I had the privilege of reading the passage above during Mass
on Christmas Eve this year. And while it alludes to Christ’s arrival in the
world and the grace He brought with him, I find it likewise speaks to the hope
of the New Year and the clean slate we should always begin it with. Today, on
the second to last day of 2015, Isaiah’s words keep playing over and over in my
mind.
The beginning of a new year is perhaps one of the most
glorious times of the year. It is a time of hope, forgiveness, new beginnings, gratitude
and second chances. The fact that New Year’s falls so soon after Christmas is
no coincidence whatsoever. The two days very much go hand in hand. But it
wasn’t until the weekend before Christmas this year that I first came to
recognize and understand that.
The Saturday before Christmas I found myself lingering in a
very long line at the Cathedral to go to Confession. Advent and Lent are the two
big times of the year for people to go to Confession so I was in no way
surprised to see so many people. Of all the blessings of being a Catholic, the
sacrament of confession is the one I’m most grateful for and have taken the
most seriously since coming into the church. The reason for that is simple.
Coming into the church was my way of acknowledging that Christ is my salvation….but
concurrently, that I am imperfect and need healing and guidance to transform
into the best version of myself.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that the best part of
confession is hearing the priest say that they are absolved of their sins. While
that is certainly a powerful moment, I feel the greatest power of the sacrament
just outside the confessional. While I was at the very end of the line upon
arriving at the Cathedral, people continued to pour in behind me as I waited. I
was so focused on my prayers though and what I intended to confess that I didn’t
realize just how many people.
After making my confession, I opened the confessional door
to walk out. When I first glanced up, I was astounded to see two long lines of
people flanking both sides of the aisle and stretching clear back to the altar.
As I walked down the aisle between the people, I couldn’t help but feel a
remarkable warmth of hope inside me. Here were dozens of people—just like me—who
not only felt shame over failures and inadequacies in their lives but who were
also filled with hope. The hope for a second chance was the only thing that had
led them to the church that day. What a blessing it was to be standing in a
room filled with so much HOPE!
On my way out of the church that day, I turned to look back
at the confessors in line again and was reminded of one of the last things the
priest had said to me that day…..”You’re in a house full of sinners, so you’re
in good company.” All of us make mistakes and lead lives that fall short of
what we hope and aspire towards. The ones who overcome all of that though are
the ones who take responsibility, take action, and always hope.
While each year of our lives marks a special part in our
story, it is merely one chapter buried in the middle of the book. Each morning
when we wake up and find we still have air in our lungs and a heart drumming in
our chest, we need to take that as a sign that God has not given up on us yet.
And that there is more to be written still in our story. The New Year, much
like Christ’s arrival at Christmas, is that great light in the darkness that
beckons to us and reassures that whatever mistakes we’ve previously made we can
always repent and move on from, that whatever dreams we’ve failed to bring to
fruition can still come true, the burdens and trials currently plaguing us will
not last forever, and that it is “never too late to be what you might have
been,” as George Eliot put it.
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