The Servant of Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah and Jesus, himself, in the synagogue, both proclaim “a year acceptable to the Lord.” It’s a timely verse that easily stirs us to a holy desire for our own spiritual progress and, likewise, a desire for the betterment of our troubled world, especially as a new calendar year begins.
What could “a year acceptable to the Lord” look like? Surely, it could be an Ignatian year where “the principle and foundation” of our hearts would be the “praise, reverence, and service” of God. It could be a year welcoming the mercy of God without delay, in order to know and to “labor” afresh with Christ “throughout the whole world.” It could be a year bearing up under the turmoil and suffering of our world without us losing hope. It could be a year where we would perceive the presence of God “in all things,” especially in all people and nations.
Let us resolve that this very day be a part of our 2015 “year acceptable to the Lord.”
—Fr. Richard Baumann, SJ serves as Tertian Director for the East Africa Jesuit province. He is a native of Cincinnati OH and a past provincial of the Chicago Province.