End of year blessings

This is a time for reflection as well as celebration. As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life, remember each experience for the good that has come out of it and for the knowledge you have gained. Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached. Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought. Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears. And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come. Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and a celebration of life. As we still have to listen to stories of heart-break and conflict in some troubled areas, we hope that this New Year we will see the end of most of them, especially in Ukraine, Sudan and the entire Middle-East region. May you continue to be close to your family and friends who came into your life and are still close to you, even through an occasional email. I personally cherish the friends I still have from New York and Oregon as well as Malta. There are many others whom I’ll meet in the future, presently unknown to me - they are not strangers, but only friends I’ve not yet met. Finally I thank God for the blessings of my priesthood, through which I can share my love of the church, my love of the faith and my love for the people entrusted to my care. Happy New Year!