Reflection for January 1
Abigail, age 7
As we open our eyes today to a new day, and a new year, I am happy to know that through Mercy, as Jesus taught us, we may be at Peace.
So many of us today are in need of Peace — from pain, from hate, from illness, from stress, from fear, from addiction, from criticism, from sin, from loneliness, from sorrow, and all of the other realities that seem to chip away at any Peace we may have managed to muster.
Advent brings with it the opportunity to find Peace through Hope and Anticipation, but often it seems that Peace is but a brief respite and disappears with the last of the Christmas decorations. Today’s reading reminds me that the Peace which sustains me is that which comes from gathering with family and friends, a beautiful piece of music, a river flowing, the deep belly laugh of a good friend, and most of all, the knowledge that I am among Peaceful People. All of those moments are placed before me so that I might reach out and absorb them, and yet I continue to need reminders that Peace is available.
Today’s reading provides such a reminder — at an incredibly auspicious moment — as the new year begins. I hope the Peace we feel today is sustained throughout the day, the year, and our lifetimes. More importantly, I hope that through my mercy, I am able to help others realize their own Peace.
Dave Kenna