the year of repentance, fruitfulness, and joy
“Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat? Why do you grieve?” —1 Samuel 1:8
As we begin the new year, the Lord commands us to be “fishers of men” and women (Mk 1:17). We are to be fruitful in leading others to Christ (see Jn 15:5). However, many of us were not very fruitful in 2025 and have not changed anything for 2026. We may be spiritually barren as Hannah was physically barren.
If we don’t repent and begin to share our love for Jesus with other people, we may become like Hannah in other ways. In addition to being barren, Hannah was so despondent she refused to eat (1 Sm 1:7). We likewise may lose our joy (see Ps 51:14) and become spiritually anorexic if we don’t bear fruit evangelically. Many Christians today are noticeably sad. Young people notice this and see church as a dead, joyless place. Many Christians go to church only to fulfill their “Sunday obligation.” They don’t understand the Mass is a sacrifice. They’re not offering their “bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God” (Rm 12:1). They aren’t hungry for the spiritual nourishment of God’s Word and Holy Communion.
We can be like Hannah in more ways than one. We must repent, commit our lives to Jesus, and share our faith. Then we will come to life.
Prayer: Father, may I reap the greatest harvest this year.
Promise: “This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the gospel!” —Mk 1:15
Praise: At the age of sixty-nine, St. Marguerite walked some one-hundred and sixty miles from Montreal to Quebec City to found a community of sisters at her bishop’s request.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Spiritual Anorexia, listen to, download or order our AV 101-1 or DVD 101 on our website.)
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