+JMJ
It is New Year’s Eve. This year really flew by for me. It was significant as my 33rd year being the same age as my Lord when He died. As I sat reflecting I see how much I have been through is just 365 days. All the changes, the growth, the failures, the blessings, the grace, the guidance, the darkness, and the light. His presence in it all stands out in particular. In the little things and the big things. His hand always working for me, never against me, like the enemy would have me think.
My Spiritual Director had given me a list of questions to pray through. One of them was to Write a letter to your teenage self. I felt a hesitation in meditating on it. I wanted to skip it to be honest. The thoughts, “I don’t know what to say,” popped into my head. I have learned, however, that this feeling of hesitation usually means the Lord has something beautiful to grace me with, and the enemy does not want that to happen. He is trying desperately to keep me from drawing closer to the Lord. So, I asked the Lord to tell me what to write. It felt like I was sitting there writing what the Lord was dictating to me and I was overwhelmed by His loving presence around me.
Letter From The Lord
In the beginning I created you. I thought of you and I love you. It is Me who has always been with you. I have seen you suffer and rejoice. I have seen you struggle and succeeded. I have seen the darkness and the light within you.
I have clothed you, fed you, and gave you to drink. I have challenged you and comforted you. I have pushed you and carried you. I am with you at the highest high and the deepest depths.
I am your beginning and will be your end. I will always be with you. I will strengthen you in suffering and rejoice with you in happiness. I will help carry your struggle and you will succeed through Me. I will shine the light on the darknesss within you, and brighten the light of understanding. I will cover you in my Precious Blood, my grace will feed you, and my love will satiate your thirst. I will reprimand you and console you in sorrow. I will claim you and place you on stable ground. I will raise you up from the depths of despair and place you at the heights of paradise.
Reflection
As I look back over the past year, I can see all of these things are true. His loving hands sprinkling beautiful nuggets of grace everywhere. The closer I get to Him the more I notice Him, the more I notice Him the more peace I feel, and the more of His peace I experience the more I love Him.
It always gets me when I think about how He thinks of me. How He thought to create me. It overwhelms my heart to think that He could have created a million other things, but He chose to create me.
Having this in mind, looking over the past year, it is beautiful to notice all the ways He placed me and used me, showing that He created me for a specific purpose, and how important it is that I strive always to fulfill that purpose.
New Year’s Eve Hymn
Traditionally, Catholics pray the Te Deum on the last day of the year to gain a Plenary Indulgence (for the conditions of an indulgence click here). I think it is so beautiful as an acknowledgement of His grace and a dedication of the past year to the Him.
It is a reminder that everything belongs to the Lord and offers Him due praise and glory.
The prayers in Latin and English are listed below. I love to listen to it here!
Te Deum
ORIGINAL LATIN HYMN
Te Deum laudamus te Dominum confitemur
Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur
Tibi omnes angeli Tibi caeli et universae potestates
Tibi cherubim et seraphim incessabili voce proclamant
Sanctus sanctus sanctus Dominus Deus sabaoth
Pleni sunt celi et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae
Te gloriosus apostolorum chorus
Te prophetarum laudabilis numerus
Te martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur ecclesia
Patrem inmense maiestatis
Venerandum tuum verum unicum Filium
Sanctum quoque paraclytum spiritum.
Tu rex gloriae Christe
Tu Patris sempiternus es filius
Tu ad liberandum suscepisti hominem non horruisti virginis uterum
Tu devicto mortis aculeo aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes in gloria Patris
Iudex crederis esse venturus
Te ergo quaesumus tuis famulis subveni quos pretioso sanguine redemisti
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis gloria numerari.
“Salvum fac populum tuum domine et benedic hereditati tuae
Et rege eos et extolle illos usque in aeternum
Per singulos dies benedicimus te
Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum et in saeculum saeculi
Dignare domine die isto, sine peccato nos custodire
Miserere nostri Domine miserere nostri
Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos quemadmodum speravimus in te
In te Domine speravi non confundar in aeternum.
We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens and all the powers therein.
To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy Glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise Thee.
The godly fellowship of the Prophets praise Thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man: Thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.
When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save Thy people: and bless Thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we magnify Thee; and we worship Thy Name, ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let Thy mercy lighten upon us: as our trust is in Thee.
O Lord, in Thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.
I pray you all have a wonderful New Year!
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
How did your year go? Have you grown in your relationship with the LOrd? What changes are you planning on making in the New Year to deepen your relationship with Him? Leave me a comment and let me know!