After joyfully celebrating the nativity of JesusHis humble arrival, showing that God’s plans are simple, but full of love for humanity, the feeling that touches us is that of hope for better days.
This time of year, the nativity of Jesus evokes in hearts the need for solidarity, forgiveness, reunion, to leave the comfort zone in search of that brother who is far away, but thirsty for our presence. That’s why the nativity of Jesus It is not limited to just one day, but the Church insists that this joy extends for another eight days. These are the Christmas Octaves, which invite us to reflect, feel and celebrate life through the birth of the One who was born and lived to love us without reservation.
New time is coming with the nativity of Jesus
Right after the Octave of Christmas, the calendar shows us the end of one cycle and the beginning of another: it’s the New Year! But, understand, hope continues to be the main feeling that fills us, as well as the desire for renewal, for improvement. And all of this is summed up in one sentence: “Happy New Year!”, filled with the desire for a lot of faith, for blessings from God. Trusting Him must be our goal, because “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 22:1).
Just as we prepare for the nativity of Jesuswe must also do the same for the arrival of the New Year, in order to live it with peace, serenity, a clear conscience, with friendships strengthened, family ties structured.
What is it to have a happy year according to the nativity of Jesus?
We can start with the advice of Saint Teresa D’Ávila, when she says “Let nothing disturb you; nothing scares you; everything will calm down; only God does not change; Whoever has God in his heart lacks nothing”. And we must not forget what the Lord tells us in Matthew: “Come to me, all you who are troubled, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).
Perhaps these two passages are ones that we should all take as reflection in these days that separate us from the turn of a new year. Think about how we want to find true happiness, leaving aside everything that distances us from the Father’s love imprinted in every word and gesture of His Son.
To be happy in the new year that is coming, it will be necessary to live with our feet on earth and our hearts in heaven, as we are children of God, heirs of heaven, participants in the banquet of life.
Prayer for the New Year at the Nativity of Jesus
When you are with your relatives and friends, after celebrating the nativity of Jesus, when the bells ring, pray to the Father, ask the Son and seek the Mother’s intercession so that the next 12 months are in accordance with His will, which is perfect.
“My adored Jesus, we want to offer you at this time when time turns a page in the history of men, our gaze and our prayers, contemplating the Mystery of Christmas, of Your Nativity Scene, where you were born to save us.
And just as You were no more than a fragile child, depending in everything on Your Most Holy Mother and on St. Joseph, Your adoptive Father, so we want to be, before You and Your Father.
First of all, we want to thank you for all the graces we have received over the last year, graces of forgiveness, graces of love, coming into our hearts through Holy Communion. Also for all the strength and help we receive from You to carry out our obligations and duties, both material and spiritual.
We know, O Good Jesus, that because of the abandonment in which we left you for our sins, everything we have comes to us from the poverty of the cave in which you were born, from the Cross that you accepted for our sake. And that, through the glorious Resurrection, we too will reach Heaven where you live.
Today the world is preparing to celebrate a year that ends and another that begins. We want to remember, first of all, that it was Your birth in Bethlehem that gave rise to all centuries. There, at that sublime hour, time stopped counting to begin a new era, marked by Your presence on Earth.
This is how we want to live every day, remembering that one day, you were treading the dust of our roads, talking to our people, dying on a Cross to show the way to Heaven. From this memory will come our happiness in this new year.
May this good year be for us and for all our dear parents, relatives and friends, of true happiness and sincere peace, and may the fireworks and festivities of this time only bring us closer to the endless time of Your Eternity. Amen”