The New Year starts tomorrow, and many of us have set resolutions and goals we want to achieve in 2021. But how many of those goals are going to help you grow in holiness?

Jim Otremba stopped by Morning Air® to share four ways we can grow closer to the Lord in 2021 and achieve our best New Year ever.

Get a Spiritual Director
Spiritual direction is really powerful. If you look historically, God works one-on-one with just a handful of people, historically. Before Jesus, you think of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and the prophets. After Jesus, it’s still just a very small handful of people that He works with one-on-one.

After His death, He relies on the Church, the Body of Christ. That is the way God set it up. So if you have a spiritual director, you’re really relying on a safe, holy, healthy, relationship to help you discern the will of God for you. It’s so very important.

Go on a Retreat
Retreats really do transform your life. We have to remember God’s intimate and infinite love for each one of us, and I like to say that we’re not going to advance unless we retreat. Even while Jesus was on this earth, He would frequently go to take time to spend with Abba alone. This is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – so if He needed it, don’t you think we need it as well?

Give More
Statistically, Catholics are very low on tithing. A good practice is to give 5% to your local parish and then 5% to another wonderful charity doing God’s work.  You could give a 5% tithe to Relevant Radio® or Catholic Charities. And really here’s the key – God desires this, and you can’t outgive God. God always abundantly blesses it. Now, if you can’t afford 10%, then start somewhere. Start at 5% – give 2.5% to your parish and 2.5% somewhere else, with the idea of slowly increasing that. God will abundantly bless that, because God is faithful.

Spend Time with the Lord Daily
Here’s another challenge laid out before us to make this year great: spend daily time in Scripture. Scripture is our daily bread, and we need it every day. And this is where I love the Relevant Radio app. Download the app, it’s free, and click on Mass Readings. You can use that to pray with your family, you can use them if you’re not able to get to Mass.

Listen to the full conversation below:

Morning Air can be heard weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. Central on Relevant Radio and the Relevant Radio App.