Thomas Griffin 1/3/26
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“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
We are several days into the new year. Has anything changed within us yet?
We all need something to work on. We are all in need of deeper renewal in our relationship with God but also with those we are closest with. Rather than pretending that everything is fine or making believe that we are not in need of being better, choosing a word of the year can be a great practice for aiding our growth in the spiritual life and in holiness.
To do so, we can spend some time in quiet prayer reflecting on our greatest blessings in life and our flaws that we know we struggle with. Doing so can help ground us in what we want to grow in this year and offer us an opportunity to focus on it each day. Choosing a word that we wish to define our yearly focus can aid us in a great way in this regard.
In all honesty, when I first heard of this practice I did not think it would be helpful and I quickly branded it as superficial. However, I began to make the commitment to do so with my wife and now we are in our third year of choosing a word to guide our year. Each year has been different and has been fruitful.
Two years ago I was drawn to the word poverty. I had finished the research for my book on the life and power of St. Francis and I was deeply drawn to how he lived out radical poverty. Admittedly, finances are a constant struggle for a family with young children on Long Island so this word also guided me to be more reliant on God to provide for us.
Reflecting on this word daily, weekly, monthly and for an entire year truly did transform me. I began to see that poverty is not just about a lack. It is not just about being empty or foregoing buying things that we desire. Poverty opens us up to become like God who was born as a baby to peasant parents in a stable. Poverty enables us to become like Him who gave his life away in order to save us.
Choosing this word to be my northstar for the year made me more aware of all the riches that God has bestowed upon me while also pushing me to be more reliant on Him as a good Father who will always provide for His children.
Last year I chose the word: grace. This one I am not sure why. That might be the case for you when you pray, reflect and choose a word this year. I began to incorporate the notion that all things, each moment is a grace (a gift from God) into my prayer each morning before work. I also began to pray grace before meals with a better intentionality.
Focusing on grace for a year made me more capable of seeing the ordinary circumstances of life and the things and people that I too often take for granted as the largest gifts of my life, given to me by God. I became more appreciative for my wife, kids, extended family, job and even the house, food, and heat that I too easily overlook.
I began to see and live the reality that all is grace.
These are the stories behind the words of my last two years. There are countless other stories of Catholics who sought to have God guide them towards choosing a word to be a lamp for their steps the whole entire year through. Whatever you choose, be attentive to how it will change you – because making the decision to be more grounded in God will always transform us.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and children. He has a masters degree in theology and is a masters candidate in philosophy. Thomas is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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