From Our Spiritual Advisor:
Ever wonder why January 1st is New Year’s Day? Google it; there is some interesting reading for those of us intrigued by such things. In the end, it just makes sense because January is named for the Roman god Janus who was the god of beginnings. He is depicted with two faces: one faces back and the other forward. He looks back at the past and forward to the future. New Year’s is a time to do the same. To look at where we have been and where we are headed. It is also a time to examine our lives to see if we are lined up to get where we say we want to go. A ship may want to go to a certain point but may miss it if the route is off by a few degrees. A space ship may want to go to the moon but will miss it if the trajectory is off by the slightest degree. We may say we want to follow Jesus but do our actions bear out our intentions?
The Church also takes time to look back and to look forward. I was struck by the readings for January 7 th . John’s Gospel looks way back to before time: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The epistle is also from John but in it, he reminds us that we are in the final hour before the second coming of Jesus. He addresses the tough issue of some falling from the faith but encourages us: “But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.”
Not that we know everything, but that we have the teachings of the Church, the deposit of Faith, from which we can draw. But most of all, our anointing through our Baptism and Confirmation which brings us into relationship with God, Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
If my goal is to spend the rest of my life on earth in a strong loving relationship with my wife, then I must make sure that my actions help build our relationship. If my goal is to spend eternal life with God, then I must examine my actions to make sure that they build my relationship with God. If I am married, I have a duty to help my spouse “get to heaven.” I must examine my actions to make sure they will achieve that goal.
Many years ago, a speaker said: “You are where you are, because that is where you wanted to be.” We are where we are right now due to the decisions and actions we have made up to this point. If I do not like where I am right now, then I need to examine my life and determine what I need to change to be where I say I want to be. This takes effort and it often takes others. Do not be afraid to reach out to someone in our Movement and ask for help. Even if it has 2 been years, we are here to help. We will listen and may direct you to someone else because we care about you. Sometimes a correction of a couple degrees can make all the difference between making it to the moon or missing it.
Deacon Andy McMahon
