New Year Brings Opportunity for Growth as Disciples of Christ

There is something undeniably exciting about the hope and optimism that comes with the beginning of a new year. Following the season of preparation during Advent and the joyous celebration of the birth of Christ, we are invited to pause once more and reflect upon our goals and dreams for the coming year. As a parish, we look forward to continuing to provide the faithful of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church with many opportunities for spiritual growth.

As Fr. Fabio Refosco reminds us, the opportunity to pause and evaluate our spiritual lives began in earnest with Advent and the Mass readings from the Book of Isaiah.

“What was happening in that time was that Isaiah was part of the old generation that wanted to return to the homeland, and there was also the new generation that had been born in exile,” Fr. Fabio says. “So Isaiah had to bring these people and relationships together. Certainly, we have lost relationships as the pandemic has imposed a little bit of distance between ourselves and God, and like Isaiah, we need to try to rebuild that community of God and make people more conscious of the presence of the Lord in our midst.”

As the new liturgical year began in Advent, prompting us to reflect on how we might increase our faith in the coming year, this January is the time to put our plans into action. In addition to the typical secular resolutions, recommitting to an active and vibrant faith life in 2021 is essential now more than ever. Often, this spiritual renewal takes place in the home.

“We need to nourish what St. John Paul II used to say about the domestic church,” Fr. Fabio says. “When we leave Mass — whether in-person or watching on the computer — that’s when you bring the ideas and inspiration to the domestic church at home. At church, we pray so that you can understand how to pray at home — we share the Eucharistic meal so that you understand how to share a meal together at home.”

While cultivating a strong domestic church in our home is an important part of drawing close to the Lord, we must also continue to seek community with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The COVID-19 crisis has made social interaction increasingly difficult over the last year, making it all the more necessary for parishioners to be intentional about nurturing their relationships with one another.

“Connect with people,” Fr. Fabio says. “I know there is a lot of reluctance regarding that, but this is the reality. We have to connect with people, we have to push forward. We are very physical people, we like contact and interaction. It’s very challenging, but it’s in the challenging moments that we can grow, so we have to press forward and develop new ways to connect with one another. I say to the people — be Isaiah, connect to the people, the old and the young. We have lost that connection to the Lord and to other people, and it affects our spirituality.”

Moving forward in the new year, may we all strive to keep our faith lives front and center, strengthening our domestic churches and our ties to one another.

“This year, I hope that we slowly return to our daily routines, while always bearing within us this wonderful joy of the moment of the Incarnation that we experience in Christmas, and bringing that light into the shadows everywhere we go,” Fr. Fabio says.