Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for this new year and for the many blessings You have waiting for us as we go forth to live each day of this year.

On Our New Year’s Resolutions and Our Dependence on God’s Grace

“New Year’s Day always struck me as something of an odd holiday. Why do we humans find it necessary to set aside a day to mark yet another full trip around the sun? Different cultures have celebrated the new year at different times: the Jewish people celebrate the new year in their liturgy on Rosh Hashanah in the early fall; for many Christians the new liturgical year begins with Advent; the Chinese celebrate between late January and late February; and the ancient Romans celebrated the new year in March. Whatever the month or the day, people of all cultures and religious traditions seem to have an innate desire, if not a need, to mark a new beginning each year.

“In our culture one of the most common ways to observe this new beginning is the making of New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions more often than not seem like an exercise in futility – we almost inevitably cave within a month or two. And yet, every year many of us pluck up our will power and try again. What are we to make of this phenomenon? The practice of New Year’s resolutions demonstrates two aspects of our human nature that are important for the spiritual life: our constant need for growth and our inability to persevere by sheer will power.”

In a recent commentary, Brother Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P., reflected on the resolutions we make and our dependence on God’s grace as we continue to live our lives.

To access Br. Isaac’s complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: New Year’s Resolutions, Confession, and the Mother of God (1 JAN 14)

Reflection Starter from John Greenleaf Whittier

“We meet today
To thank Thee for the era done,
And Thee for the opening one.” – John Greenleaf Whittier

Celtic Woman: “O Come All Ye Faithful”

As our Christmas celebration continues, I offer this version of Celtic Woman singing “O Come All Ye Faithful”:

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings You have bestowed upon us, whether we were aware of them or not, during 2013.

Eric Mahl and the Message of Divine Mercy

“Eric Mahl has always loved a challenge. In his youth, it was the prospect of being the best football player ever. This desire drove him to bench press 450 pounds, earn an NCAA Division I football scholarship and later a place on the Cleveland Browns’ roster.

“The 30-year-old Ohio native’s challenge now, however, is sharing the message of Divine Mercy with the world — particularly the poor and most abandoned. This has meant enduring regular rejection and sometimes sub-freezing temperatures on the streets of Cleveland and other cities, in the hope of convincing souls that God’s love for them has not expired.”

A recent National Catholic Register interview profiled Mr. Mahl, his football career, and his ministry with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception at Eden Hill, Stockbridge, MA.

To access the complete interview, please visit:

National Catholic Register: From Merciless Linebacker to Merciful Messenger (24 DEC 13)

Background information:

Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.

Reflection Starter from George Washington

“May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.” – George Washington

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the grace of patience.

Randy Hain on Being Authentically Catholic All Year

“One of the most famous Christmas quotes of all time is this one from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: ‘I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.’ Reflecting on this quote has made me think about resolutions a little differently for 2014.  I would like you to join me in a different kind of commitment for the New Year. With apologies to the late Mr. Dickens…‘I will honor Christ in my heart and try to be authentically Catholic all the year.’  This is the kind of commitment that will cost us something for sure, but the reward is great.  In the coming year let’s make every effort to acknowledge Christ before others and defend (as well as follow!) in a loving way the teachings of His Church.  Let us refuse to be silent and passive.  The instinctive response to this challenge may be ‘it’s not that easy.’  Actually, it is that easy if we choose to think and act differently and place His will before our own.”

In a recent commentary, writer Randy Hain, Senior Editor for The Integrated Catholic Life, reflected on make and live up to this commitment through prayer, finding our voice, acting with more love, and praying and listening more.

To access Mr. Hain’s complete post, please visit:

The Integrated Catholic Life: “I will honor Christ in my heart and try to be authentically Catholic all the year.” (26 DEC 13)

Reflection Starter from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespected hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Duke Ellington and His Christmas Greetings

“The story goes that if the legendary composer and orchestrator Duke Ellington had met you, and gotten his hands on your mailing address, you’d have gotten a Christmas card from him. It may not come at Christmas, but at some point during the year, his personally written and signed greetings would grace your mailbox.

“‘Duke Ellington and I exchanged Christmas greetings each year,’ wrote Joe Delaney of the Las Vegas Sun. ‘Mine were sent in mid-December. Duke sent his when the spirit moved him.’

“A reformed Ebenezer Scrooge may have pledged to ‘honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year,’ but for Ellington, no reform was needed. His card list was extensive, and he faithfully wrote out his greetings while traveling, or when there was a little downtime between gigs. Friends said he found nothing strange in dropping some Christmas wishes in the dog days of summer, when chestnuts roasting on an open fire seemed a hellish idea, and a stable suggested only a stench.”

In a recent National Review commentary, writer Elizabeth Scalia reflected on the ways in which Duke Ellington, through his Christmas cards with their hand-written messages, proclaimed the Christmas message – and its theme of Christ’s Incarnation – throughout the year.

To access Ms. Scalia’s complete post, please visit:

National Review Online: Duke Ellington and the Great Christmas Secret (24 DEC 13)

Straight No Chaser: “Hark the Herald Angels” Medley

As our Christmas celebration continues, I offer this version of Straight No Chaser presenting a medley of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Angels We have Heard on High”: