Before We Turn the Page…

We are on the brink of beginning another new year!

2026 ~ It's mind-blowing to me !!!

I remember anticipating the turning of the millennium.

Y2K was a BIG DEAL. Now we are 26 years beyond that!

This time of year makes us ponder, What will the New Year bring?

BUT BEFORE WE TURN THE PAGE… let's take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights of what brought us to have our finger on the corner of the 2025 page in our life story.

So much has happened. Let's not rush into the new year. Take some time to review your own treasure of memories. Honor the sadness without sinking into it. You've already experienced that hardship, no need to relive all the details. Celebrate the joyful memories and hold them in your heart.

• NEW LIFE in the babies born ~ God's way of saying the World should continue (I welcomed my 5th grandbaby 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰)
  

• LIFE LOST in our loved ones who passed away ~ God's promise of Eternal Life fulfilled (My precious cousin and dear friends, and walking with friends who lost a spouse, child, or parent; plus grieving for all who died by natural disasters, war, mass shootings, suicide, and tragic accidents)
  

• NEW EXPERIENCES keep us filled with joy, optimism, and hope. Remember something new that visited you this year: a new friend, restaurant, song, or book; a new perspective on an old idea, new opportunities that you grasped, renewed and restored relationships, or a new prayer practice that deepened your Faith. (I moved to a new city and treasure all of the new experiences, places, and people that came into my life. It's been fun!)
  

• HEALTH LOSS by chronic illness and cancer. These seem to be rampant. We are all touched by this. Cancer has been up close and personal in my life since I was a teen. Then it invaded my body. This year, I celebrated one year of being cancer-free, thanks be to God! But I have dear friends still in the thick of treatments, discerning the best course among the myriad of information and options. May God bless them with restored hope and healing. We can walk with those in the battle, accompanying them to treatments, visiting, bringing food and light to brighten their journey. We can walk for those who don't even have the energy to stand, visit, eat, or celebrate. (I'm so grateful to my family and friends who walked with me and for me, prayed with me and for me, ate with me and brought food for me, took care of my medical needs, and accompanied me to appointments.)

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BEFORE WE TURN THE PAGE… Let's celebrate these remaining days of the Octave of Christmas. Let's look deeper into the Word that sustains and grows us into unity with the Lord. Sit before the Blessed Sacrament if you are able, or in a quiet space in your home with a Bible in your hands. Invite the Word to fill the empty spaces in your life. Our Merciful God truly will fill us with His love, joy, peace, and hope when we open ourselves to Him.

Revisit the Christmas Gospel Readings.

Absorb the profound Blessing gifted to us in these Truths.

Christ is born eternally from God the Father. Christ is born prophetically through the lineage of Abraham. Christ is born physically from Blessed Mary our Mother. Christ is born spiritually into the hearts of all Believers.

St. Barnabas Catholic Church, Portsmouth RI

Picture yourself in the scene from the Book of Wisdom.

Sit for a moment with your eyes closed before reading. Receive His Presence in the Word.

When a profound silence covered all things and night was in the middle of its course, your all-powerful Word, O Lord, bounded from heaven's royal throne. (Wis 18:14-15)

Close your eyes again and allow God's Word to leap into your heart and cover you.

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Sit with today's Readings for this Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas.

Read the First Reading as if it were a letter written to you.

I am writing to you, (insert your name here) Do not love the world or the things of the world. The world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. (adapted from 1John2:12-17)

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Sit with the prophetess Anna in today's Gospel Reading.

Reflect on her reaction to the Child Jesus and make these words your own.

I give thanks to God and will speak about the Christ Child to all who are awaiting the redemption of sin in their life and in the world. (adapted from Luke 2:36-40)

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BEFORE WE TURN THE PAGE… Let's briefly honor all of those who taught, inspired, and led us to this point in our journey.

• THANK YOU, GOD, FOR GIVING ME LIFE I was blessed to have been born to faith-filled parents who first taught me about God, inspired me by their faith, and led me to adulthood.
  

• THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THE TIME I HAD WITH THOSE LIVES WHO ARE NOW GONE I think back at how challenging it was to prepare my children for the impending deaths of their grandparents. Now, it is sobering and strange to realize that they will one day be preparing themselves and their children for my impending death.
  

• THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THE ABUNDANT EXPERIENCES THAT BLESSED ME I think of the new places and new faces that have crossed my path and brought awe, wonder, joy, and excitement.
  

• THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THE YEARS OF GOOD HEALTH I have walked and played and enjoyed so much time in nature, His beautiful creation. These days, I move a little slower and soak it in so that the feeling lasts longer. These days, I don't take for granted that I can still walk and play and enjoy time outdoors. Being aware of all that I have been able to do makes it a little easier to accept the days that I cannot do those things, and continue with joy in all that I can do.

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WHEN WE TURN THE PAGE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS…

Let's be optimistic and open to what the New Year will bring!

Feel the joy building within you.

Ask Jesus to take control and trust that He will. Commit to doing your part.

Walk with Him.

Talk with Him.

Listen to Him.

Live with Him.

Then you become more like Him.

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What habits and practices from the Advent Season will you continue throughout the New Year?

Share them in the comments, please.

So we can all rejoice with you and be inspired by you!

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Thank you for praying with me and reading the words I am inspired to share! I feel your prayers, and I love that we are praying for each other. That is how we continue faithfully living each day, and how we will courageously turn the page — together.

I can't wait to see what God has in store for us💜💜💜