Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new.

by Father Shenouda Anba Bishoy

Wishing you all peace, joy and blessings, "Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17)

As we prepare for the coming new year, and start to make New Year's resolutions, we forget the most important resolution of all - our spiritual lives. A New Year is not a mere change in the calendar. A New Year is not a mere exchange of congratulations between us, whether by sending cards or inviting friends to our gatherings. It is not a night to spend with God spiritually, only to forget all about it and forget all the promises we have made Him.
A New Year is none other than a new way of life. It is a change in our behaviour, and our way of living to a better life. A New Year is a serious moment in which we stand and look where we are and where we should be. It is an opportunity to reflect on whatever changes need to be made in our lives. These changes can be made with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Let your motto this year be, "Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17)At the beginning of a New Year, let each one of us have his own spiritual program, chosen and arranged with the help of our Fathers of Confession, so as to start a new life.We can predict how the New Year will turn out for us.
Our hearts are the mirrors of the future. The faint and weak heart is an indicator of a weak future. Conversely, a pure heart is an indicator of a pure future. We can shape the New Year the way we would like it to be, a year full of love and good deeds according to God's commandments."No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other." (Matt. 6:24)Our way of life is not something imposed upon us. It is we who shape and form it, with our own free will, which God has granted us.
The grace of God is willing to perform miracles with us and within us on the condition that we do not hinder His work or resist the Holy Spirit. God's will is our holiness, and as soon as our will is the same as God's, then our life will be quiet and peaceful.
Though we may meet problems or tribulations in our lives, they will all be for our own benefit.