Healing, learning rarely happen all at once
By Jeff Schinstock
The turning of the calendar has a way of capturing our attention. There is something about a New Year that invites reflection, even for those of us who resist it. We take stock of where we have been, what we have carried, and what we hope the coming months might hold. In the spiritual life, this natural moment of reflection can become a grace, if we allow it to be more than a reset of habits and instead a renewal of the heart.
The Church always encourages regular examination of life. A daily examination is a wonderful habit! Examination should always be done in the light of God’s goodness and mercy. The New Year is a scheduled space to pause and ask honest questions: Where am I in my relationship with the Lord? What parts of my spiritual life are alive and bearing fruit? And where have I grown weary, distracted, or wounded?
An examination of our spiritual life inevitably reveals places that need healing. We all carry struggle. Often unresolved hurt, failures, regrets and sins that we have confessed but still struggle to forgive ourselves for. Wounds require attention. How we deal with them can shape our attitudes and reactions. These areas do not disappear simply because the year changes. But when brought into prayer, they can become places of encounter with Christ the Divine Physician.
Healing in the spiritual life rarely comes all at once. More often, it unfolds slowly as we allow the Lord access to the places we prefer to keep hidden. The New Year can be a gentle invitation to return to the sacraments with renewed intention, especially confession and the Eucharist. They are encounters with the living Christ, who restores what sin has fractured and strengthens what has grown weak.
"Many of us faithfully attend Mass but feel uncertain when questions about the faith arise—whether from our children, coworkers, or even our own interior doubts. This is not a failure; it is an invitation. Disciples are always learners.”
Alongside healing, the New Year is also a time for learning. We all need formation. Many of us faithfully attend Mass but feel uncertain when questions about the faith arise—whether from our children, coworkers, or even our own interior doubts. This is not a failure; it is an invitation. Disciples are always learners.
Perhaps this is the year to open the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to read Scripture more intentionally, or finally tackle that spiritual book that has been sitting on the shelf. Learning deepens love. The more we come to know who God is and what He teaches us through the Church, the more firmly rooted we become. As St. Augustine reminds us, we cannot love what we do not know. Formation of the mind strengthens the heart.
Of course, knowledge alone is not enough. The spiritual life flourishes when learning is joined to prayer. The New Year provides a natural moment to renew our commitment to daily prayer. It is important we see prayer as time spent with a friend, not as a burden to add to an already full schedule, but as a relationship to be nurtured. Prayer is where healing is received, where understanding is integrated, and where our lives are gradually conformed to Christ.
This does not require extraordinary methods or dramatic resolutions. Faithfulness in small things is often the most transformative. Setting aside a consistent time for prayer, even if brief, can reshape the rhythm of our days. Whether through Scripture, the Rosary, silent adoration, or simple conversation with the Lord, prayer opens space for God to act.
When relationship with Christ deepens, it naturally turns outward. An authentic encounter with the Lord is never meant to remain private, his overflowing grace is meant to be imitated. The New Year is not only a time for personal renewal, but also a call to mission. As disciples we are always being sent, maybe just into our homes, our neighborhood or our parish. Each of us is surrounded by people who are searching for meaning, hope, and truth.
The invitation is simple but challenging: bring someone along. This does not require perfect holiness! You do not need eloquent arguments. You need God, he will do the perfect work if we will risk our imperfection. It may begin with an invitation to Mass, a conversation over coffee, or the witness of integrity and peace. When we allow Christ to renew us, others notice. Our task is not to convert hearts, that belongs to God. We make the invitation to encounter.
