New Year's Resolution

01-11-2026Pastor's CornerFr. Bob Deehan

You probably have made one or more New Year’s resolutions for 2026. Some may address areas such as our physical wellbeing, others our mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing and others may have to do with our relationships. I share with you portions of a reflection from the January 5th installment of The Daily Anchor entitled “Step 1 to lasting change” from Chris Stefanick of www.reallifecatholic.com.

This is the first full week of our new year. Have you broken your New Year’s Resolutions yet? I’m going to give you five steps to help you make lasting change… Let’s jump in!

Step 1 to lasting change: Remember that you are more than that thing you need to change about yourself. Our strongest interior struggles and temptations can be so powerful we tend to confuse them with WHO we are. That tendency has etched itself into our very language. “I AM angry,” you say. But, if that’s a part of yourself you want to change in this new year, you should start saying “I currently struggle with anger.” That anger isn’t YOU. You are more.

In the words of St. Pope John Paul II, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

If you don’t grasp the distinction between your struggles and your identity, you’ll be more likely to get disheartened in your struggle to improve. You’ll be more likely to give up on your very self. Or maybe worse, you’ll be too afraid to attempt any positive change at all, because failure to change would be experienced as failure at who you are… and no one wants to risk that. We all need to grow. What struggle do you need to “reframe”? Do it. Out loud. Say: “I am NOT____. I currently struggle WITH____. And, I’ll keep struggling until, by the grace of God (who loves me anyway), I WIN!” - Chris Stefanick.

God bless you!