Ruminate

How do you celebrate a new year?  I've never been a resolution fan, I've discovered that's a good way to make me feel like a failure by January 20.  I've seen Saint of the Year generators online, I've seen blogs with advice on how to listen for God to tell you your Scripture Verse of the Year.   Then there's the option of focusing on a Word of the Year.  Just one word - all year.  That was an interesting thought, but something different was coming to me.  

It was "ruminate."  It's not a word that one really want to ponder for 365 days, but it's a vice that has been a work in process for a while and the word has shown up too many times to be a coincidence.

Ruminate.  ˈrü-mə-ˌnāt  :to think carefully and deeply about something. 

When's the last time you actually spent time ruminating?  For example:

A few weeks ago at mass the word "duty" struck me.  Duty.  Do you know where the word "duty" is in the Mass?  In the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest says:  It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, Holy Father...

Duty is defined as obligatory tasks, conduct, service or functions that arise from one's position (as in life or a group).  As in - it's not an option.  Not only is it not an option, it's our salvation, to always and everywhere give thanks to God.  Ruminate on that one for a while!

A few weeks ago, we said the Blessing for Meals at supper.  Have you ever pondered that little prayer?  We ask God to bless us and these gifts that we're about to receive from his bounty.  Have you ever thought about God's bounty?  I'll bet it's big.  Yet we're asking Him to bless this little plate of food. (Leftovers get blessed twice!)  Why do we only say this prayer at meals?  What else have we received from his bounty that we have not asked him to bless or thanked him for?

Today is Epiphany.  During one of the hymns at mass we sang, "Good Christians, fear: for sinners here the silent Word is pleading."  I didn't finish singing the song.  I ruminated.  The song doesn't say "hear". It says "here."  The Word is pleading (plead: ask for something in a serious or an emotional way) for sinners here.  Good Christians, are we Christ for sinners? 

There's one more step that can and should be taken after ruminating Scripture, the Mass or our prayers.  We need to internalize.  We need to make it an important part of the kind of person we are. 

This year, join me in listening for those words or phrases that God wants us to ruminate on and may we ask God to let the fruit of our ruminations internalize.  Now that I look at it, that is a pretty big New Year's Resolution anyway.