New Year's Eve

What comes to mind on the last day of 2013?  The media are full of reviews of the year:  top ten this, top 40 that?  We look back ourselves to the promise this new year brought, the achievements, the disappointments, the regrets, the gratitude, the joys, the sorrows, the new births, the deaths.  A lot is packed into 12 months.
It is important to remember that God is in all of it, yes, even the mistakes. He awaits our repentance, our new start with love and forgiveness.  It is important not to forget that. 
We might be looking ahead at the New Year...if all goes well, we'll all be a year older, but other than that, there's no sure way of predicting what will come to pass.  We can express our trust in God who has brought us thus far and will not abandon us; we can renew our efforts to integrate the teachings of Jesus into our behaviors as well as into our thoughts.  We can approach the year with an open heart, a welcoming heart, a grateful heart.  We can try to be especially kind as our way of celebrating the World Day of Peace.  We can renew our love for Mary, the Mother of God on her special day. We can continue to celebrate Christmas, only a week past, by worshiping at the altar with other members of our faith community on New Year's Day.
Let the Eve prepare us to make this New Year, the best ever.
Happy New Year...
Bro. Rene
Note:  I will not have access to the internet on January 1 and 2...the 197th birthday of the Marist Brothers, hence the "leaping ahead" with today's slice.  There is enough her for the next to days as well as today.