HOLY FAMILY 

With the New Year just around the corner the pressure is usually on to make some New Year resolutions!  Any eater, drinker, smoker, gambler knows this moment and has usually been there before!  Let’s face it, all of us have some areas in our lives that need to be changed if we truly want to be the person that we know we can be and the person our God created us to be, now is not a bad time to give it a go!

I heard of a bloke who called his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve and got the following message: I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call.  I am making some changes in my life.  Please leave a message after the beep.  If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.

So what are some of the changes that you, deep down, know you need to make?  Don’t wait until the sound of the midnight reaches your ear to think about it – think about it now and activity plan how those changes are to take place in your life.  Otherwise, odds on, you are simply setting yourself up for failure!

The other good thing about making New Year resolutions is that it helps us identify our priorities and goals for the New Year.  It helps us identify the changes needed to the practical steps we need to make to transform our best intentions into reality.  I think the trick is to keep it simple!  If that is the case then these following 7 suggestions might help convert 2025 into a year of grace, peace and purpose.  They are called the 7-UPS for the New Year:

1. The first is WAKE UP: Begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in it.
   Why not start with a simple prayer of thanks or a petition for guidance?
2. The second is DRESS UP: Put on a smile. It improves your looks. It says
   something about your attitudes and actions and your Catholic faith!
3. The third is SHUT UP: Watch your tongue. Don’t gossip. Say nice things.
   Learn to listen. Consciously say something positive rather than negative!
4. The fourth is STAND UP: Take a stand for what you believe. Resist evil.
   Do good. Let your Catholic values and ethics be reflected in your actions and attitudes.
5. Five: LOOK UP: Open your eyes to the Lord. After all, He is your only Saviour.
   Appreciate the blessings in your life and don’t take them for granted.
6. Six: REACH UP: Spend time in prayer, don’t be embarrassed by saying family prayer. Make grace before meals a part of your routine. Make Sunday Mass as a family a priority.
7. And finally, LIFT UP: Be available to help those in need – serving,
   supporting, and sharing – in small ways and big ways are part and parcel of your journey of faith in 2025.

As someone who has made many New Year resolutions over the years only to wake up on New Year’s Day already a failure, I think the 7 UP suggestions give me a bit of hope.  They would look great on your fridge door!   Because the other thing about resolutions and change is that just because we fail doesn’t mean we can’t try again!

On behalf of Fr Isaac, Bishop Brian and Deacon Michael, I wish you every blessing for the New Year—through God’s grace and our determination, may we all become closer to the Catholic Community we are called to be.

Fr Peter Brannelly

Stella Maris Parish Office

Adjacent to the Stella Maris Church – Office Hours 9am—2pm Weekdays

T: 5443 3488

E: su******@**************et.au