Dear Father / Brother / Sister The word January comes from a Latin word ‘Janus’, a Roman God who has two faces one looking upward, the other downward. Symbolically reminding us of the past and the further. Indeed we have to assess the year that we passed through and sincerely examine ourselves to find out whether we spent the year usefully or not?
Let us be happy if we succeeded in our plans to improve ourselves and take note of our failures and the reasons for them! Such review of the past is necessary! The well known Greek Philosopher Socrates says, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’.
All of us ‘wish’ many things a few ‘resolve’ to achieve them. A wish says this is where I want to be, a resolution says this is the road I will take, this is what I will do to get there.
A wishful person says. ‘I will live a life of union with God this year’ and the resolved person says, ‘I will set aside this time everyday to pray and hear God’s Word’.
New Year also suggests ‘Renewal’ for us Christians there is no renewal without life in the Word of God. Our model for us in this is Mary both of God and our Mother.
‘Mary treasured all these words in her heart’ Lk.2:19 (The Shepherds and Mary), she pondered them in her heart Lk.2:51 (while finding the boy Jesus in the Temple). A sincere meditation in the Word of God and a humble prayer said will definitely help us to renew our lives step by step.
I wish all of you a very Happy New year – 2012 .
Your Servant in Christ + Most Rev Dr AM Chinnappa SDB DD PhD
Archbishop of Madras - Mylapore
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