January 25, 2026: What’s Your Spiritual Resolution? 

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions at the start of this year? If so, how have you been doing thus far with seeing them through?

Whether it’s starting a new hobby, embarking on a new exercise routine, giving something up for a specific amount of time, or making certain promises, the start of another new year has traditionally allowed us to see the world with new eyes and a “fresh start,” so to speak. There is something beautiful about leaning into the hopefulness and possibility of a brand-new year, especially when the realities of pain and hardship are so jarringly present in the news and current events of our lives.

But as we set New Year’s resolutions for ourselves and make plans to see them to completion, how often do we also consider resolutions that impact our inner spiritual lives? Perhaps bettering our Mass attendance or resolving to go to confession more often are options that readily come to mind—but are there some other creative and nuanced ways that we can consider when it comes to enriching our spiritual lives in this new year?

In this Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus calls two sets of brothers, Peter & Andrew and James & John, to leave behind their fishing nets and their families to come and follow him:

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

Not knowing what was to come, the first four Apostles dropped everything and followed Jesus. They left behind lives that held more assurance and perhaps, more security, and instead resolved to follow a Teacher whom they believed would change everything.

In a similar fashion, our own St. Ignatius of Loyola made a resolution. After a life-changing war injury confined him to a bed for many months, and having nothing else to read or ponder during his long convalescence other than The Life of Christ and a book about the lives of the Saints, Ignatius felt compelled to give his life to follow Jesus. When he was well enough to travel, he decided to give up a life of chivalry as a soldier and instead commit himself to a life of holiness and spiritual pilgrimage—a decision that would not only change the trajectory of his own life, but one that would have a reverberating impact for over 500 years and counting.

The best resolutions, if truly committed to, become transformative choices. In our spiritual lives, God is always inviting us into deeper relationship. The words spoken to the Apostles by Jesus, “come and follow me,” are endlessly echoed to us—it is only up to us to decide when and how to respond.

So, what if our own spiritual resolutions this year are only focused on answering one question: What can I resolve to do (or not do) this year to further deepen and strengthen my relationship with God?

Perhaps your answer is going to Mass more often or returning to the sacrament of reconciliation again after a long absence. Or perhaps you might be drawn towards a call to do something new: to join a new ministry group at the parish, to offer more of yourself in service to others, to share an area of abundance in your life with those who might not have that same privilege of abundance, to read that spirituality book that has been sitting on your bookshelf for a long time, or to seek out spiritual counseling for a challenge that you have only previously faced on your own. Maybe it’s participating in a spiritual retreat, either here at St. Ignatius or at a retreat house, or finally inquiring about finding a Spiritual Director with whom you can have ongoing spiritual conversations about your prayer life.

Let’s follow the call to be courageous, as the Apostles and St. Ignatius were in resolving to follow Christ. Whatever might be stirring your heart at this moment, don’t be afraid to make a new resolution. I promise you—it’s never too late to try.

+AMDG+

— Roxanne De La Torre, Pastoral Associate for Ignatian Spirituality & Faith Formation