Thought for the Day

By BBC Radio 4Religion & Spirituality

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Thought for the Day episodes

January 01 Jayne Manfredi
T’was the week after Christmas, and all through the town
People were taking their lights and trees down
They’ve been up since November, no wonder we’re sick
All of our homes must be wrestled back from St Nick.
But now there is darkness where the bright tree once stood
A space to be filled because we feel that we should.
Never fear, for January is here to step into the gap
A new year, a new us! How the gym owners clap.
We’ll be better than before, all shiny and new.
The lies that we tell, the plans we’ll never see through.
It’s the bleak mid winter, when the holly wears a crown,
This is the season for hunkering down.
Save new commitments for spring, when things are less blue
Christmas isn’t yet over, there is still work for it to do.
Yes, it’s a new year but still the same old you.
What’s needed right now is something more solid, more timeless and true.
I have my faith, but I don’t always know what’s best to say.
To deliver a Thought for the Year and not just a Day.
Finding joy in January is hard, making it easier to doubt
So what do we do when the lights all go out?
It’s a challenge to remain hopeful when all around us is bare.
But the eternal hope of Christmas is a truth for all to share.
That shepherd’s watched while glory shone around
Gives us hope for the weary, that the lost may still be found.
That angels touched earth with their wings all unfurled
Gives us strength to resist being dimmed by the world.
In a year riven with anger, intolerance and hate.
We must consciously keep light burning, lest shadows await.
It’s a light that still shines, as fierce as can be
It’s a stubborn little light that no one can see.
It has the power to soften the heart and make it less numb.
Darkness doesn’t vanquish the light, which can’t be overcome.
The church are custodians of a story, of holy time and sacred place.
We herald love coming down from heaven, to show us God’s face.
This story remains true, long after the decorations are gone
The Word is enthroned in flesh forever, and so the light shines on.
So take down the lights and take down the tree
But keep one light shining, all the year to see.
For now, Christmas continues, ere it goes out of sight
So: Happy new Year to all, let us be keepers of light.
4 min
December 31, 2025 John Studzinski
Sooner than we know, New Year’s Eve has come round again. Will you be making the same old resolutions to make yourself feel better? Or could this be the year to rethink the ritual by looking outwards?
To be specific, rather than agonising about reinventing yourself, should you instead discover the rewards of selfless service … service to one person, one family or even an entire community? In the depths of World War 2, C.S. Lewis went to the heart of the matter when he wrote: “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
But what, exactly, does it take to be able to serve selflessly? The answer lies not in tedious aspirations to some kind of perfection, but in building on your strengths, making the best of what you already have.
“Start from where you stand.” I first heard those words 35 years ago at World Youth Day in Kraków, the home ground of Pope John Paul II. I had the chance to talk to him about Christian values, such as humility, and their role in service.
Though already working on Wall Street, I still felt a calling to the priesthood, and ventured to ask the Holy Father for his thoughts. He looked me straight in the face and said: “You will have greater impact outside the Church. Be guided by your faith and do God’s will ... Start from where you stand. You are an original, and you must encourage others to be originals. That changes things.”
We all have it in us to be an original. After all, no one else in the world has exactly the same beliefs, passions and talents as you do. You can seek advice from people you trust, but in the end it’s for you to determine just how you use your time, not in serving yourself, but in serving other people.
Starting from where you stand, you can be an original in your own, quiet, honest way. The scope of your ambitions does not have to be radical. Just look around you. In the words of Romans 15, verse 2: “Each of us should please our neighbours for their good, to build them up.”
Resolutions come and resolutions go. But your life, like other people’s lives, can be transformed if you take concrete action – even in a small way – for the common good.
Never mind that idealised list of personal goals. Start now and prepare for the multiplier effect. You will see how the waves of generosity will ripple outward, growing to reshape your life in 2026.
3 min
December 30, 2025 Rev Marcus Walker
30 DEC 25
4 min
December 29, 2025 Most Reverend Dr Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of Jerusalem
29 DEC 25
4 min
December 27, 2025 Rhidian Brook
27 DEC 25
3 min
December 26, 2025 Rev David Wilkinson
26 DEC 25
3 min
December 24, 2025 The Rev Lucy Winkett
24 DEC 25
3 min
December 23, 2025 Rev Canon Dr Rob Marshall
23 DEC 25
3 min
December 20, 2025 Rev Roy Jenkins
20 DEC 25
4 min
December 19, 2025 Bishop Richard Harries
19 DEC 25
3 min