Welcoming the New Year is an annual ritual which is a habit many enjoy indulging in.  Why?  Because New Year offers a new beginning and a new beginning is either a source of inspiration or relief.  The past becomes a distant memory and a brighter tomorrow is believed to be just around the corner.

 

New year is not only a chronological event that happens every 365 days.  Sure, it comes without fail as the calendar indicates.  But New Year, understood according to time, is also a KAIROS event.  It is a TIME to start anew.  It is a MOMENT to leave the past and face today in all its ugliness or beauty.  It is a SIGN of God's tremendous love and affection.  It is a TESTAMENT that HOPE cannot be extinguished by history nor will it cease to be for fear of what lies ahead.  It is an ENCOURAGEMENT that God is not yet through with man, He continues to be interested.

 

My dear friends, we can welcome new year either with a bang or a whisper.  It doesn't really matter.  What matters most is that God sanctified history by sending his Son and every new day that comes is a start of a new life in God.

 

Best wishes to all!

Fr. Tomasito Veneracion OFM Cap.