The 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ,” starring Jim Caviezel, is a heart-wrenching portrayal of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.
In the film, during the Via Dolorosa (the path Christ walked to the crucifixion), Jesus falls and is addressed by his grieving mother. He touches her face, and with newfound strength in his suffering says to her, “See Mother, I make all things new.” Although these words are slightly out of context in the film and are actually written in the Book of Revelation (“Behold, I make all things new” Revelation 21:5), they are appropriately added in the film and portray a beautiful truth.
By undergoing the passion, Jesus paid the price for our human sin (death) and granted us the opportunity for salvation and relationship with God the Father.
Thus, in the context of the film, Christ “made all things new” through his death and resurrection. Jesus died for us, so have we considered living for him? Do you believe he will make all things new in your life?
I believe that many of us, including myself, have felt “stuck”; consumed by everyday difficulties both large and small. It can feel as though God is indifferent to our pain and that there is no hope that our current struggles and hardship will ever be resolved.
However, our lives were never meant to be lived with such persistent hopelessness and fear. We are meant for so much more.
God, who is love, created us to love and be loved by others. Oftentimes, this idea of God’s unconditional love can be difficult to imagine.
We may ask ourselves, ‘How could he possibly love me?’ But the reality is, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16).
That is why Christ died: for the unfathomable, unending and beautiful love he has for us.
Out of this love that he freely gives, we are empowered to love as he did. But how does God do this in our lives? When we take the time to establish a relationship with God (through prayer, Sunday Mass, service, etc.) then we are allowing him to enter into our hearts to radically transform us into people of love.
When we show love to one another, that is also how we begin to live our lives for Christ, because his presence resides in every soul. For the Lord tells us, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 26:40). Thus, let our actions be rooted in love.
“Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Our Lord comforts us in our fear, brings hope to the hopeless, brings new life and purpose out of nothingness, and longs to transform your heart if you give him permission to.
Be brave, and see how God can make all things new in your life!

SARA GREB
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