New Year's Eve-A Liturgy For Meditation

December 31, 2021—January 1, 2022 One Year Ends and Another Year Begins We gather for prayer in observance of the passing of the year and share intercession for the world as it begins a new chapter. Finding the Kairos in Chronos Centering In Preparation As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends. Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race, color or creed. Let us keep God of our own understanding in our hearts and to chant God's name each day. Let us lead the world from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth and from wrong to right. Let us remember that we are all one, embracing all, discriminating against none. May your year be filled with peace, prosperity and love. May God's blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful new year. —Rev. Marcy Sheremetta: https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources Opening Words God of both time and eternity, You make all things new You bring hope alive in our hearts And cause our Spirits to be born again Thank you for this new year For all the potential it holds Come and kindle in us A mighty flame So that in our time, many will see the wonders of God And live forever to praise Your glorious name. —Author Unknown Prayer May God make your year a happy one! Not by shielding us from all sorrows and pain, But by strengthening us to bear it, as it comes; Not by making our path easy, But by making us sturdy to travel any path; Not by taking hardships from us, But by taking fear from our heart; Not by granting us unbroken sunshine, But by keeping our face bright, even in the shadows; Not by making our life always pleasant, But by showing us when people and their causes need us most, and by making us anxious to be there to help. God's love, peace, hope and joy to us for the year ahead. —Author Unknown Scripture Reading Genesis 1. 1-3 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a life-wind-spirit-breath from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said,“Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness God called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Canticle Revelation 21. 1-5 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, my dwelling is with my people. 'I will dwell with them and they shall be mine, and I myself will be with them. 'I will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. 'Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.' And the One who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Scripture Reading II Corinthians 6. 2 For God says,“At an acceptable time I have listened to you and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! Some Thoughts On Time Time is a given. There is time and we have time. We live in time. Thus, the thing about time that seems to beg our attention is this: What do we do with our time? There is a connection between time as chronos and time as kairos, Chronos is how we measure time by the year, month, day, hour and minute. Kairos, however, knows no such boundaries. Kairos is "grace time." God created chronos within kairos, kairos being the time within which God is doing God's thing. The point, I would suggest, is what can we do in chronos that lives beyond, even within the infinity of kairos? As I think about it i am reminded of St. Paul's powerful prose: Love never ends . . . and now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13 Love like a bridge connects chronos with kairos. And whatever love we experience, share, and receive will be eternal. So, let us spend our days loving. What better way of life is there than that? Prayer God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly, thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others, mindful that our steps make an impact and our words carry power. May we walk gently. May we speak only after we have listened well. Creator of all life, help us enter the New Year reverently, aware that you have endowed every creature and plant, every person and habitat with beauty and purpose. May we regard the world with tenderness. May we honor rather than destroy. Lower of all souls, help us enter the New Year joyfully, willing to laugh and dance and dream, remembering our many gifts with thanks and looking forward to blessings yet to come. May we welcome your lavish love. In this new year,  may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead. —Vinita Hampton Wright: http://www.loyolapress.com/authors/vinita-hampton-wright The Prayer of Jesus Creating-Redeeming-Sustaining-One, whose glory is fitting of heaven, most holy is your name. Your realm come, your will be done, here and now as it is in heaven. Give to each the portion that none shall want. Forgive us our harm and harming of others, as we forgive those who have harmed us. Test not our faith, hope, and love; but free us from all evil. For yours is the Kin-Dom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Sending Forth Walk in time as it is a gift. Never take time for granted. Live fully into each moment. Share your time with others. Make time for yourself. And, my time be the companion on the journey that God made it to be. Dismissal With Blessing Walk beside us, O Holy One, as we question and welcome, as we challenge and invite, as we discover and understand, as we see . . . touch . . . taste . . . smell,  and listen for the Newness awaiting us in 2022. May we, Your Holy People,  walk forward together side by side. Amen. —Sister Mary Ann Barret, O.P.: https://www.grdominicans.org/sisters/sister-mary-ann-barrett