10 post-pandemic resolutions

By John and Therese Boucher
Special to The Catholic Free Press

People have been making New Year’s resolutions for 4,000 years. The Babylonians are an example; promises were made about behaviors such as paying back debts or returning borrowed objects. Early Christians also declared the first day of the new year as a traditional time to reflect on past mistakes and to choose to live a better life for Jesus Christ. Later, this day became a holy day. Even in today’s secular world, as many as 46 percent of us make New Year’s resolutions about improving ourselves in the coming year. Some of us even manage to keep a few of these. 
We hope that “lockdowns” and “stay-at-home” orders have given you time to reassess what you are doing with your life. There is nothing like a pandemic to make space in our often-frantic lives. If you have not, the “reopening” of our economy is another opportunity.
So many questions remain. But Christians can still make resolutions about daily life, socializing, and even parish worship that will give us peace of mind. And, with Jesus’ help, it will be possible to keep some of the positive daily life changes as we move ahead. Here are 10 suggestions for post-pandemic behaviors and a “new normal” as Christians:
1. Thank God for the simple blessings in our lives (family members, the internet, toilet paper, etc.).
2. Be more willing to accept help from others and advice from reliable and accurate sources. Study and pray to the Holy Spirit for discernment about the truth when this becomes difficult.
3. Restructure your days to include personal and family prayer time.
4. Reach out to support family, friends, and neighbors consistently.
5. Use the internet and cellphones to foster relationships (Facebook, Zoom, instant messaging, FaceTime, and other social media). Learn how, if necessary.
6. Be more intentional about scheduling shared meals, when allowed, with family and friends in places where air and laughter can circulate freely.
7. Eat right, exercise daily, and get better sleep.
8. Reassess what you do with your spare time and money. What are your real needs, not just your anxiety-driven desires? Give generously to your parish.
9. Treat adversity as an opportunity for intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth and healing.
10. Exercise compassion for and communion with those who suffer: the poor, homeless, sick, aged, and those who have no faith tradition to call their own.
 
Finally, this pandemic and a new normal can help us repent from thinking that we are in control of our lives. We are not!  And we can only admit this through the gift of humility. What we can control is our response to Christ’s ever-faithful presence.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:4) And as Pope Francis points out, “There is never a reason to lose hope. Jesus says: ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Mt. 28:20)

– John and Therese Boucher are authors of hundreds of articles and many books about Catholic evangelization and spirituality. They are members of the Parish Renewal and Evangelization Committee in the Diocese of Worcester.