It is common to begin a new year defining 12 resolutions that will help us to be better. As we celebrate the Year of the Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Seattle, I propose the following resolutions to benefit from this jubilee and grow even closer to the Eucharistic Jesus.

In the son of the Virgin, “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12), we acknowledge and adore the “bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41, 51). When the Messiah comes to earth to give life to the world, he is born in Bethlehem, which means “house of bread” in Hebrew. He sleeps in a manger used to feed cattle. His mission is evident: to feed us. He will later say, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48).

“The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church, who joyfully experiences the constant fulfilment of the promise: ‘Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age’ (Matthew 28:20).”

How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me?
How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:2)
It’s been days, weeks and months living in sorrow
under the constant shadow of a pandemic
that makes us sick, that isolates us, that scares us, that takes our lives.
Captive at home during this confinement,
away from my beloved ones,
watching my dearest ones falling sick.