To all my readers, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year, 2020.

There is, it seems, a pressing need for some kind of active renewal that would lead the human race into harmony with one another and avoid the destruction of the planet we live in. Let us be clear about this: 2019 has not been a good year for the environment. Our world and the people who inhabit it are in a dangerous place at the moment. We cannot continue to put profit above the environment. We cannot afford to ignore the majority of our brothers and sisters who need to live free and dignified human lives.

God has implanted in our hearts an instinct to improve our lives and to take care of the environment. Fortunately, many courageous people have been stepping forward this past year to highlight the ravages of gun violence in our cities, to alert us to the effects of climate change worldwide, and to speak out against the grind of poverty on the helpless. These prophetic voices are good news in spite of all the bad news.

The question, however, is what are you going to do to improve things in 2020?

I think you need to begin with yourself. You don’t have to flit around the world attempting to solve all its problems. Bloom where you are planted. A weed is nothing more than a flower or plant out of place. Find your own place where you can do the most good. Keep it local.

Take that first step to reform your life and make your environment a better place to live in and to work in. The greatest problem we face is apathy when good people do nothing but stand idly by while things crumble around them. You matter, and you can make a difference. I learned this lesson well when I was a young priest in Ireland, and set out to build a well-needed home for disabled children in County Sligo, and a home for seniors in County Kilkenny. Armed with nothing but good will, I was inspired by how people responded, donating their skills, their money, and whatever else they could muster to build these facilities, debt-free. I learned an important lesson. If you don’t take the plunge, nothing will happen. So, don’t just talk. Do something, and surprise yourself.

Who among us does not want peace? If you are living with regret, you are living in the past. If you are living with anxiety, you are living in the future. But, if you are at peace you are living in the present. Cultivate the gift of peace by living in the present. That is all you really have in this life. As this New Year dawns, the voices of people of good will are calling us to peace. These voices can be mere words and idle rhetoric unless you find peace within yourself and are able to live in peace with one another. By putting your own house in order you can help to create a peaceful world.

We are living in what is called a ‘pluralistic’ society; that is, a society made up of different cultures and beliefs. This blog is an example of the range of pluralism. People of different cultures and beliefs are reading these messages daily. It is wonderful when people of different backgrounds get along. We have so much in common. We are all searching for the truth, and for good news that binds us together, in spite of our differences. Let us begin with ourselves this new year by becoming better people, by reaching out to others and helping them. Whenever you reach out to feed the hungry, whenever you clothe the naked, whenever you give drink to the thirsty, and whenever you help those in need, you are putting into practice the essential good news of the Gospel, and by this you will be known as a follower of Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).

You can start your new year by helping someone in need. It could be a family member, it could be a neighbor, it could be a charitable organization that helps the poor. We cannot solve all of the world’s problems, but we can make a difference when we do our part in our own environment and where necessary, in other parts of the world, to help our brothers and sisters in need.

Cherish those beautiful gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love that draw you closer to your Maker who loves all things both great and small.

May you always take care of one another and be at Peace.

A happy and peaceful 2020 to you.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy