January arrives quietly. After the noise and brightness of Christmas, the Church invites us into something softer and more honest: the grace of beginning again.
The new year often comes with expectations—resolutions to keep, habits to change, hopes we are not quite sure how to carry. Scripture, however, reminds us that God does not ask for perfection at the start of a new season. God asks only for openness.
“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah: 43:19)
For the Holy Family beginnings were rarely neat or planned. Mary and Joseph began parenthood in uncertainty, far from home, with little control over their circumstances, just like so many in our world today. Yet it was precisely there—within the ordinary, the vulnerable, the unsettled—that God’s promise took flesh.
January invites us to begin as they did: trusting God in the midst of what we do not fully understand, in the mess of life.
The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that holiness grows slowly, through daily faithfulness. Luke tells us:
“The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour
of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40)
Growth takes time, strength is formed quietly and wisdom is learned through repetition, failure, forgiveness, and love. As we stand at the start of a new year, this truth frees us from the pressure to have everything resolved. God works patiently—within families, communities, and hearts.
To begin again does not mean forgetting the past year. It means bringing it honestly before God—the joys and the disappointments, the faithfulness and the regrets. Like Mary, we are invited to treasure these things and ponder them in our hearts (cf. Luke 2:19).
Saint Paul writes:
“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal.”(Philippians 3:13–14)
This “pressing on” is not frantic striving. It is a steady, faithful movement forward — grounded in grace. In the spirituality of the Holy Family of Bordeaux, beginning again often looks like returning to simple practices: prayer around the table, listening with patience, forgiving generously, loving practically.
January is also the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. To begin again is to place the year under that Name—the name that brings healing, unity, and peace to all who believe.
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bend.” (Philippians 2:10)
As individuals and as families, we entrust the year ahead to God, knowing that each day offers a fresh start. God’s mercy is not renewed yearly, but daily.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases… they are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22–23)
May this January be a time of gentle recommitment: to faith, to family, to community, and to the quiet work of love. Beginning again is not a sign of failure — it is a sign of hope.
Terri Coonan
(Lay Member, Holy Family of Bordeaux, Ireland)
You might like to read the poem below for further reflection
https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/O/ODonohueJohn/ForaNewBegin/index.html)