A LOOK AT THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

St. Paul describes the past as follows: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled you to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given you the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:17-18)

At the beginning of each new year, I think about the things I want to achieve, set about reaching new goals, and that is very good. However, a few weeks or months later, many of you, like me, stop pursuing these goals. I want to encourage you and, therefore, ask the Holy Spirit, your strength from above, to help you achieve new things, so that you can bear witness to the fact that with Christ, all things have become new!

I encourage you to keep a written record of the new things you set out to achieve, so that in prayer you can ask the Lord for His Light to understand what He wants you to do to move forward and achieve your goals. God always has great plans for you. His Word says, “for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you Hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:11-13) Now, it is up to you to believe that this is what God the Father wants to give you. Not having a plan for this life and the next is a great risk that can lead you to lose the most important thing, Eternal Life, the Life that Jesus gave to you by surrendering His own so that you might reach Paradise, not hell, after this temporary life. Jesus had a plan, and before He died, He explained that He would die but rise again on the third day. He had made a “resolution” that after the moments of suffering, He would emerge victorious from the suffering. And so the plan happened! Eternal Life is part of the plans of a true Christian and must be part of the plans at the beginning of each year, apart from other goals and purposes, so that “your light may shine before others, that they may see your good works and give Glory to your Father who is in Heaven” (cf. Mt 5:16).

I will never forget my close relationship with Pope Francis or the many times he inspired me with his wonderful messages that I keep in my heart. His teachings were and are always a great blessing to me. Remember his words as I plan for the new year, “look at the past with gratitude, the present with passion, and the future with Hope.”

1. Look at the past with gratitude. You should not only see the bad things that you experienced, but also the valuable moments, like acknowledging your mother, who carried you in her womb, and those who care for you now. Focus on the good things and submit the bad to God; your failures and the people who hurt you. Gratefulness brings peace to your hearts, as opposed to negative thoughts and grudges, which steal it shut down with bitterness and persistent lack showing up in your life.

2. Live the present with passion. You should increasingly appreciate each day of life, for being alive is already a great gift from God, even during hardships. You must remember that God grants us life as part of His plan, and He wants you to move forward in that plan and trust that He knows what is best for you. Therefore, live the present with passion, with a plan and goal that He will reveal to you through Divine Inspiration, His Holy Spirit. Jesus came to give you Life, abundant Life; but “the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that you may have Life and have it in abundance.” (Jn. 10:10) The first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning is say, THANK YOU, LORD, FOR THE GIFT OF A NEW DAY!

3. See the future with Hope. You have just lived through a Jubilee Year of Hope that prepared you to have Hope in your life. You may think that having Hope means just being positive, but for you as a follower of Christ, Hope is a level of certainty that keeps you steadfast in believing that everything is possible for God. Therefore, you look at the future with this certainty, as St. Paul puts it, “not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have attained it; I say only this, forgetting what lies behind, I strive for what lies ahead and run toward the goal, toward the prize to which God has called me from above through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:12-14)

Therefore, making resolutions at the beginning of the year to improve your health or reaching a better economic situation base on your needs and possibilities is not at all wrong, provided that you never drift away but rather are always closer to the One Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the master of time and Eternal Glory, which is Jesus. So, you persevere in laying out new plans in this Hope.

I encourage you to implement new plans at the beginning of 2026, together with Jesus and to ask for the intercession of our Mother in Heaven, the Virgin Mary, and keep in mind that, “above all, Love, which is the seal of perfection. And may the Peace of Jesus rule in your hearts, that Peace to which you have been called to form one body, which is the Church. Finally, be thankful.” (Col 3:14-15)

I thank all of you who continue to contribute your financial seed month after month to ESNE as you would any other obligation, like housing or food. May God fill your lives with material and spiritual abundance in this New Year. A good New Year’s resolution would be for you, your family, and friends to consecrate yourselves to Jesus through the I Am the 73rd project. Visit www.esne73.com and register. If you need further guidance, please call (773) 777-7773. You can also write to info@iamthe73rd.com, and one of our brothers and sisters will assist you and guide you on this path of Discipleship.

And on the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, I lift my prayer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that your homes may be the manger throughout the year 2026, in which you manifest your Adoration of Jesus through your works of charity, forgiveness, and mutual love, so that His Kingdom of Peace may dwell in you always. I ask for all this through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, the Immaculate Conception.

Finally, I wish you and your family many blessings, and may all your good wishes come true in 2026.

Your brother and servant,