New Year’s Resolutions for Single Catholics
It’s that time of the year again. The excitement of Christmas has begun to die down a little bit, but the electrifying hope of the New Year is still alive and well. While some Catholics choose to make spiritual resolutions for the liturgical new year, most opt to make them for the calendar new year.
If you’re still single this New Year’s Day and want to change that in the New Year, here are 4 ideas on a New Year’s Resolution you can adopt in 2019.
1. Pray for Your Spouse
Honesty time: how many of you pray for your future spouse every day? No, not asking God to send you a mate but praying for their well-being.
The sad truth is that many of us want to be in a relationship and we focus on our loneliness, but we often fail to pray for whoever that future person may be.
Why not get into the habit of praying for them? They may be struggling with loneliness, with work, family, or friend difficulties, with shaking a bad habit, with spiritual dryness, etc.
We may not know who they are right now but they’re out there and they may need your prayers more than you know.
2. Cultivate a Virtue
Bad habits. We all have them. Some are annoying, but others land us in the confessional more often than we’d like to admit.
If you struggle with a vice or a terrible habit that you’re often confessing, choose the opposite virtue and cultivate it.
If you struggle with a quick temper, try doing more acts of charity and be patient while doing them.
If you tend to over-eat, try to use moderation not only with your food and drink but also with whatever else you spend a lot of time overconsuming (e.g. social media).
No one is a lost cause and these virtues will help you in your future vocation.
3. Work on Your Spiritual Life and Relationship with God
Is your spiritual life in a rut? Have you fallen into a prayer routine that has become monotonous, going through the motions without paying much attention to the prayers?
Now is the perfect time to work on your spiritual life. Perhaps your prayer life is fine but you’re struggling with forgiving someone who has done you wrong. Maybe there is something outside that makes it hard for you to have a closer relationship with God.
Identify it and work on eliminating it (if you’re able to) or asking God to help you overcome whatever obstacle is in your path. After all, Jesus did say, “Ask and you shall receive.” (Matthew 7:7)
4. Pick a Vocation Patron Saint
Nearly all of us Catholics have our favorite saints; the patrons we run to whenever we need a little help from our Heavenly friends. Perhaps you can choose a saint to be your specific vocation discernment patron for 2019.
It can be a saint whose own marriage or life inspires you. You can also adopt one who has a great track record of bringing couples together (St. Raphael Archangel, anyone?).
If you’re still unsure of whom to choose, there is a Saint Generator built by Jennifer Fulwiler that will assign a random saint to you.
Whatever resolutions you choose to make, may the New Year bring you lots of joy, love, and happiness.
