“Let us begin a new life every day.” (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Edith Stein)
What might the saint have meant by this?
She likely understood that every day we consciously live with our Heavenly Father is what is known as a kairos. To put it simply, this refers to the hour of grace that we are to seize.
After all, there are quite a few moments in life when we get the impression that we’d like to start a new life. Maybe things have slipped out of our control, and we repent and want to start anew. Or maybe we’ve finally made a long‑overdue decision. Or maybe we have overcome something that has held us back for a long time.
In such moments, through God’s grace, we feel an inner surge of energy. We are revitalized and can take steps forward.
Essentially, this sentence is a statement about God. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus tells us: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). The Lord certainly means this comprehensively for the entire situation of humanity and the world, but it also applies to the concrete life of following Christ. It is the newness of grace, which is so infinitely great that we cannot even comprehend it. Yet it is present every day, ready to renew us and lead us further along the path of holiness and enliven our apostolic tasks.
And so it is that we begin a new life every day: even closer to the Lord, even more zealous in His service, even more conscientious in the task entrusted to us, even more loving. And it never stops!
Perhaps we can sum it up a little playfully:
Mirjana asks: “What can we do today to save the world?”
Elija replies, “We can try everything!”
Then, in the evening, already a bit tired:
Mirjana: “We didn’t quite manage it!”
Elija replies, “Then we’ll just keep going tomorrow!”