Editorial

Resolving to become more Christ-like in our lives

We’re a few weeks into 2025, and for those who decided on a New Year’s resolution and kept it thus far, we say well done—and keep it up. For those who have already fallen short, that’s OK. There’s no reason you cannot pick yourself up and start again. No one said it would be easy. And we must remember, our faith reminds us that Jesus walks with us in our earthly journey. So, he is there by our side—picking us up and carrying us when necessary.

For those who didn’t have the time or couldn’t decide on a specific resolution for 2025, why not start now? It’s never too late to try and improve the life God has called you to—whether you are young or old, retired or fully employed, or are Catholic or practice another faith tradition. (We know annual resolutions are made by people from all walks of life.) Becoming the people our Creator wants us to be takes time—and plenty of patience and God’s grace.

In our Jan. 10 issue of The Criterion, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral parishioner Pat Maher shared a unique practice he and his family follow at the beginning of each calendar year: they choose a word to focus on for the coming 12 months.

In 2024, Maher’s word was “chaos, because everything just seemed to be in chaos. That’s the way the world was before it began. God gives us that order that we need, so we need to avoid the chaos.”

He continued, “I’m trying to decide [among three words] for this year, either ‘hope,’ ‘mercy’ or ‘truth.’ … Things keep coming up about those, but hope is leading the way right now.”

For those still considering a New Year’s resolution, the Maher family’s example is worth considering. And because the theme of the 2025 Holy Year to mark the Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope,” the word “hope” seems to be an appropriate word.

But words like “love,” “mercy” and “peace” come to mind in our ever-challenging chaotic world. The choices—as we see in any dictionary—are endless.

Another recent suggestion from a friend had a unique bent as well: Why not a pick a “saint for the year” and learn more about him or her and what led to that saint’s canonization? Or if you’re ambitious, why not pick more than one saint for the year—possibly one per month—to focus on?

It might be interesting to choose little-known saints. Find those saints’ life stories and read them. What did you learn about them? What was unique about their vocation and the mission their life focused on? How did that play a role on their journey to sainthood? Finally, why not celebrate their feast days at home with your family? It would be a wonderful way to plant seeds of faith for all who take part, especially children.

There are plenty of other resolutions to consider in 2025. Here are a few more that may fill a much-needed void in your life of faith:

• Try to attend Mass more than once a week.
• Go to the sacrament reconciliation more often, possibly monthly.
• Pray the rosary or the Divine Mercy chaplet each day.
• Read the Bible in its entirety or Scripture as often as possible.
• Pray with your spouse and/or children each day.
• Visit an adoration chapel regularly.
• Join a men’s or women’s group at your parish.
• Volunteer at your parish, at a food pantry or at other agencies that assist our brothers and sisters in need.

If we become more Christ-like in our vocations, our lives will be good and fruitful. God’s grace will flow in us.

Christ wants to be with us and in us. In 2025 and beyond, pray Christ becomes the focus of your life.

And as a reading from the Gospel of John proclaimed on the Saturday after Epiphany reminded us: “He must increase, I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).

Our primary mission in life is to be made holy, as our heavenly Father is holy.

As priest and theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar said in his book Prayer: “What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.”

—Mike Krokos