Priest offers faith tips for New Year’s resolutions

Was 2021 a bad year? The worst ever? With catastrophic weather events, spikes in crime, shortages of food and other goods, and, of course, the continuation of the global COVID-19 pandemic with its delta and omicron variants, many people would be tempted to frown upon the last 12 months.

But, not so fast, said Father John Paul Erickson, pastor of Transfiguration in Oakdale and guest on an episode of “Practicing Catholic” that will air at 9 p.m. Dec. 31 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. He told host Patrick Conley that 2021 can be seen differently — and in a better light — if Catholics would look at it through “the lens of faith.”

What defines a year as bad, he said, is “any year in which we walk away from the Lord. And, we can do that in a thousand different ways.” That includes walking in a pattern of habitual sin, or just simple negligence of the spiritual life and the daily duties and practices it entails.

Conversely, a good year is one filled with the hope every Christian is offered through faith in Christ, recognizing that, “The Lord can bring good out of even great darkness and evil and sadness and loss,” Father Erickson said. It is precisely such hope that can ward off the discouragement that, he said, “comes from the devil.”

When it comes to making resolutions for the new year, Father Erickson offered some tips to help guide people in deciding what to do — or not to do — in 2022.

First, people should be realistic about what they are able to accomplish. For example, if someone has fallen out of the habit of daily prayer, making a holy hour at a eucharistic adoration chapel every day might be “a bit much,” Father Erickson said.

A second tip is accountability. He encouraged people to find someone who can check in regularly for a progress report on the resolution. This can keep the commitment stronger.

As for specific suggestions, Father Erickson suggests going to confession once a month, going to a daily Mass once every two weeks and taking time for daily prayer. For those who don’t currently pray every day, he suggests starting with 10 minutes.

To find out his final resolution tip, which he said is “essential to our faith,” listen to the full episode, which also airs at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 and 2 p.m. Jan. 2 on Relevant Radio.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes conversations with Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the archdiocese, on the many meanings of Jesus’ baptism, and Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, who discusses the U.S. Supreme Court case concerning the Mississippi ban on abortion. Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com, soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic, or tinyurl/PracticingCatholic (Spotify).