‘Fresh start’ with the saints

This year I will …

Filling in the blanks looks easy on Jan. 1 but as the year goes on those blanks remained unfilled.

You’re probably thinking, “I hear you laughing because you’ve seen me roll out the New Year’s resolutions before, only to wave the white flag and surrender. My reflexes were too quick and I hit the snooze button when the alarm went off way too early, reminding me to get up and exercise. And my sweet tooth had the last say when I saw my favorite delicacies on the table. I also had to finish those thriller novels to see how things turned out before picking up the Bible. Tomorrow always looked pretty good.”

But wait there is help! This year you will have a better chance by turning to saints to help keep your New Year’s resolutions. Like good friends they will be there for you:

Some good companions in the gym, walking trails or streets are St. John Paul II and St. Sebastian. St. John Paul II loved to hike in the mountains and ski. He installed a swimming pool when he became pope at Castel Gandolfo, where he resided in the summer. He quipped the pool was cheaper than paying for a new conclave to those who expressed disapproval.  

A believer in athletics, Pope John Paul preached a homily “Jubilee of Sports People” in Rome’s Olympic Stadium on Oct. 29, 2000. 

St. Sebastian was not an athlete but he was a member of an elite group of guards for the emperor. When Emperor Diocletian persecuted Christians, St. Sebastian used his status to visit prisoners. Enraged, the emperor ordered him be executed by shooting arrows and he was left for dead.

But he miraculously survived and came back to rebuke the emperor. He was then beaten to death. He is the patron saint of athletes and the Pontifical Swiss Guards. 

If needing some help getting organized, you can call on St. Benedict. St. Benedict’s Rule organized the monastic day into regular periods of communal and private prayer, sleep, spiritual reading and manual labor. He  was a model for monasteries and convents.

If you want to get things organized around the house or get the housework done, you want St. Zita, the patron saint of homemakers and house cleaners, at your door. St. Zita never missed a Mass even while keeping up with formidable chores demanded by her employer. 

If you have some bad habits or addiction you are trying to quit, ask for help from St. John of Krondstadt. Just read his “My life in Christ” about the dangers of living the carnal life.

If you are wanting to lose weight St. Charles Borromeo can help you get trim. The patron saint of dieters and those who are obese, St. Charles had a stomach ailment that kept him from eating what he wanted. He also had a special connection to people who suffered starvation.

Finally, if you have “tried everything” but are still failing to meet your resolution goals, pray to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.

Perhaps your trouble is getting started on a resolution at all and you tend to procrastinate. In that case turn to St. Expeditus. According to one old legend, when St. Expeditus decided to become a Christian, the devil appeared to him in the form of a raven and tried to persuade him to not make any decisions until the next day. St. Expeditus retorted, “No I will become a Christian today!”

The traditional “fresh start” of the New Year leads many of us to want to “do a little better” or “make some changes.” Any saint stands ready to start this new year with you to help you achieve what is hopefully your most important resolution, to live a holy, healthy life.

Happy New Year!