I love the new year. I’ve never been very successful at resolutions, but I am faithful to two spiritual practices that have shaped and inspired my life with the Lord for more than a decade: a word and a Saint of the year.
Maybe you’ve heard of Catholics choosing a word and a Saint for the year but don’t know how to go about it (or why you should!). So let me share the heart behind the practice of adopting a Saint for the year and the word God has for you and how to discern them both.
A Word in Due Season
A word in season, how good it is! // Proverbs 15:23
We’ve all experienced the comfort and the courage that comes from a word of encouragement. If that is true in natural human relationships, how much more powerful are such words when they come from the Lord!
A word of the year, or more accurately a word for the year, will help you to stay present to the Lord, root yourself in His love, and be intentional about partnering with what He is doing in and through you all year long.
In literature, a “golden thread” is a central theme or concept that runs through the story and connects all of the parts. Similarly, your word will become a golden thread connecting simple or seemingly insignificant events to reveal God’s loving Hand throughout the year.
As the practice of adopting a word for the year has become more and more mainstream, I’ve heard many stories about how people settled on their words. Some choose a word that they want to focus on, others have made use of a word generator, while others are inspired by themes they’ve noticed in their current season. But I would recommend another method: prayer.
Without fail, every fall I start to wonder what my next word will be, so I bring it up to the Lord. I ask Him about it, simple as that! Since I’m a verbal processor, I may also chat with a faith friend or two about what I’m perceiving in prayer and my daily life. But as I keep bringing the question to God, in His timing, He always reveals my word.
It may pop into my head in prayer, jump out of a line of Scripture, or come through an image—all of these are the voice of God. You may notice a word by repetition or God may highlight a word on a sign or in a book. He might perk up your heart in a conversation and suddenly you recognize His voice speaking that word. When you ask God, expect Him to respond! As you engage with Him in prayer, you’ll be surprised and delighted as you hear His voice even outside of prayer.
A Saint for a Season
We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. // Hebrews 12:1
Holy friendships are a gift from God, and as we walk through this life the Lord desires for us to have many of them who encourage us to persevere in faith, trust radically, and love generously. We benefit from not only their companionship, but also their witness. Godly friends teach us to grow in our relationship with God by their example. Where can we find friends like these, you ask? In Heaven!
The Saints are the best and holiest of friends. They’ve already won the race set before us and been crowned with the reward of salvation and eternal happiness with God in Heaven. They have a pure and eternal perspective on this world, our lives, and our souls, so their intercession for us is especially powerful. The Saints aren’t working any miracles on their own; instead, they pray in perfect agreement with God’s will.
And if that weren’t reason enough, the Saints have unique personalities, charisms, and stories for us to discover and relate to. The Lord knows exactly whose example and prayers you will need in this season to grow in holiness and He wants to introduce you to that Heavenly friend.
For years I used a Saint generator to find my Saint, trusting the Holy Spirit to choose for me via technology. But eventually I started to ask the Lord about my Saint too.
Discerning a Saint for the year is a lot like finding a word for the year. I would encourage you to ask the Lord, and then wait on Him to answer while paying attention to your life. Who keeps coming up? Whose image or holy card appears everywhere you go? Is your eye drawn to a particular statue in the chapel or biography on the shelf? The Saints always adopt us before we adopt them, so take it personally when you notice one hanging around. If someone pops into your mind in prayer (maybe their picture, a quote, or name), trust that the Lord speaks to us in prayer through our thoughts, memories, imagination, and feelings.
As you pray about your Saint of the year, Blessed Is She offers a free guide to help you discover who he or she might be.
New Year, New Graces
See, I am doing something new! // Isaiah 43:19
Over the years I’ve had many words and been adopted by Saints. Some years are obviously fruitful while others are quieter with more hidden graces. Some years I devour books on my Saint, faithfully pray for their intercession, and feel a deep connection to their story or kinship with their hearts. Others seem to work in the background and I only become aware of their presence sporadically or in hindsight (I’m looking at you, Saint Damien of Molokai).
I used to get frustrated with myself (or God) when my word or Saint didn’t look the way I thought it would. But after more than ten years of trial and error, I’ve learned that there’s no one way to pray. Once you’ve discerned your word and Saint, the only real advice I would offer is to stay with it. Write your word in your journal or hang it in your home. Get a holy card or statue of your Saint as a visual reminder that they are near and ready to help.
Above all, ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to become aware of the golden thread running through your year and allow your word and Saint to be shining lights leading you back, again and again, to the One Who is with you, for you, and loves you this year and always.
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Beth Davis is a lover of Jesus, a retired youth minister, the Director of Formation for Blessed is She. She is passionate about teaching women how to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus in prayer through writing, speaking, and mentorship. Her favorite things include being the favorite aunt to her five niece and nephews, making friends everywhere she goes, and whatever book she’s currently reading.
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