater capacity for the Lord.  I invite you to join me.  True, I have a few other resolutions, but they too are simple.  Simple is powerful.  Silence is powerful.