‘My life begins anew every day and ends every night’ (St Edith Stein).
Do we fully understand what the Carmelite saint, Edith Stein, is conveying to us in this sentence?
With our Father, there is always the possibility of a new beginning. This applies not only to the moment when we decide to turn away from sin and begin to live in His grace, but to our entire journey of following the Lord.
It is the overflowing goodness of our Heavenly Father that keeps the doors of forgiveness open, even for the greatest sinner, so that a new beginning towards eternal life may be experienced. In the Message to Mother Eugenia, our Father exclaims: ‘All those who call me by the name of FATHER, even if only once, will not perish, but will be sure of their eternal life among the chosen ones.’
If our Father, out of love for mankind, offers a lifeline until the very last moment to those who have wasted their lives and offended Him, how much more does He offer His faithful the opportunity to show Him their love every day! This is an opportunity to improve, to work on this or that, to pay closer attention to this and that, to seek and fulfil what the Lord wants from us with greater care, and to deepen our love for Him and for our neighbour.
“Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day” (Mt 6:34), Jesus tells us in relation to the exhortation not to worry about tomorrow. Don Bosco expresses it this way: ‘Hold on to God. Be like the bird that, even if the branch breaks, does not stop singing because it knows it has wings!’
A totally different life begins when we not only know that God’s grace exists, but when we firmly count on it. Whatever happens, with absolute certainty, my life with the Lord will begin anew tomorrow. He has prepared this day from all eternity! It is love that makes all things new. This is the secret that makes each day bring new life! Edith Stein understood this.