A new year dawns. Perhaps you're more ready for a fresh start than you ever have been. And while we know that the trials of last year don't cease with the turning of the calendar, there's still something... hopeful about beginning again. We should be hopeful, because God's mercies are not just new every year, they're new every morning, and again and again He offers us opportunities to come closer to Him and to be transformed by Him.
It's in this hopeful, trusting, and willing spirit that we begin the new year.
Look at the Fruits
Now is the time to be holy. Now is the time to be saints. Now is the time to leave behind sin and live virtuously. Now is the time to walk in the Way of the Lord.
Jesus tells us that we will know people by their fruits. People will know us by our fruits. What fruit are we bearing right now? Are we bearing the sweet fruit of Truth, the light of the Good News, the harvest of holiness? By allowing the Lord to sanctify us, He sanctifies the world through us. Let's let Him bear the fruit of His love in and through us.
Now is the time to look at the life of Jesus and imitate Him. That's what we hope to do in this year's Prayer Pledge.
What to Expect this Month
Tomorrow, we will look at how praying the Rosary bears the fruit of virtue in our lives.
Then, for the following four weeks, we will look at the four sets of Mysteries of the Rosary: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious.
A different Blessed is She blog writer will walk us through each week, providing four different perspectives on the Mysteries and their fruits. Each day, they will present their thoughts in a short reflection, along with a prayer.
Prayer Partners
Finally, each day concludes with questions for consideration in your own heart and for discussion with your prayer partner. You and your prayer partner can chat about the questions or that day’s reflection in person, over the phone, or in text/email/Messenger/Voxer. We also encourage you to pray with and for one another during these 31 days and beyond!
Other Ways to Participate
If you’d like to join in the joy of the Prayer Pledge in other ways, we would love for you to share your thoughts, reflections, or prayers on social media using the hashtag #prayerpledge.
Additionally, every night during the Prayer Pledge, one member of Blessed is She will go live on Instagram (around 9 p.m. eastern most nights) for a brief time of sharing and prayer with our community there. We’d love for you to hang out with us there!
Praying the Rosary
Throughout the Prayer Pledge and beyond, we really encourage you to pray the Rosary! Since we will be looking at the fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary, it only makes sense to actually pray it!
Here is a guide on how to pray the Rosary.
I like this podcast and this podcast for praying the Rosary.
Hallow also has a marvelous Rosary meditation.
And if you want to go even deeper in to the Rosary, check out Mystery!
You are Called to Bear Fruit
We are bearing fruit—let's make sure it's good fruit, fruit that will last. This is our call. Let's respond at the beginning of this new year with wild hope and radical trust. God is the Master Gardener, and He brings magnificent fruit from the soil of willing hearts.
Let Us Pray
Jesus, we love You. As we embark upon a new year, we invite You to make new our hearts. Cultivate our souls so that they will bring forth fruit worthy of You, fruit that displays to the whole world the wonder of Your love. Lord, give us a desire to pray the Rosary, so that we can contemplate Your Face by the side of Our Lady. We ask all this through the intercession of Saint Joseph, lover of the Two Hearts, intimate witness of the Way, protector of the Church, and special intercessor of this year. Amen.
For Discussion
Do you currently have a practice of praying the Rosary? If so, how has it shaped your heart? If not, what do you think is holding you back?
What are you hoping for this year?
By Their Fruits: The 2021 Prayer Pledge // Day 1 #BISblog #prayerpledgeClick to tweet
Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky, where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She holds degrees in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and works from home while enjoying her children and husband. She curates relevant and inspiring content for Catholic women as Blog Manager. She is the narrator of Set a Fire, And Hay Became Holy, and All She Had as well as a contributing author for Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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