As we journey through life, we encounter much wonder and awe inspiring things. Many times when I fly, I am in awe over the beauty of the landscape around me. A sunrise or sunset, a rainbow, or the vast ocean all create a feeling of wonder in me. Andrea Bocelli’s voice can give me chills. Photos from space are not only beautiful, but humbling as well because they show how truly small we are.
Just think of the small baby Jesus who was weak in many ways, but strong in so many more. Many people came to him from far away to give Him gifts and honor Him. This weak baby even made the king nervous enough to have many other small children murdered. This was no ordinary baby, but a special one who inspired wonder in many.
Jesus still inspires wonder and awe within me. There isn’t anyone else on Earth who creates this great amount of wonder. Who else could inspire the over 2 billion current Christians living today to follow Him and the countless Christians who lived before us? Who else could inspire millions of people to literally lay down their life for Jesus? One figure puts the number of Christian martyrs throughout history at around 70 million. There have been many inspirational figures throughout history, but no figure has ever had millions of people die for them.
As we approach the new year, let us renew our sense of wonder in Jesus. Listen to a Christian song or hymn and sing along directing our words to Jesus in prayer. Our soul will feel on fire with the love from our savior. Go before the blessed sacrament and just be in the quiet presence of Jesus. Let His presence calm our soul and worries. Reflect on the scriptures and how they relate to our life. We will find direction and have many questions answered. I guarantee that if we can accomplish at least some of these things, we will have a wonderful new year.
