March 2004

The Israelites are in exile in Babylon. They look back on their past with nostalgia, remembering the glorious times when God intervened with his power and freed their ancestors from their slavery in Egypt. They are tempted to think: God will not send us another Moses, he will never again work the great wonders of the past, and we will have to stay in this foreign land forever.
In 539 B.C., however, the king of Persia, Cyrus, freed the chosen people whose return to the promised land was even more extraordinary than the exodus from Egypt.
God never repeats himself! His love is capable of working ever greater things, things beyond our imagination. This is why he puts this invitation on the lips of the prophet Isaiah:

«Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not. See, I am doing something new!»

At the end of his book, Isaiah announces a future more luminous than ever before: the creation of new heavens and a new earth. God will do something so great that “the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Is 65:17).
With the words of Isaiah in mind, the Apostle Paul also announces the unimaginable intervention of God in our history. God makes human beings new through the death and resurrection of Jesus; he recreates them, in his son, for a new life (see 2 Cor 5:17). Then, in the Book of Revelation, God announces the re-creation of the whole universe at the end of history: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5).
The words of Isaiah stream through the entire Bible and they still have something to say to us today:

«Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not. See, I am doing something new!»

We are that “something new,” the “new creation” that God generated. He renewed our being and our actions through his Son when we received him in his words and in all his gifts. Now it is Jesus himself who lives and works in us. It is he who renews our relationships with others in the family, at school, at work… It is he who, through us, regenerates our social life, our culture, entertainment, health care, economy, politics, in other words, every kind of human activity that we are involved in.
We no longer think of the past longing for the beautiful things that once took place, or crying over the mistakes we made, for we strongly believe God’s action can continue to work “new things.”
God always offers us the opportunity to begin again. He frees us from all the burdens of the past which need no longer condition us. Life is simplified; it becomes lighter, purer, fresher. Like Paul, we, too, will forget the past and be free to run towards Christ, towards the fullness of life and joy. (see Phil 3: 13-14).

«Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not. See, I am doing something new!»

How shall we live this Word of Life? Let us try to carry out with love what God wants from us in every moment of the day – when we are studying, working, taking care of the children, praying and playing. This means setting aside whatever is not God’s will for us in that moment. This will prepare us to be open to whatever he wants to bring about within us and around us, and it will open us up to receive the particular grace he provides us with moment by moment.
By living in this way, offering each action to God and telling him explicitly, “It’s for you,” Jesus living in us will carry out works that will last.

Chiara Lubich