Advent & Christmas | Page 28

What's Next?

By Nicholas Shields

Just a few days after December 25th, the

hubbub of Christmas seems to have come

and gone and we are getting back to work.

On Christmas Day, we were overwhelmed

with the joy of the birth of Christ and the

excitement of sharing in God’s love for the

world. This feeling does not necessarily

wear off right away, it can stick with us for

many weeks to come and leaves us

wondering “what’s next?”

Every time I hear these words I think of the

show The West Wing, where President

Bartlet’s signature phrase is “what’s next?”.

This phrase brings continuity to the story

line as the characters continually dedicate their lives to serving the nation. As I think about it now, we can use this simple little phrase to help ground us as we move beyond the Christmas season. The new year is just a few days away and many of us are thinking about what our new year’s resolutions are going to be: from dieting, to posting an inspirational photo on Instagram every day, to reconnecting with old friends. While these are great ideas for the coming year, instead of just focusing on ourselves, let us also try to ask “what’s next” for our faith and our relationship with Christ. We can do this in a few simple steps:

1. Stop and Evaluate – Christmas is drawing to a close and we are already a month into the new liturgical year. Find a quiet place sometime this week and take a moment to reflect on the status of your relationship with Christ. Have you made any changes to your spiritual life? Are your actions, decisions, and livelihood benefiting your relationship with Christ?

2. Make a Plan – Think about starting spiritual direction or even a prayer group or bible study with your peers. Alternatively, focus on your prayer life with daily prayer, weekly adoration, or daily Mass. Read books that can help you learn about your faith and develop your relationship with Christ. Look for role models to aspire to — like the Holy Family, whose feast day we celebrated just this week.

3. Take Action – This is the hard part, but the most important. Commit to your plan and carry it out throughout the liturgical year and the new year. Find someone to hold you accountable or set daily reminders in your phone

Our relationship with Christ is critical and now is the perfect time to evaluate it. We have so many resources available to us: our priests and parishes, our friends and bible study groups, the saints and the Holy Family, and many more. Asking ourselves “what’s next,” gives us the opportunity to recommit ourselves to God, to dive deeper into our faith, and to live out our lives as apostles. Let us use the momentum of the new year and the joy of the Christmas season to motivate ourselves into keeping our faith alive and healthy.