A fresh start, a clean slate

The New Year presents us with an opportunity for a fresh start, a clean slate. The past year is surely another one that we can look back to and say, honestly, that there are things we'd like to do over again and those we are definite should be the same. The New Year allows us to reflect on the year that was and perhaps come up with a plan for what we want to accomplish in the next 365 days (2012 being a leap year). 

Some of these plans will surely come to naught and we should realize that not everything is within our control. Are we prepared for such deviations from our plans? Are we open enough to accept that our own ways are not always the best if not the most acceptable? We are often too biased for our sakes that we forget that there will always be others that we are preventing ourselves from learning about and perhaps would have made us better in the process.

I like the homily of our priest in the Mass this morning celebrating not just the New Year but, more importantly, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Our priest posed a question to us where he asked some big "what ifs." What if Mary didn't surrender to God's plan of becoming man through her? What if Joseph rejected Mary? What if the shepherds refused to accept that the Child in the manger was the Savior, and instead looked for a wealthy child instead? 

Too often we are burdening ourselves with a lot of things that we should have discarded along our ways. Indeed, if we happen to be containers like cups or glasses, it seems that when we become full we fail to discharge our contents even when these happen to be dirty or contaminated. I would agree with the view that at the end of each year, we are given the opportunity to empty ourselves and prepare to be filled with the graces of the coming year. Too often, we are too full (of ourselves?) that we could not accept things that could have made us better. Perhaps we should learn to unload not just at the end of the year but at every opportunity during the year when we feel burdened and need to be filled with the Spirit for us to experience life.

Happy New Year to all!