Which way are you walking?

Although the season of Christmas continues for several more days in the Church, many of us have turned our attention away from Christmas and have begun to focus on the approach of a new year.

It is at this time that people consider New Year’s Resolutions: how they will change their lives for the better in the year ahead.

Today’s first reading (1 John 2:3-11) gives us simple advice for our consideration: if we want to change our lives truly for the better, look again to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The way we may be sure that we know Jesus
is to keep his commandments.

Whoever says, “I know him,”
but does not keep his commandments
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.

This is the way we may know
that we are in union with him:
whoever claims to abide in him
ought to walk just as he walked.

Beloved,
I am writing no new commandment to you
but an old commandment
that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment
is the word that you have heard.

And yet I do write a new commandment to you,
which holds true in him and among you,
for the darkness is passing away,
and the true light is already shining.

Whoever says he is in the light,
yet hates his brother,
is still in the darkness.

Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is nothing in him to cause a fall.

Whoever hates his brother is in darkness;
he walks in darkness
and does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.