2010 in The Year of Our Lord

There are an explosion of things to like about a new year. Besides parties and resolutions there is a fresh start and new hope. Remembering the past, yet looking forward with clean slate.

My favorite thing about the new year doesn't fade like the memory of a party or wear off like new year's resolutions. It won't tarnish.

My favorite thing?
I take comfort and joy in the fact that we are living in the year 2010 A.D.

That is 2010 A.D. (anno Domini, not "after death" as many think), which is Latin for "in the year of our Lord."

In the early 6th century, Dionysius Exiguus was commissoned by the pope to find the correct date of Easter. In doing this, he invented a new system of counting time, and the system replaced their current system, the Diocletian era. Thus time changed that year from Diocletian 247 to A.D. 532.

(Side note: Since B.C. means Before Christ and A.D. reflects that Christ was born upon the earth, there is no year 0. The time literally COUNTS DOWN B.C. until the Birth of Christ 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and then immediately moves to 1 A.D., the year of our Lord - interesting to me at least!)

And since then, every year, the world counts time according to the birth of the one who made it all possible.

There are experts who say Dionysius got it wrong, that Jesus was actually born closer to the year 4 BC. There are also those who, opposed to living under a system that presupposes a Christian belief, refer to the year as 2010 CE (common era). I don't care.

None of that bothers me a bit, because the year 2010 resounds in my heart.

The government can take the 10 commandments out of the courthouses, but they cannot take away the faith that is strengthened every time I write the year and think about the fact that we are indeed living in year 2010, the year of MY LORD.