02/01/2026
A New Year reflection from one of your prayer community members.
"Today, we also celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. What a perfect way to begin a new year. We start this journey with the Son of God and His Mother walking beside us."
A NEW YEAR REFLECTION
By Fr. Mans Boli C.Ss.R
A sick man once turned to his doctor as the doctor was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me—what lies on the other side?”
Very quietly, the doctor replied, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” the man asked. “You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”
The doctor was holding the door handle. From the other side came the sound of scratching and whining. As he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room, tail wagging, overflowing with joy.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He has never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except one thing: that his master was here. And when the door opened, he entered without fear. I know very little about what lies on the other side of death, but I know one thing—I know my Master is there, and that is enough.”
The title of this story is “What Lies on the Other Side.” It is a fitting story to begin a new year.
Every time we enter a new year, many questions fill our minds. What will happen? Will we be happier this year? Will there be progress in our lives? What is waiting for us ahead—joy or sorrow, peace or struggle, change or the same problems we carried from last year?
Out of 365 days, today is only the first. What will happen in the next 364 days? What will even happen by the end of this day? The truth is, we do not know. But not knowing does not mean there is no hope.
We have just celebrated Christmas—the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to never abandon His people. God became one of us because He wanted to walk with us, to share our joys and to feel our pain.
From the very beginning, Jesus chose the lowest place in human life. He was born into a simple family in Nazareth. He was laid in a manger on a cold night. And at the end of His life, He chose the cross. He willingly embraced the most difficult path so that whenever we face suffering, trials, or uncertainty, we may know that we are not alone. He has gone before us.
It is beautiful that we celebrate the New Year immediately after Christmas. As we step into this new year, we do not walk alone. Jesus—our Master, the Emmanuel is with us.
Today, we also celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. What a perfect way to begin a new year. We start this journey with the Son of God and His Mother walking beside us.
They do not promise a year without problems. They do not promise an easy life. But they promise something far greater: that we will never walk alone. And that is enough.
Happy New Year.
