January, 2000
Dear Faithful,
Y2K! The new miilenium is here, (even if not strictly, according to the purists) and to quote the Beatles--obla-di, able-da, life goes on.
How much longer it will go on before God finally brings a chastisement upon a more than deserving human race, or lets it bring a chastisement upon itself, is anyone’s guess. For same years now the world situation has grown increasingly dangerous: Third World countries with unstable dictators and nuclear weapons; an increasingly impoverished and desperate Russia with no other asset than its nuclear arsenal; a jittery West in an ever more precarious financial state. Anything could happen, or nothing could happen for some time yet.
It is wiser, perhaps, to use the new millenium as the moment to look inwards, rather than outwards. From the point of view of numbers, this month is a massive fresh start; it could be the time of a real spiritual fresh start too. The best resolution would be to make a retreat, as that is the time when God's grace can transform the soul and enable one to regain or increase one's fervour for the Faith. Barring that, some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament plus a thorough confession and a discussion with one's confessor, would be the right occasion to make or renew resolutions aimed at better serving Our Lord. The point to remember is that living the Faith involves a struggle, and if we are not making any real, demanding efforts for our Faith, then spiritually we are in trouble. "Now is the time to wake from sleep", said St. Paul. Wake from the sleep, make the efforts and the new year will indeed be happy and holy.
With my best wishes,
Fr. Justin Swanton
