15 Catholic New Year Resolution Ideas

Barely one week into the new year and how many have already broken your New Year's Resolutions?

We make those resolutions with the best intentions, but we almost always forget the most important part of creating lasting change. We forget to ask for God's help and guidance in making those resolutions as well as asking for help sticking to them. Real change only comes through Jesus.

So often the resolutions we make are superficial and relatively meaningless in the long run. Here are some ideas that you can resolve to do this year to enrich your life and bring you closer to God.

1. 2025 is the Jubilee Year: Pilgrims of Hope

   This year focus on the word "Hope". Find a way everyday to incorporate the word "hope". Read about stories of hope. Pray for others to give them hope. Do something for someone else to bring them hope.

   
   

2. Attend Daily or Weekly Mass

   Re-dedicate yourself to actually attending mass on a regular basis. It does your soul good to get out, sit with others in community. It also is important to receive the Eucharist on a regular basis. You are God's holy tabernacle, how can you grow in Christ if you don't invite Him in? Mass is also where you can receive words of wisdom from those called to the priesthood on that week's readings through the homily or sermon. If you are physically unable to leave your house, you can attend mass via live stream online or by watching TV. If you ask, as those on the monitor are receiving their communion, God will give you a spiritual communion.

   
   

3. Read Your Bible

   You can read the daily mass readings. If you read them everyday for a total of 3 years, you will have read the entire bible. Or if you don't want to read the bible that way, choose a section of the bible to read each day, from beginning to end. As you open your bible, ask God to speak to you through His word. Ask Him to reveal himself to you as you read. God wants to spend time with you and hold conversation. But you have to listen. His voice can boom, but most often He's that still, small, voice in the quiet.

   
   

4. Pray Randomly Through the Day

   Make a point to say a random prayer everyday. It can be a simple "Thank You, Jesus" when something good happens in your day. It can be asking God to help you choose your outfit for the day or asking to ease the burdens of someone you pass on your way to work. You can say a quick prayer any time you see flashing lights of first responders or hear sirens. You can pick someone different each day to pray for. It's totally up to you what you think of. The point is to add prayer into your daily life as part of an ongoing conversation with Christ.

   
   

5. Do a Daily Examination of Conscience

   Along the same vein of going to regular confession, you can do a daily Examination of Conscience. Before you go to sleep, mentally review your day. Did you make any mistakes or fail in any way? Did you act in ways you shouldn't? Did you read or watch something inappropriate? Did you fail to say something when others gossiped around you? As you examine your day, pray to God to forgive your sins and to help you do better the next day. Take the time to write down any mortal sins you might have committed. You can take these with you when you go to confession the next time.

   
   

6. Commit to Confession

   Remember how light and free you felt after you had your very first confession? Why not feel that way more often? Look up when your parish hosts confession and commit to going on a regular basis, at least once a month if it's available that often in your area. Part of the point of the Advent season we just went through is to remind us that we don't know the time or place when Jesus is to return to us. Keep your soul clean so you'll be prepared no matter when that is.

   
   

7. Offer Yourself and Your Day to God

   Each morning as you wake up, say a prayer surrendering your day and yourself to God. Guaranteed, your day will not turn out the way you planned. However, it will be exactly how God wants it to go. Often times, because you did this, you'll find that God gives you little graces during the day. Remember that by giving your day and yourself to God, you are also giving your trust in His timing of your day. He has reasons for everything, and even when things seem negative, they can also yield positive results.

   
   

8. Everyday is a Saint's Day

   Read about a new saint each day. What was their life like? How were they close to God? What about their lives can you bring into in your own life? Alternately, Pick a Patron Saint for the Year. Learn about this saint. Read one of their books. Say novenas to them. Ask for their intercession as you say your daily prayers this year. God gives us these saints as examples of real people we can imitate in living a holy life pleasing to Him.

   
   

9. Pray Your Rosary

   Whether you commit to praying a decade a day, a chaplet or the full three mysteries. Keep your rosary on you, and pray. The rosary is a meditation tool, where we say repetitive rote prayers, almost as background noise. This allows us to get into a spiritual state of mind to be able to reflect on the lives of Jesus and Mary. Through these prayers and meditations, Jesus can reveal himself and his life to you in greater detail. What more could anyone want?

   
   

10. Begin a Prayer Journal

    The new year is a great time to start a prayer journal. As you say your daily prayers, write them down. Write your thoughts and reflections of the day. you might be surprised what comes out into words. On days when you struggle to just push on, you can go back and read what you have written. You can often see where God speaks to you through prayer. You can also see how far you've grown over time.

    
    

11. Make a Book List

    Like to read? How about picking up some Catholic books? Make a list of Catholic books to read, and begin crossing them off your list. You'll find some great spiritual insights and maybe learn a thing or two.

    
    

12. Pay it Forward

    God wants us to commit acts of kindness and charity. Once a day, do something nice for someone else. Give a close parking space to someone else. Pay for the person behind you in line. Give someone a compliment. Help a person as they struggle. Truly listen to the person talking to you. Donate your time or money to charity. Pray with or for someone who needs it. Bake cookies to take to someone sick. The ideas are endless. Ask God to reveal opportunities to you each day.

    
    

13. Meatless Fridays and Fasting

    Most all of us know about abstaining from meat or fasting during lent. But it doesn't only have to be for lent. You could commit to doing this once a week for the whole year. When you do, offer the sacrifice to Jesus to help ease the pain he felt on the cross for sinners. You could be on the front lines of saving souls for Jesus.

    
    

14. Give an Hour a Week to God

    If you can, attend a holy hour with the blessed sacrament each week, or even each day. Visit and spend some time in the presence of Jesus. Pray or just rest in His light. If one is not offered in your area, dedicate a place in your home as a quiet place to pray and be with God.

    
    

15. Subscribe to Living Catholic Everyday

    At the footer of this blog is a place to submit your email. Once a week you'll receive a free email with a weekly prayer, daily spiritual exercises and more. It's why we're called Living Catholic Everyday. Each day can be filled with Christ at the center. Each day we are called to become more than we were, to become closer to Jesus. There are many ways to answer that call.

Do you have any ideas for more Catholic New Year's Resolutions? What are you planning on doing to grow your faith in 2025?