Let’s all fatten up for the new year!

You’re probably thinking I’ve lost my mind on this one. Fatten up for the new year? Doesn’t that go against every conceivable new year’s resolution? Isn’t January all about slimming down and getting back into shape, dropping the Covid “19” and fitting into our skinny jeans again? Yes, well sort of…

Let me be clear on WHERE we want to fatten up - I’m referring to our hearts (figuratively of course). We want to have big and beefy, oversized hearts dripping with love for Christ. Remember how the Grinch’s heart was two sizes too small, well let’s work on making ours five sizes too big - I want mine to be XXXL!

You know that old guitar hymn…”They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Notice, it doesn’t say they will know we are Christians by the size of our intellects or the weight of our wallets. It doesn’t say they’ll know we are Christians by how many likes we garner on Facebook or how successful we are in business. It says they’ll know we are Christians by our love, which obviously starts with the heart.

Christ wants to transform us from the inside out. He wants to rearrange the furniture in our house and do an “extreme makeover” on our souls, so we can begin to see things the way he sees them, and ultimately, love people the way he loves them - radically and unconditionally. Will this “house cleaning” effort be easy? No. Will it require us to surrender what is familiar and comfortable? Yes. But any goal worth achieving takes work, self-discipline and small daily sacrifices (yep, just like all our other new year’s resolutions).

So as we begin this new year, let’s ask the Lord to help us to put on weight where it truly matters, so we can love others with a big and generous heart like his.

Dear Lord Jesus, purify us and make us one with your Sacred Heart and your Mother’s Immaculate Heart. Fill our hearts to overflowing through the power of your Holy Spirit, as we seek to do your good and perfect will here on earth. Amen!

Now let’s bulk up where it really counts! Happy New Year everyone!