It is a common custom to review one's life at the end of each calendar year. We do so to remember the many good things that happened to us over the past 12 months, as well as all the struggles we endured.
For St. John Paul II, this act should be done in the light of the family, both our own family and the "human family" in general. He explains this type of review in his first Te Deum homily as pope in 1978.
Fostering fraternity in the "human family"
This type of review looks critically at our own lives and examines how we helped sow fraternity in our community, or if we sowed discord in the human family.
Protecting life and married love
In addition to the larger "human family," St. John Paul II also mentions in that same homily two areas that we should examine in our own lives. He urges everyone to review how you have protected life and the sanctity of married love.
In this way, we can look at our own lives and see how we have supported the dignity of every human person, starting from their conception. Furthermore, we can examine how we have promoted the value of faithfulness in married life, recognizing the importance of the family and its connection to the fabric of society.
As we look toward the New Year, let us look back and give thanks for many things, but also ask forgiveness from anyone we may have hurt.
