We are getting ready to enter 2025. New decisions and new expectations in the new year help us to lead a more beautiful life. Pope Francis gives us 12 suggestions that will help us to be optimistic in life. The 12 suggestions for 12 months in a year. Let’s see what they are …
1. Not Walls; Be the Builder of Bridges
Every Christian should build bridges of friendship, not walls of resentment with others. A Christian should always listen to others. They must seek the path of reconciliation with humility and gentleness. Because that is what the Son of God taught us (Sermon on the Mount, Santa Marta, January 23, 2015).
2. Let the Sufferings Move us, and Let Us Do More Good
When a person does a good deed, it is human nature to want to be respected, appreciated, and satisfied with that deed. However, Jesus teaches us to perform such acts in secret without fuss and to rely only on the reward of the Father who ‘knows the secrets’ (Matthew 6: 4, 6, 18).
3. Do not be Afraid to Correct Mistakes Yourself, Recognize when you Make Mistakes
We must have the discernment and wisdom to correct ourselves. When I correct myself in some things there is growth. Wounds can cause pain, but once we understand where they came from, we can prevent them from recurring. Do not be afraid of repentance, for it is a sign of salvation.
4. Be the Dreamer of Love
You can not have a family without dreams. When a family loses the ability to dream, children do not grow, love does not grow, and life shrinks. So dreaming is very important;Â Especially when dreaming in families. Do not lose this ability to dream. We must allow children to play. Playing is a dream (from a speech by Pope in 2015 in Manila).
5. Avoid Greed for Wealth
The greed for wealth is the beginning of all kinds of corruption everywhere. There is a mystery in possession of wealth. We are in a paradise on earth and that wealth has the potential to seduce and entice us. That ‘paradise’ is a place without a horizon (Sermon on the Mount, May 25, 2015).
6. Pray Daily for your Health and the Health of your Loved Ones
The Church invites constant prayer for loved ones who are troubled. There should be no shortage of prayers for the sick. Instead, we should pray more, both individually and as a community. In general, times of illness help to strengthen family ties. I think it’s important to teach children from an early age about solidarity during illness. It helps them to cope with suffering and to live with the experience of limitations (General Audience, June 10, 2015).
7. Be Strong in Faith to Overcome Differences
When we submit ourselves, we find our true identity as children of God in the image of the Father and of life-givers like him; We recognize that the witnesses are Jesus’ brothers and sisters. This is what evangelism means – this is the new revolution. Because our faith has always been revolutionary (July 7, 2015, Mass in Ecuador).
8. Work Hard for your Family
Work requires a man in its many forms. It expresses the glory of being created in the image of God. Hence the work is said to be sacred. I am very happy to see governments going to great lengths to find jobs and trying to ensure that everyone has a job. Work is sacred, and it gives dignity to the family. No family should pray to suffer without a job. So work is also part of God’s creative plan (Audience, August 19, 2015).
9. Don’t Let Hope Get in the Way
There must be space to dream in the everyday realities of life. Everyone sometimes dreams about things that never happened. Yet dream, desire, seek new horizons and open your heart to great things (Pope Francis in Havana, Cuba, September 20, 2015).
10. Remember that God will Never Forsake Us
Jesus has always shown us that God is not a harsh and intolerant ruler, but a Father full of love, tenderness, and goodness. So let’s hope in him (Santa Marta Sermon, November 20, 2017).
11. Create Unity and Find Happiness
“When we judge a person, we exclude him. All wars start with the cause of avoiding others. All disasters and all conflicts begin with avoidance. How many fights are taking place not only from the international community but also from family and friends. Instead of avoiding it, let us take the path that Jesus shows and teaches us. Maybe all-inclusive (Santa Marta Sermon, November 5, 2015).
12. Recognize that You are Loved, then You can Give Love and Forgiveness
The child who wakes up after having a nightmare in his sleep wants the presence of his mother or father. It is with this love that Pope Francis likened the love of God. Just as parents are comforted by saying, “Do not be afraid, I am here,” God says: “Do not be afraid of your sins, for I love you; I am here to forgive you.” We can see the merciful love of God (Santa Marta Homily, December 10, 2015).