Every minute in our lives brings something new to our lives; something new and fresh. That is why we call it as ’new’. If so, how much more would a new day, a new month and a new year would bring into our lives. The ideas that flash through my mind as I pen these words in the threshold of a new year are all centered around or pointed to the Lord. It might sound a bit out of place as it is not a feast of the Lord like that of Christmas or Easter. I took the courage to say that my emotions and thoughts are centered around the Lord because it is his benevolence that I celebrate every day, every month and every year. I am, because God loves me! I live because God created me! I breathe because his presence is there in me! How can I exclude him from anything in my life? He is the centre of my life. He is the axis on which my life rotates!

Let days come by; the grace of God flows into my life. Let months pass by; they all shower God’s abundance into my life. Let years stroll away, the Lord protects me under the shade of his mantle. He has been benevolent to bless me with a new chapter in my life span, the New Year 2017!

New Approaches to Life

Every new person whom we meet in our lives teaches us something new. It could be a new information that we didn’t have; it could well be something about ourselves that we were never aware of. It can also be, as in many cases, a new way of looking at life. Life is not lived in the same way by everyone. All have their own ways of looking at life, looking at people and situations. Someone might see his/her life situations as great chances offered by the Lord to soar into the heights of greatness. In other words, every person who comes across us comes with new approaches to life. They teach us this approach and we form a different approach to our lives.

Similarly, every New Year brings to us a challenge to look at life in a different way; in a positive way. It is not that we have been looking at our lives in the past years negatively but rather, we have lived those years well and needs to be approaching our life in a still better way in this New Year. Jesus died and by rising on the third day he gave a new dimension to the certain reality death itself. In the same way, leaving behind us the years that we have lived, the troubles we have had to bear, the ups and downs of life that we came across, all these should give a new meaning to our lives.

Jesus had a new approach to life when he taught the people the values of life varying from the values that were laid by the Old Testament. Where life was viewed with not much of interest in the Old Testament, Jesus taught his followers to appreciate life, life in every sense. He taught people to respect life in themselves and in others, their fellow beings. When people were taught to take life for life in the Israelite system, Jesus taught them to love and to forgive and not to take revenge on others. This is how we look a tour life from another perspective.

New Possibilities in Life

Every new dawn brings with it a lot of possibilities for people who are ready to go after them. These possibilities are those roads that we can take to reach our goal. These possibilities are potent successes that we can achieve in our lives. They are posed before everyone who sees a new dawn. Unfortunately, the history says that those who go after those possibilities are less in comparison to those who don’t. Life irrespective of the person and place places possibilities, that too wonderful possibilities, so that people may attempt them and go on to reach the zenith of life.

New dawn only brings possibilities with it and not the strength to achieve those possibilities. That strength has to be cultivated in our inner being. It is more like a seed is sown into our lives in a particular situation when a new day arrives into our lives. Then like mother earth, what is inside of me begins to help that seed to break its peel and sprout. Life of a plant doesn’t depend on the inner part of the seed alone but also very much on the mud that it is sown into and the climatic conditions. Similarly, the possibilities that are placed before us by the new dawn are to be watered and manure by our inner self. Our capacity to achieve great goals will be exhibited when we snatch those possibilities and go after them, live them and bear fruits according to them.

Jesus gave new possibilities to people who came across him. He saw their infirmities and healed them. He saw their pains and removed them. He sensed their struggles in life and accompanied them by encouragement. He felt pity for their life situations and showed compassion on them. Every person who came across Jesus found a new possibility to live his/her lie in a better way. The blind man, the man possessed with evil spirit and many more who were healed by Jesus wanted to follow him wherever he went. They got a new meaning to their life. The woman caught in adultery found a new direction in her life and changed her ways. Jesus in the New Year becomes a source of possibilities for us.

New Initiatives in Life

Every new day is an opportunity to begin something new in life. To learn from the past, plan for the future and work on it to achieve success. Future demands from every person that s/he kicks off a new initiative every time s/he thinks and plans of the future. We can live our lives purposely only when we plan for our future and execute the same in our lives. Every initiative that a person takes becomes a drive in his life which motivates him/her to go on to live it and achieve it. Similarly every New Year places an opportunity to begin something new in our lives; a new venture that would take our lives to a new realm. That is why we have New Year resolutions. We make resolutions in the beginning of every year, hoping that living according to those resolutions we would be able to achieve great things in our lives.

Jesus left behind him sphere for new ventures to be commenced by his followers. Jesus before ascending into the heaven commissioned his disciples to go into the corners of the world and to preach good news to all the peoples. The Church as we see today is the mission of Jesus being accomplished in the universe. The people who follow Christ in the world today have many and varied scopes for fulfilling the message that the Lord gave to them. New ventures are initiated very often in the society and in the world at large by the followers of Christ. One who believes in Christ has to go for new ventures in life only then life becomes meaningful.

Let this New Year create in us a new appositive approach to life. Let this New Year bring lot of possibilities into our lives and may we be able to chase them and win them. Let our new ventures and initiatives all become fruitful for us, for the country and for the entire human race. Happy New Year!

Fr. Rajesh Puthussery