What Has God Given Each of Us To Do In This Year of Our Lord 2025?

What has God each of us to do in this Year of Our Lord 2025? Quite a question! Let's pick up on where we left off last time and see if we can fashion some answer or answers consist with our own individual state of life.

We start with the words we quoted from something posted by Father Z last November:

God has given us something to do while in this vale of tears.

And what might that be? Well, it's not always easy to get a clear answer, right? Sometimes we work and "feel" like this is just what God wants us to do, whatever our work may be. Other times we trudge through a day and wonder whether God really intended us to slog through the day like this. Or perhaps we simply go about our business with a simple intention: Lord, as I do my best to work for Your Greater Glory, if this is somehow not the work You wish me to do, please let me know.

There are all sorts of variations on the above. In the end, though, how many of us really get a clear "communication" from God about what exactly He wants us to do?

And so we begin 2025 simply going about our business, likely just as we did in 2024 (unless we're starting a new job, of course). And in our daily efforts we try to do our best and leave the rest in God's Hands.

But still, it's worth beginning this New Year considering in a thoughtful manner that God has indeed given us something to do in this Vale of Tears, as Father Z puts it. Here are some more thoughts from him in this vein: 

When we discern God’s will and do our best to live well according to our state in life, we will experience heavy burdens. Our human nature is wounded and there is an Enemy who hates and tempts us. When we are faithful to our vocations, we receive many opportunities to participate in carrying the Cross of Jesus. We also are offered all the actual graces we need to do so.

Right away we see not only that we may face difficulties as we go about our daily labor, but in life in general. But when we understand that these are our crosses and as such opportunities for us to unite ourselves to Our Lord on His Cross, the burden may very well feel just a tad lighter. And that lightness we can attribute to the grace we will receive daily, as we need it.

What a wonder that God give us grace as needed each day! And what a great relief, especially when we face particularly difficult days at work or in our personal life. 

And so, 2025 begins with this great unburdening, thanks to Our Heavenly Father, Who watches us constantly and cares for us far more than we care for ourselves. Thanks to to His Only Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered, died, and then rose from the dead that we might be saved from our sins and have the hope of eternal happiness once we are finished with our stretch in this Vale of Tears. Thanks finally to the dear Holy Spirit that always shines His Light on all we do, and whispers - if we but take the time to listen - encouragement to guide us to what we can and must do to work our way to Heaven.

These simple thoughts lift us up in these first days of the New Year.

In this vein, Father Z continues:

The Lord Himself told us, through the Gospels, that if we want to be with Him, we must participate in His Cross, even daily (Luke 9:23). During His Passion, our Lord literally carried His (and our) Cross. As He was driven by the soldiers over the uneven road, as careful as He must have been, He stumbled and fell.

We stumble and fall, though not like our sinless Lord. We stumble mostly by choice.

There is a diabolical Enemy Tempter who desires us to fall and to give offense to the Lord. The Enemy places obstacles before our feet.

That one – the Enemy – we do not want to meet with, even by chance. Or by intention! Avoid avoid AVOID all things having to do with the occult or idols of false religions. They are gateways for the Enemy to get at you. In addition, regularly make use of sacramentals and go to confession often. Along with those, make good holy Communions and the Devil will have little to say to you.

It is inconceivable that God would give us something to do and then not give us the means to achieve it.

Father's words are both daunting and hope-filled. They may serve as a kind of "hair of the dog" for us all. Our hand-over has nothing to do with over-consumption of alcohol. Rather, it may be a lackadaisical attitude towards life, one that should hold no place in our souls. We want to enter enter this secular New Year fully awake, and prepared to do battle - spiritual battle - with those forces that would deflect us from growing closer to God, even consume us and point our compass downward away from the eternal life He has created for each of us.

Before signing off and getting on with our work this day, we repeat that last sentence, the one that brings us the hope we need to forge ahead with confidence in God's Mercy and Love:

It is inconceivable that God would give us something to do and then not give us the means to achieve it.

Happy New Year!