Photo: Depositphotos/szefei.

As the festivities of the Lunar New Year gradually fade away, the hustle and bustle of daily life begins again and almost like clockwork, our children are returning to school. We shift our focus back to our careers and other duties. Before we know it, the end of the year meets us again. But, prior to entering this mode of ‘doing’ again, let us pause and ask ourselves, where will God be in our families this year?

We invite your family to consider a family resolution of growing in faith together in 2023. It may seem daunting because of the commitment it takes to stick with it.

However, let us take comfort in the words of Saint Francis de Sales, whose feast day we celebrated on Jan 24: “It is right that you should begin again every day. There is no better way to complete the spiritual life than to be ever beginning it over again.”

Let us heed the saint by taking small doable steps together with our families. Here are three suggestions:

1. Slowing down

Slowing down is not something we frequently consider when beginning a new year. Instead, we often focus on what needs to be done and what we want to achieve. In his 2016 Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis empathised with the complexity and fast-paced lifestyle that people need to keep up with, but urged families to remember that “the home must continue to be the place where we learn to appreciate the meaning and beauty of the faith, to pray and to serve our neighbour.”

Are there areas of our lives where we can afford a gentler pace to make room for our spiritual lives? For example, setting aside time to be with God requires us to be intentional and willing to take pauses to recognise God’s presence and spend time with Him.

How this may look like: Set aside one evening in the week to spend 20 minutes of prayer as a family followed by a dinner together to share how God has blessed each one of you during the week.

Scan here for prayer resources

2. Pick a saint for the family

Choosing a saint to learn about as a family and to imitate during the year can be a fun and meaningful way to encourage and challenge both adults and children to live out our universal call to holiness.

Take this opportunity to share with your children the importance of saints and explain the intention of picking a saint to inspire your family in faith this year. The stories of saints inspire us in our faith, and through their struggles and life experiences, we can relate to them and find strength for our spiritual journeys.

How this may look like: Say your family has picked St Francis of Assisi, a nature lover, as your saint of the year. Other than reflecting on his words and life, you can set aside time for walks together to appreciate God in nature, or even volunteer at an animal shelter to share the same love that St Francis had for God’s creation.

Scan here for saint ideas

3. Encouraging family routines

St Josemaría Escrivá once said, “Sanctity is not for a privileged few… He expects love from all of us, from everyone, whatever their state in life, their profession or their job. For the daily life we live, apparently so ordinary, can be a path to sanctity: it is not necessary to abandon one’s place in the world in order to search for God, because all the paths of the earth can be the occasion for an encounter with Christ.”

Therefore, apart from participating in the sacraments, we can also include other family habits where you and your children can have a deep and personal encounter with the Lord.

How this may look like: Make it an intentional practice of saying grace before meals as a family. Rather than regurgitating the prayer without meaning, we can make it an intentional prayer to thank the Lord for what we have and the hands that have created them.

Mindfully tasting and enjoying our food can be a response to thanking the Lord and recognising the goodness and joy of His providence! Encourage your children to help with the household chores or put away their toys and make it an offering to the Lord and for their family and friends who may be suffering.