The New Year provides an opportunity to make “anew”, to reflect on our faith “health” and spiritual habits. Our hearts made room for Christ on Christmas Day, but are we still hospitable to the Guest of Mercy? Are our hearts beating strongly in the world today with the strength of Christ’s message? Today, we look at the “health of our hearts” in terms of our spiritual life, to check that our hearts beat in a rhythmic balance of receiving and sharing this Divine Love. Collect: All: Open our hearts, we pray, O Lord our God, by your divine power, so that we may be always in the presence of Christ your Son, and that by our own baptism, we respond to the call to share the Good News in the world through words and actions. We ask this through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Reading: A Reading from the Gospel of Luke (3:15-16; 21-22) “The people were waiting expectantly and all were asking in their hearts…” Reflection: The Heart of a Catechist …Disciple (Pope Francis, 9/27/2013) “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words”. Words come… but witness comes first: people should see the Gospel, read the Gospel, in our lives. To “be” a catechist requires love, an ever-stronger love for Christ, a love for his holy people. This love comes from Christ! It is Christ’s gift! And if it comes from Christ, it also starts with Christ, and we too need to start anew with Christ, from the love he gives us. What does this starting anew from Christ mean for a catechist? (For a disciple?) “Starting anew from Christ means being close to him, being close to Jesus.” The first thing for a disciple is to be with the Master, to listen to him and to learn from him. Being a catechist is not a title, it is an attitude: abiding with him, and it lasts for a lifetime! It means abiding in the Lord’s presence and letting ourselves be led by him.” Don’t just visit with the Lord, let the Lord gaze upon you as well. “God loves you. Let yourself be gazed upon by him!” Ponder: How do I abide in the presence of the Lord? How am I experiencing “being” with Jesus? How do I experience this remaining with Jesus, abiding in Jesus? Do I find time to remain in his presence, in silence, to be looked upon by him? Do I let his fire warm my heart? If the warmth of God, of his love, of his tenderness is not in our own hearts, then how can we, who are poor sinners, warm the heart of others? “Starting anew with Christ means imitating him by leaving ourselves behind and going out to encounter others.” “The more that you unite yourself to Christ and he becomes the center of your life, the more he leads you out of yourself, leads you from making yourself the center and opens you to others. This is the true dynamism of love; this is the movement of God himself! God is the center, be he is always a self-gift, relationship, love that gives itself away. He will draw us into this dynamism of love. The heart of a

catechist always beats with this systolic and diastolic movement: union with Christ encounter with others. Both of these: I am one with Jesus and I go forth to encounter others. If one of these movements is missing, the heart no longer beats; it can no longer live. The heart of the catechist receives the gift of the kerygma, and in turn offers it to others as a gift. The catechist is conscious of having received a gift, the gift of faith, and he or she then gives that gift in turn to others. It is a pure gift: a gift received and a gift given.” Ponder: What do you need to attend to in order to have a healthy “faith pressure”? Systolic – The Heart contracts, pushing life giving blood to the arteries. How far reaching is your faith leading you? Are you reaching out to the outermost extremities to witness God’s love? Diastolic – The Heart rests and becomes filled. How do you fill your heart with God’s love? Do you take time to rest and provide opportunity to be filled with God’s love? “Starting anew with Christ means not being afraid to go with him to the outskirts.” “Do not to be afraid to pass beyond our comfort zone and to follow God, because God is always pushing, pressing forward. God is not afraid! God is not afraid of the outskirts. If you go to the outskirts, you will find him there. God is always faithful and creative. To be faithful, to be creative; we need to be able to change. To change! And why must I change? So that I can adapt to the situations in which I must proclaim the Gospel. I am now going to say something I have already said many times before, but it comes from the heart. Whenever we Christians are enclosed in our groups, our movements, our parishes, in our little worlds, we remain closed, and the same thing happens to us that happens to anything closed: when a room is closed, it begins to get dank. Whenever Christians are enclosed in their groups, parishes, movements, they take ill.” Ponder: Am I willing to take risks to meet Christ in the people outside of the parish comfort zones? Am I willing to be creative in these times of great change and uncertainty? Is the door to my heart open to let others in? Is the door to my heart open to allow me to go outside of my own comfort to meet the broken-hearted on the outskirts with complete mercy and compassion? Closing Prayer Leader: Let us resolve to healthy Christian hearts this New Year, mindful of the need center Christ in our lives. Let us follow Jesus and be close to him, let us imitate Him in his movement of love, in his going forth to meet humanity. Let us go forth and open doors with faith; not fear. Let us have the audacity to mark out new paths for proclaiming the Gospel. Let this be our New Year Resolution.

Act of Love All: O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are allgood and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me, and I ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen