Today, we stand at a great threshold—a doorway between the past and the future. As we close 2024, a year filled with joys and pains, triumphs and failures, we also prepare to step into 2025, carrying with us both our hopes and uncertainties. This moment invites us to reflect, give thanks, and renew our commitment to live in the light of Christ, who is the eternal Word.
Movies entertain, but they likewise reflect reality. News informs as it reports on reality. As viewers and listeners, we naturally react. We laugh; we cry. We commiserate and emphasize. We hate; we get angry. Movies, news, or any media output, for that matter, do not represent the whole of reality but only piecemeal presentations or interpretations of reality. And we humans, as human as we can be, see Life from perspectives, angles, and facets.
But in Jesus, the Word made flesh, we glimpse the fullness of reality. This revelation comes not as an overwhelming flood but as a journey—a gradual unfolding. As John reminds us, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth."
This journey began when Christ entered our world and continues as He calls us to follow Him moment by moment, day by day, year by year. He does not overwhelm us with His glory but reveals Himself gently, one day at a time, inviting us to grow in faith, trust in His grace, and walk with Him into the future.
A Moment of Thanksgiving
As we stand at the doorway of 2025, let us take a moment to look back and thank God for the blessings and lessons of the past year. Let us offer Him our regrets, failures, and fears, trusting that He will transform them into opportunities. And as we look forward, let us renew our resolve to walk with Christ, the eternal Word, who is our light and our Life.
"God-with-us"
Karl Rahner, the renowned Jesuit theologian, wrote about how we enter the New Year under the blessing of the name of Jesus—the name that means "God-with-us," the name before which every power in heaven and on earth bows. For Rahner, entering a new year is not merely a human passage of time but an entry into the continued mystery of God's presence and action in our lives through Jesus Christ.
The new year ahead is not just another calendar year but another chapter in our journey toward God. In the words of St. John, "From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." This grace is not only for the past but for the future—a promise that God will continue to dwell among us, to guide us, and to reveal His glory in our lives.
- Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
