Sunset at Lough Ennell, near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland, Thursday 20 April 2023
On the cusp of a New Year I can’t help but reflect on the blessings of the year gone by and hold in my heart my hopes and dreams for 2024.
As I looked back over the past year I was firstly reminded of an uplifting event I was at last January, a faith based initiative by young people at a local church that I was invited to report on for the Westmeath Topic newspaper. This event was significant for me not only because it was my first reporting assignment of 2023 but also because I was challenged by the young people’s presentation which used music, drama and dance to highlight the urgent need to care for our earth. I was struck particularly by one part:-
“God has given us no better example of giving. He gave us his creation, his world, his humans as a gift. He gave his son Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us so we may live. And God has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of His love, His care and His presence…Our gift of life was not given to be lived in shackles and chains. We were given the freedom to grow into the best of humanity and live a way of life worthy of the gift we were given.”
(The Youth Leaders of Lighten Our Darkness by Numbers, a faith based initiative at All Saints Church, Mullingar, Sunday 22 January 2023).
The teenagers’ presentation reminded me of the gifts that God has given me in my life and of the challenge put before every Christian to be a good steward of our God-given gifts, so as to cast a shadow that lightens the darkness and makes a positive difference in the world. The zeal of the young people and their call to action gave me a strong desire to shake off the shackles of my past struggles and to be in gratitude for the new life God was offering me.
Switching to the end of the year I was recently reminded me of a New Year’s Meditation which I took part in a group context with young people some years ago. It was taken from Out of the Ordinary. a book by Joyce Rupp, a well known spiritual writer. The meditation consists of two parts – part one poses a series questions looking back on the year just passed and part two has questions related to the year ahead.
I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to reflect on these questions. I found it helpful to review the past year in this way and to look back on my personal memories, photographs and conversations with God in my spiritual journal. I also related how this exercise complemented The Daily Examen, a prayer which many Christians use to prayerfully reflect on how God has been present in the events of each day.
Sometimes when I am alone in a church or in nature I like to sing praise songs, songs invoking the power of the Holy Spirit, and songs of hope, trust and surrender to God. This way of praying I learned from the Catholic Charismatic tradition and I feel it is a great way to call on the power of God to act in our lives. Many people of faith are aware of the words attributed to St. Augustine:- “He who sings, prays twice”.
I can also burst out in spontaneous praise to God while listening to Irish Christian radio station Spirit Radio. The station is set on the radio dial in my accomodation and it helps me to stay in a positive frame of mind while going about my daily chores. During the Christmas season there was a song on the Spirit playlist titled In Jesus Name (God Of Possible) by American Christian musician Katy Nichole.
The lyrics spoke to my heart and led me to reflect and acknowledge how God has accomplished a ‘breakthrough’ in my recovery from my mental health challenges in the past year, which has come about through psychological and spiritual interventions, including mental health practitioners, medication, prayer ministry, and sacramental grace through the Church.
I truly believe that Jesus is the Divine Healer who has the power to make us whole again and He has given me some of the healing, consolation and peace I have been yearning for. As Katy Nichole encourages us:-
Come believe it / Come receive it / Oh, the power of His Spirit is now forever yours / Come believe it / Come receive it / In the mighty name of Jesus, all things are possible.1
- Worship Together, In Jesus Name (God Of Possible) – Katy Nichole (2023) <https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/in-jesus-name-god-of-possible-katy-nichole/> [accessed 30 December 2023] ↩︎
