Happy New Year! We had a full Christmas and New Year, hence the radio silence here. But I’m happy to say that though it was a season of newness, (we celebrated my brother’s wedding and bought a new van while on vacation), we are settling back into our familiar routines. Homeschool, playgroups, making bread and finding order amidst chaos. Hopefully this also means some more regular posts from me, along with a few new resource ideas I was dreaming up on our long car rides this holiday season.
Have you seen the Veggie Tales rendition of the story of Jonah? It’s quite comical, as Veggie Tales stories often are. Jonah, played by an asparagus, teams up with a caterpillar named Khalil and a band of pirates whose theme song revolves around their pride in not doing anything. In the opening scenes, Jonah enters the town of Joppa while the villagers sing a song asking Jonah, “What’s the word?” They want to know what God’s Word or message is, and they know Jonah is the prophet through whom God speaks.
As we have officially entered the New Year, it is a great time to pause and ask this same question: What’s the Word, Lord?
I recently listened to the New Year’s episode from Abiding Together, a podcast hosted by 3 lovely Catholic women. Every time I listen to the podcast I feel uplifted, inspired and usually convicted to dig deeper into some area of my life. This episode was no different. The women discussed their twist (and others have done this as well) on a New Year’s resolution. Rather than making a commitment to do or not do something on their own, each woman has prayerfully and thoughtfully chosen a word to serve as a theme for 2019. This isn’t something they came up with all at once, but is the fruit of nearly a month’s discernment. For each of them, they spoke about how the previous year had gone and how this new word for 2019 is building upon or growing out of 2018.
I love this idea! I loved it so much that my first instinct while listening was to pick the first thing that came to my mind and claim it as my word. (Exactly the opposite of their process.) Thankfully, I’m slowing myself down and plan to spend a good portion of January reflecting on this question: What’s the Word?
The women had some great ideas for how to go about this, especially if you are someone who is just starting to deepen your relationship with God. Go to the Scriptures, especially Isaiah 61:1-3
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.”
This passage holds special meaning for the podcast and is full of hope and comfort for the New Year.
Other ideas for lectio divina would be the Beatitudes, the Psalms, and John 17. You might also consider spending some time in adoration, devoting yourself to talking through this question with God. If it is a challenge to get that solitary time away because of your family schedule, maybe talk with your spouse about spending a few extra minutes in prayer after Mass, or arriving early and you spending that time speaking with God (perhaps from a different pew *wink wink).
If you’ve struggled with New Year’s resolutions, or are already struggling with this year’s, maybe a word for the year will work better for you. I think it’s going to for me and I’m excited to explore its possibilities.
Have you tried this before? Would you consider it now? What ideas do you have for discerning God’s Word for your year? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Use the comments or head over to any of my social media spots and let us know what you think!
Daily Graces 