Recently, I came across some old pictures, a photo directory of years ago when I was very young and we were celebrating New Year’s Eve down the street. We were celebrating, my parents took some of the kids down the street to a friend’s house and they had a great party, and the kids themselves had an equally as fun time. As I look back on the pictures, I can kind of giggle about it because, first of all, I was excited about staying up late at night as a little kid and having it be okay.

And then in some of the photographs there, my parents wearing New Year’s Eve hats, you know, and the party favors. And I had never seen them in that way normally, you know, so it was kind of fun to look back and see them celebrating. But you know, a new year, here we are in the middle of January, is a good time for us to see things in a new way. Perhaps, see ourselves in a new way, and to see one another in a new way. But most importantly, I think, a new year gives us an opportunity to grow closer to Christ in a new way, to see our Lord in a new way, calling us to new things, to new adventures and to grow, most importantly, in our faith.

You know, back in 2012, Cardinal George began “To Teach Who Christ Is” campaign, and it continued on to the leadership today under Archbishop Cupich. “To Teach Who Christ Is,” was an important campaign that was launched and to raise money for education in Catholic schools and also in religious education programs, because it is there that the faith can be taught in the schools and also after school’s over in a religious education program, sometimes on Sunday or in the evening during the parish.

But yet, all of us, through our baptism, are asked to participate in teaching who Christ is, coming to understand who He is. I think of that in today’s gospel, because isn’t that what John the Baptist did? He pointed to who Christ is. He said, ” Here is the lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world. Follow Him. This is the lamb of God.” And so John the Baptist is a great model for us in this new year, I think, because he teaches us how to identify Christ, to see him as God’s lamb, to see him as the son of God who comes to redeem us, who gives us light and invites us to share our faith, the good news of the gospel, with those we might meet this week. So let’s ask our Lord in this new year to help us to understand who He is, to grow in our faith and to be willing to teach who Christ is each day of our lives.