Taken into exile in Babylon, the people of Israel have lost everything: their land, their king, the temple, and with it the possibility of worshipping their God, which had driven them to leave Egypt in the past.
And behold, the voice of a prophet makes a startling announcement: it is time to return home. Once again, God will intervene powerfully and lead the Israelites back across the desert to Jerusalem. And all the peoples of the earth will witness this wondrous event.
«The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God».
Today, too, the news is full of alarming stories: people left without work, health, security, or dignity; young people whose future is threatened by war and poverty caused by climate change in their countries; peoples who no longer have land, peace, or freedom.
A tragic scenario unfolds across the entire planet, leaving us breathless and casting a shadow over the horizon. Who will save us from the destruction of everything we thought we possessed? Hope seems out of place. And yet, the prophet's message is also for us:
«The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God».
His word reveals God's action in personal and collective history and invites us to open our eyes to the signs of this plan of salvation. Indeed, it is already at work in the educational passion of a teacher, in the honesty of a businessperson, in the integrity of an administrator, in the fidelity of spouses, in the embrace of a child, in the tenderness of a nurse, in the patience of a grandmother, in the courage of men and women who peacefully oppose crime, and in the welcoming spirit of a community.
«The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God».
Christmas is approaching. In the sign of the Child's unarmed innocence, we can recognize once again the patient and merciful presence of God in human history and bear witness to it with our countercultural decisions:
«[…] in a world like ours, where theorizing revolves around struggle, the law of the strongest, the most cunning, and the most unscrupulous, and where everything sometimes seems paralyzed by materialism and selfishness, the answer is love of neighbor. This is the medicine that can restore health. […] It is like a burst of divine warmth that radiates and spreads, penetrating the relationships between one person and another, between one group and another, and gradually transforming society.»[1].
As with the people of Israel, the time has come for us to set out on our journey; it is the opportune moment to take a decisive step forward towards all those – young or old, poor or migrants, unemployed or homeless, sick or imprisoned – who await a gesture of attention and closeness, a testimony of the docile but effective presence of God's love in our midst.
Today, the boundaries to which this message of hope must be extended are undoubtedly geographical, which so often become walls or painful lines of war; but also cultural and existential. Furthermore, an effective contribution to overcoming aggression, loneliness, and marginalization can come from digital communities, embodied in many cases by young people.
As the Congolese poet Henri Boukoulou writes: "Oh, divine hope! Behold, in the desperate sob of the wind, the first lines of the most beautiful love poem are sketched out. And tomorrow is hope!"«[2].
Letizia Magri and the Word of Life team
[1] C. Lubich, Word of Life, May 1985: Words of Life/1 (1943-1990) (ed. F. Ciardi), Ciudad Nueva, Madrid 2020, pp. 339-340.
[2] Cf. Aa.Vv., African Anti-Apartheid Poets, I vol., Edizioni Milano, 2003.
