New Year's Message

Saturday, 31 December 2011 17:05 |

Dear Website Users,

Soon we will be starting a new year with God’s help. It is easy to look backwards at the start of a new year and all the events one has experienced and all those one wishes to occur in the new one. Many try to analyse what was good or what went wrong – some say that we are living in uncertain times: that faith in reason, in science, in economy has diminished and that there is urgent need of the sacred and the spiritual in our lives. I believe that our heart will show us what we really felt in our bosoms; more peace and joy.

What really helps us to retain our joy and peace throughout the year?
In the book of Kohelet (ch.3, 1-9) we find a proverbial writing which describes the seasons of life... I ask you to listen to it through the ears of your heart.
Everything has its time, and everything has its precise moment; time of birth and time of death; time of sowing and time of harvesting; time to kill and time to heal; time to demolish and time to build; time to cry and time to laugh; time to worry and time to dance; time to strew the stones and time to gather them; time to hug and time to push away; time to receive and time to lose; time to tear and time to mend; time to be silent and time to speak; time to love and time to hate; time of war and time of peace.

This extract sort of tells s how life is all relative; everything passes and is just a journey. It is not how long one’s life is but how well one lives and how much time God lends one – life is God’s free gift. Are you using it well for yourself and for others? Today, at the beginning of the year the accent should be on solidarity; the more one thinks of others the more one’s life is rich. Today, we have the gift of beginning the year just think about a detail or a moment which one would like to retain in one’s heart for eternity, and to keep in our heart for the whole year. Don’t forget just one but really good (enjoy some time in silence).
Another thought for the new year to enjoy more joy and peace.

Forget numbers ---how much you have. Don’t count your years but live them. Don’t worry too much about your weight, height, waist size or whether you are losing your hair. Let others worry about them.
Just enjoy what you are.
Keep a happy company around you
Enjoy small and simple things. Remember when you were younger when you would tear the world apart.
Just enjoy simple things and that should be enough.
Tears help the eyes and strength the heart. Don’t fear them.

Don’t heed others – you have only one life, so live it.
Laugh often and heartily – if people laugh at you laugh with them.
Don’t wear masks or superficiality. Just be yourself.
Remembering past mistakes only causes depressions.
Only love helps you learn from your mistakes. We all have eared in life but we also have loved. Forgive yourself because God has already forgiven you.
Tell your loved ones that you love them as often as you can.
Keep those you love near you and get rid of the rest. Accept that at times you will resemble a ‘dove’ (and that somebody may try to shout you) and at times be a ‘statue’.
Have patience because we live in an imperfect world – accept defeats and keep on going
Don’t let life make you lose heart – each breath brings you new life

May we keep God with us during this New Year – He is our Father, Friend, Shepherd, and a Staff to rest on and to fill us with great love and joy. May we all never forget Him and remember to thank Him daily and never change Him for other people or things which perforce our much less importance than he is.
Best wishes: May God Bless and Guard You! May God shine His Face on you and show you pity! May He look upon you with love and give you peace! If they call my name ‘I will bless them’ (Numbers: 6, 22-27). This is what we shall read in the first Reading in New Year’s Day Mass.
A Prosperous New Year to All
Mons. Archpriest Joseph Attard