Contemplations
by Rev. Michaël Merle
In January of 2018, some 7 years ago, I shared my thoughts on New Year Resolutions, and below is the contemplation I wrote at the time:
It is now customary to make resolutions for change in the new year. Quite often these are met with wry smiles and bets for how long they will last. Jokes aside, resolving something new, something different that speaks with promise for a better life, a healthy lifestyle, a more integrated life path has significant value. The resolutions many take from January first may not last as long as intended but for some it heralds a step, a move in a new and much desired direction. These new year resolutions often focus on physical or spiritual health – a renewed sense of wellbeing.
Of course the church year begins several weeks before the first of January, with the First Sunday of Advent. A prominent Advent figure is John-the-Baptist, often described as a forerunner of the Christ. John’s great message, captured in a word – metanoia, speaks to a change of mind and heart. It speaks to the change in our soul, with its faculties of thinking, feeling and willing, that orientates us to a newly perceived reality. For John-the-Baptist this reality was clear – the Kingdom of the Heavens was close at hand. Zelymans von Emmichoven wrote: ‘…the reality in which we live is the Christ.’ How do we make our resolutions, how do we resolve our lives in light of this reality – living in the truth of the Kingdom of the Heavens, of the Christ?
The word resolution carries more than one meaning. Firstly, it means to settle or find a solution (usually to a problem, riddle or area of concern). Then it also means to decide firmly on a course of action (the meaning most closely associated with our new year resolutions). Among its meanings is the little thought of meaning of something seen at a distance turning into a different form when seen more clearly. An example of this meaning could be expressed in a sentence such as: ‘The orange light resolved itself into four roadwork lanterns’ or ‘The Hubble Telescope was able to resolve six variable stars in M31’. This idea of being able to separately distinguish is an important component of a resolution.
Hence, we might say that a resolution requires us to come close to the true reality of things, to be able to distinguish what is of true importance and then be able to decide firmly to act in accordance with such a vision. In this way we find a solution to the question of meaning in our lives – an activity that belongs not only to the beginning of a year but rather more importantly the beginning of each day.
It is now customary to make resolutions for change in the new year. Quite often these are met with wry smiles and bets for how long they will last. Jokes aside, resolving something new, something different that speaks with promise for a better life, a healthy lifestyle, a more integrated life path has significant value. The resolutions many take from January first may not last as long as intended but for some it heralds a step, a move in a new and much desired direction. These new year resolutions often focus on physical or spiritual health – a renewed sense of wellbeing.
Of course the church year begins several weeks before the first of January, with the First Sunday of Advent. A prominent Advent figure is John-the-Baptist, often described as a forerunner of the Christ. John’s great message, captured in a word – metanoia, speaks to a change of mind and heart. It speaks to the change in our soul, with its faculties of thinking, feeling and willing, that orientates us to a newly perceived reality. For John-the-Baptist this reality was clear – the Kingdom of the Heavens was close at hand. Zelymans von Emmichoven wrote: ‘…the reality in which we live is the Christ.’ How do we make our resolutions, how do we resolve our lives in light of this reality – living in the truth of the Kingdom of the Heavens, of the Christ?
The word resolution carries more than one meaning. Firstly, it means to settle or find a solution (usually to a problem, riddle or area of concern). Then it also means to decide firmly on a course of action (the meaning most closely associated with our new year resolutions). Among its meanings is the little thought of meaning of something seen at a distance turning into a different form when seen more clearly. An example of this meaning could be expressed in a sentence such as: ‘The orange light resolved itself into four roadwork lanterns’ or ‘The Hubble Telescope was able to resolve six variable stars in M31’. This idea of being able to separately distinguish is an important component of a resolution.
Hence, we might say that a resolution requires us to come close to the true reality of things, to be able to distinguish what is of true importance and then be able to decide firmly to act in accordance with such a vision. In this way we find a solution to the question of meaning in our lives – an activity that belongs not only to the beginning of a year but rather more importantly the beginning of each day.
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Now as we begin 2025 (a quarter of a century into the 21st Century) we could contemplate a deeper reality at play in this consideration of the word: resolution. When describing the components of will-forces in the various aspects of the human being, Rudolf Steiner spoke about how drive, for example is a will-force connected to our etheric (life-formation force) body, and desire is a will expression connected to our astral (emotional) body. The main point of his lecture was to speak about the importance of motivation (as the will expression of our I-organisation). He also spoke about those aspects of our future development that have yet to find full expression. The will-force manifestation of our future Spirit-Human self is resolution. This speaks to the condition of our future will expression where what we resolve comes into reality. Here a very important aspect of the word is understood. When we resolve something, we are solving the problem, the issue, the matter at hand. We are bringing it to its ultimate conclusion. When we are able to resolve within ourselves what is being asked of us as human beings today, we are beginning the process of resolution such as it shall be in our future endeavours. May we find the resolution within to face the future which is coming towards us: the true image of the future Human Being.
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