December 31, 2012
Happy New Year! That’s the refrain we hear over and over, as the calendar rolls over inexorably each year. Even in the dead of winter, we are drawn to thoughts of renewal, and are caught up in the hope that we can put behind us the troubles and regrets of the previous year as we voice our hopes for the year ahead.
The ancient Greek philosophers thought of time in two distinct ways. Chronos represents linear time, flowing always forward, turning experience into memory. Kairos is the cyclical aspect of time, embodied in the cycle of seasons, but also reminding us that we are shaped by the circle of day-into-night-into-day, and the metaphorical dying and rising that our faith tells us we all experience.
Dying and rising. While we focus on these things explicitly when we celebrate the Pascal Mystery of Easter, our experience of ourselves as time-conditioned creatures is constantly engaging us in cycles of renewal. The church’s liturgical calendar turns the page each Advent. Every Ash Wednesday, as we begin the observance of Lent, we begin anew a cycle of personal spiritual renewal. Even our celebration of our birthdays and anniversaries provide us with moments to take stock of our lives, and to recommit to a hopeful future.
There’s a necessary element of reconciliation in these cyclical renewals. New Year’s resolutions must tacitly acknowledge the previous year’s mistakes made, and opportunities missed, in the hope that our decisions in the coming year will be the right ones. Our renewed hope for self-improvement must include some self-forgiveness, and the belief that we can change.
It’s fascinating to observe that despite our sin and brokenness, most of us approach these moments of renewal not with cynicism, but with hope. It is the Holy Spirit dwelling in us that keeps that hope alive. Each retracing of our path doesn’t wear down our hope, but reminds us that God’s love and forgiveness are ready to revive our weary souls. So, Happy New Year, indeed! In this new year, may each new season, each sunrise, remind us of the possibilities for renewal and resurrection!
Father Larry Rice, CSP, serves as first consultor of the Paulist Fathers.