The New Year, Resolutions or Not?

By: Lourdes G. Mon

It’s common knowledge that people make New Year’s resolutions. It is also said that resolutions are made to be broken. Personally, I never do such practice much less make it a tradition. Hardly do I know of any of my family, relatives or friends that have mentioned to me of making a New Year’s resolution.

This led me to think about my most favorite priest homilist. His name is Father Steve Grunow. He was not a pastoral staff in my home Catholic Church, St. Joan of Arc, now a part of the St. John Newman Parish, of the Skokie/Evanston area. However, he frequently celebrated mass at our parish, until he joined Bishop Robert Barron’s ministry. I remember a parishioner that during Fr. Grunow’s homilies, she literally was taking notes. So, after one of the masses, I asked him how I could get copies of his homilies. I was ecstatic when he said, “Check them on-line.” Well, from time to time, I have done so.

For this issue, being the 1st month of the year, I was curious about his thoughts whether or not he has talked about new year’s resolutions. Not so but in the context of the significance of the new year, in the faith. This is an excerpt from Fr. Grunow’s reflections. “January 1st is celebrated as not only the first date of the calendar’s new year, but also by the Church as the Solemnity of the Mother of God. The Solemnity of the Mother of God refers to one of the great dogmas of the Church’s formal profession of Faith – the child of the Blessed Virgin Mary is God. Not only is January 1st considered to be New Year’s Day and the Solemnity of the Mother of God, but it is also acclaimed by the Church to be the World Day of Peace, when prayers for peace are to be offered by the Christian faithful.” So, Fr. Grunow was dogmatic in his homily of New Year’s Day.

I am not sharing this because I am such an exemplary Catholic. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I somewhat recall hearing or reading somewhere the statement. “I don’t pray or attend church because I am a model Catholic, but rather because I am a sinner.” I am the latter, definitely.

Father Steve Grunow is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He serves as CEO and Executive Producer for Bishop Robert Barron’s Word On Fire Catholic Ministries.

Finally, “Happy New Year to All!