History continues its unstoppable pace. We have just added yet another number to the book of time. On the evening of 31 December, we bid farewell to the year 2023, which has become totally grey and outdated, with joy and nostalgia, and welcome the new year 2024. We begin to write the first page. We spontaneously burst out with good wishes and wishes for health, peace, justice, happiness…
When I was a child, New Year’s Day was a very joyful day in my family, although it was not as joyful as Christmas. Still, on New Year’s Eve after dinner we would go to participate in the New Year’s Eve mass in a nearby convent. I remember that the church was full of people then. At midnight we all prayed in solemn silence.
Many years have passed and, except in very specific circles, this custom has now disappeared. Secularisation and generational and cultural changes have brought about a completely new situation. Almost the only continuity with all that is to party. Celebrating survives the changes of time and cultural rupture.
As I get older, what I remember most about those New Year’s Eve masses, and what they still do me good, is the joy of knowing that one year was ending well and the new one was beginning well. I remember them not as soporific ceremonies, but as a blessing. We thanked God that we were alive and still together as a family and asked God’s protection for the coming year.
The end of a year and the beginning of a new one are occasions for reflection. No wonder our society gives so much importance to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve. If we come to the end of a year and are still alive, then we have not had a bad year. If we are still members of a family or a Christian community, then we have had a good year, regardless of illness, financial misfortune, complicated relationships or any other misfortune. If we also feel grateful to God in our hearts, we will have entered 2024 on the right foot. And if we complete all this by expressing our heartfelt love and best wishes to those around us with words, hugs and a toast… well, that’s perfect! That is all we as individuals can do to welcome the new year in the right way.
I suspect that 2023 was for all of us a year of mixed blessing. It had its cold and bitter moments, and produced more than its fair share of problems and headaches. But I am sure that, for all of us too, the year had its joys and its charm, its blessings and its achievements. If we are still alive and still have the strength to love, it was a good year. It deserves to be celebrated with expressions of gratitude, affection, heartfelt prayer and… no lack of celebration!
Juan Carlos cmf
(PHOTO: BoliviaInteligente)
