As I reread my New Year post from last year, I realized I was quite thoughtful and heartfelt, striving to live the Works of Mercy. Did I live up to living those works of mercy? I think I did a fair job. I also know that those works continued to push me to ask tougher questions, to go deeper, and to engage those issues that are difficult and controversial today.

I was reading an article in U.S.Catholic that suggested our resolutions for this New Year could be found in striving to know and act upon our Catholic Social Teaching. For those of you who are not familiar with these principles, or who are not affiliated with Catholicism, Christianity or religion in any form, may I share them here?

• Life and dignity of the human person
• Call to family, community and participation
• Solidarity
• Dignity of work
• Rights and responsibilities
• Option for the poor and vulnerable
• Care for God’s creation

These are basic principles that any person can observe, right? Respect, working together, honoring the “other” as a person, caring for and giving voice to the needs of those who are hurting, wanting and without a voice, striving for basic human dignity, caring for the earth…these are concerns that belong to all of us.

I concur that these principles are a great foundation for a new year of growth and life.

I would like to propose that for myself, these principles will undergird my resolutions for 2018:

• First and foremost, I wish to be hopeful. If I am informed by faith, then I must be hopeful—new life from death is at the center of that faith. And this past year has certainly been death filled on the national and world stage.
• I will continue to grow into the ministry into which I have been called—this requires greater patience, compassion, mercy, and vision on my part.
• I shall strive to learn something new this year—for starters, I am enrolled in a Canon Law Class (ummm….). I would also like to learn or try a new technique in weaving or beading, which will be much less formidable then Canon law…
• I will stretch my creativity by sewing more frequently. To this end, I will continue to bash my stash, but I have also signed up for Mood’s new swatch club. I also have subscribed to the Burda Style magazine, which includes patterns. Keeping the creative aspect sacred allows me to keep my ministerial call sacred—it is holy balance.
• I hope to become more creatively active in the physical sense—I find myself sitting more each day as I spend time listening to parishioners and co-workers (which takes a very different but totally legitimate type of energy).
• Due in big part to the new ministry position, time for my blog took a hit. I’d like to get back to posting twice a week. I also want to learn how to be a better blogger.
• Finally, after the stresses of 2017, I do need to get back on track with eating habits. I did a lot of stress eating and put on some pounds. Back to WW…

As I look at this list, it seems a bit daunting, and yet, these things are already a part of my life. They just need to be turned up a notch or two.

I’ll review this list in a year, I suppose, as I prepare one for 2019. More importantly, I hope that these desires become a part of my everyday living.

This world needs integrity, compassion, mercy, peace, love.

I promise to do my part this year…

Have a blessed and hopeful new year!