Monthly Message from Fr. Ghassan

Monthly Message from Fr. Ghassan - January/February 2026

The New Year


Everything new requires new preparation, and everything old requires taking what is beneficial from it and learning from what we have been negligent in and failed at. Let us strive to be guided by the Word of God, the Word of life that opens our eyes, our insights, our minds and our hearts, illuminates our paths and guides us to the right path, avoiding slips, stumbles and failures.
So what does the word of the Lord say?
“The eyes of the Lord your God are upon you always from the beginning of the year even to its end,” as it is written in the Book of Deuteronomy. We know that the Lord will give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us. It is among His blessings upon us that we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning, as is written in the prophet Jeremiah. And just as You crowned the past year with Your goodness, O Lord, and made it drip with abundance, our trust is in You that You will grant us in the new year more of Your abundant blessings and many bounties.
In the New Year we must renew our minds, hearts and minds, taking into consideration once again that the Word of God is a lamp for our steps and a light for our path. Let hope be the introduction to all our actions, and this requires trust in the Lord, for He plans our days and years, and His plans are for good and to give us hope for the future. With the birth of Christ, we are also created anew if we believe. The old things have ended, and all things have become new, as St. Paul says. We, as believers, must not only change from the outside, but let us change radically, being completely purified and discovering the holiness of God within us.
Let us learn from our mistakes of the past year and take lessons from them, and leave them behind us, and focus on our goals for this year, with perseverance, diligence, hard work, and discipline, and most importantly, relying on the Lord, trusting in Him, and submitting to His will, and in doing so, we will reap goodness, strength, righteousness, and peace. The Lord’s words apply to us: “But those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint,” as stated in Isaiah 40:31.
Let us look at each new day of the new year as a special day in our lives, relying on God’s never-ending love. The Lord’s love is great, and His mercy is new every morning and every day for those who believe in Him and fear Him. The Lord is our inheritance, our hope, and our expectation, and on Him we rely. The birth of the Lord is our birth and our new hope. Never worry about the New Year. As St. Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here. Let us trust in Jesus who surrendered himself and died on the cross for us, and let us focus on our next goals, including winning the great prize to which God has called us in Christ Jesus.
Do not be afraid, for the Lord tells us that I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God, and I will hold your victorious right hand. Let God guide you in all your affairs and direct you to what you should do in the new year and in the future as well. Let us submit to the Lord in all our ways, and He is the one who will make our path straight, as stated in the Book of Proverbs. Finally, be strong and courageous in the Lord your God, for He is with you wherever you go, as stated in the Book of Hosea.
Finally, between a year that has passed and a year that will soon come, let us change our paths whenever they are crooked, and renew our hearts whenever they are worn out, and live a new life, for with baptism we are not under the rule of the law, but rather under the rule of grace, and we do not own anything of the days and years, so let us pray humbly, and return to the Lord repentant, so that He may take care of us and renew us in our new year and completely change our hearts.

O Lord, make this a blessed year, in which You descend upon us with Your Spirit, make us share in Your love, restore our troubled hearts, hold our hands, guide our thoughts, and forgive our sins, so that we may return to You as the prodigal son did. We will please You with our deeds, and it will be a pure year, untainted by sins, a year of mercy, forgiveness, and pardon, in which we do not deviate from Your decrees and commandments.
May God make this a happy year, in which you bring a smile to every face and gladden every heart, and may you provide aid to the afflicted, provide for the poor and needy, orphans and widows, heal the sick who are in pain in heart, body and soul, console the grieving, and grant comfort and peace to all.
Lord, let your word reach the whole world, and help us to spread it, so that it reaches every heart everywhere, and protect your church and those who work in your holy field. We also ask you to grant our countries and the whole world security, safety and peace, and to deliver us from wars, destruction, conflicts
and calamities, from diseases and epidemics and all evil and wicked deeds and the plots of Satan.
Finally, let us reflect on our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves during 2022, so that we may learn lessons, repair the damage, and redouble our vigilance for the Lord, doing our utmost to be in God's heart, for He loves us and all humanity. May the first month of the new year be your New Year, as stated in Exodus 12:2. May the prayers of the new year ascend to the throne of God, be accepted and answered, and we will do good if we pray.
Lord Jesus: Teach me to consecrate myself to You alone, and to surrender my life to You anew, to be used for Your glory. You must increase, and I must decrease. All glory shall be Yours, and I do not seek Your glory for myself... Teach me to do what pleases You, and to say what is edifying and beneficial for the good of others. Make me see with compassion the lost sheep and love them for the sake of my love for You. Make me, like You, a friend to sinners and the lost, so that I may guide them. Keep me away from sin and from anything that might bring shame to Your name and make prayer the focus of all my decisions... Amen.

 

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