New year’s resolutions…new year's promises

This time of the year is the best time to reflect on conlusions and introductions. We just bid goodbye to December 2007 and we say welcome to January 2008. We waved our hands at the old year and said farewell and embraced the new year.
Everybody has laid down their promises, their new year’s resolutions. And everybody is expected to keep their promises.

But towards the middle of the month when we fail to fulfill our resolutions, our promises, we feel disappointed. But come to think of it, are we really capable of fulfilling every promise we make? I guess not.
You promised that you will not be late for school, but the traffic won’t let you arrive on time for your first period.
You promised you will not get mad at your pupils anymore, but a problem student won’t allow you to fulfill it.
You promised you will be kinder to your maid, but then she makes stupid mistakes that makes your blood pressure rise.
When things like these pop up, off goes your promise, off goes your new year’s resolution.

We are not really in full control of ourselves.

That is why, humanly speaking, it is not possible to keep every promise we make.
In the Gospel, the Lord asked the apostles, “Do you really believe?” The apostles said, “Yes, Lord.” The Lord asked again, “Do you really believe?” They began to hesitate because they realized that believing and following the Lord are not within their control.

This is why when we have to make promises privately or publicly, we must say, “So help me God.” That is why when I made my promise as Solemnly Professed monk, I also said, “Yes, with the help of God.”

I think it is essential to keep in mind that we are able to keep promises only through the strength and grace God gives us.

We are not in full control of anything. We do not even know whether we will live tomorrow or not. And yet we are bold with our promises, when in fact, nothing is ever within our control.
I guess as Christians, as followers of Christ, it is always good to keep a condition to every promise we make---“I will do it with the grace of God. I will do it with the help of God. I will do it, so help me God.”
Happy new year to all of you dear friends and may you keep your new year’s promises with the help and the grace of God….
From your loving bloggermonk friend, Dom Lawrence, OSB