Happy New Year

I wish you all a Happy New Year.

The Baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of His public life and ministry; Jesus set out to do the Father's will and announce the arrival of the kingdom of God. And the moment of the beginning of the messianic work of Jesus is marked by the moment of his baptism in the Jordan. He is acclaimed on earth by the prophet John and links himself to John by being baptized by him. He is acclaimed from heaven by the voice of the Father and the presence of the Spirit. AS the people who have heard his preaching and accepted his call, who have confessed him as the Christ, and set out to follow his way, let us consider the words addressed to Jesus:  'Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased.'

In this New Year, let us give up our old self, damaged by sin and its pleasures, and put on a new self which is renewed by our baptism. Renew our New Year's resolutions and live in the baptismal grace and let us also be called beloved sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father.

I am glad to share with you one of the messages of Pope Francis during the New Year's Day Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on January 1, 2018. He told people to avoid the "banality fo consumerism" and "empty chatter" and advised setting aside a moment of silence each day to "be with God" - a safeguard, he said, against being corrupted by consumerism, the blare of commercials, the stream of empty words. The Pope spoke about the Year 2017:  "God gave humanity a whole and sound year," but that "we humans in so many ways ruined and wounded it with works of death, with lies and injustices."

So let us together make this New Year 2018 something beautiful for God.