January 2026 – Page 3

Overview
The world often feels heavy and confusing. This reflection reminds us that God is not distant or silent. He is already working to renew everything—and He asks us to help bring that renewal into everyday life.

“See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

The Book of Revelation, from which this Word of Life is taken, closes the collection of New Testament writings. The title “Revelation” indicates Saint John’s intent to help us understand Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell¹—often referred to as “the last things”—the return of Christ on earth, the final defeat of evil, and the birth of a new heaven and a new earth.

It was written during the years 81–96 AD, when Christians were brutally persecuted. The atmosphere in Christian communities was one of fear. People wondered, “What will become of us and the message entrusted to us? Why doesn’t God intervene?”

During that period, John was exiled by the Romans to the island of Patmos. This is where he began to have a series of visions and was given the command to write them down.

“See, I am making all things new.”

The Book of Revelation was intended to give hope to persecuted communities. Despite the difficult and violent times, despite the uncertain future, good would ultimately triumph and God would make all things new.

“Even today, when we watch the news or read the daily headlines, we see so many tragedies, so much sad news that we risk becoming desensitized. (…) And yet, we have a Father who weeps with us—a Father who weeps tears of infinite compassion for His children, a Father who waits for us to console us, because He knows our sufferings and has prepared a different future for us. This is the great vision of Christian hope, which embraces every day of our lives and seeks to raise us up.” (Pope Francis, General Audience, August 23, 2017)

“See, I am making all things new.”

We cannot know how and when God will make all things new. What is certain is that it will happen.

“The closing pages of the Bible show us the ultimate horizon of our journey as believers: the heavenly Jerusalem, the celestial Jerusalem. It is envisioned first as an immense tent, where God will welcome all mankind to dwell with Him forever. ‘See, the home of God is among mortals!’ (Revelation 21:3) This is our hope. And what will God do when we are with Him at last? He will be infinitely tender in our regard, as a father who welcomes his children who have long toiled and suffered. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ (Revelation 21:4) ‘See, I am making all things new!’ (Revelation 21:5). He is the God of newness!” (Pope Francis, General Audience, August 23, 2017)

How can we live this month’s Word of Life?

“It assures us that we have embarked on the journey towards a new world, which we are preparing and building up even now. This is totally the opposite of the idea that Christians should not engage with the world, or worse, should flee from it.

In fact, God wants to renew all things: our personal life, friendships, conjugal love, the family. He wants to renew life in society under every aspect: work, education, culture, entertainment, health, economics, and politics. In short, God wants to transform every sector of life on earth.

But to do so, He needs us. He needs people who allow His Word to live in them, people who are His living Word, people who are another Jesus in their own environment.” (Chiara Lubich, Word of Life commentary, April 1989)

Alice, a young Christian, understood that following her vocation required her to make a profound change to allow God to act fully in her life and make it new. In what she called “an immense gift,” she had the opportunity to live an experience in India.

There, she experienced true joy and felt immersed in God’s grace, even in difficult moments. She dedicated her days to prayer, community life, and volunteer service. The children in the orphanage touched her deeply because even though they had nothing materially, they showed incredible enthusiasm and taught her a lot about life.

It was not just a trip, but a pilgrimage—a journey of ups and downs—where she had to “empty her backpack,” yet found herself enriched and liberated.

Prepared by Augusto Parody Reyes
and the Word of Life team

1. In Christian eschatology, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell are the four last stages of the soul in life and the afterlife, often referred to as “the last things.”

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Digital Albums by Darem Placer on Bandcamp — Listen. Support. Buy. Download.

For those who’d rather listen.

Someone once asked, “Doomsday Clock? There’s such a thing?”

There is.

It’s not a real clock you hang on a wall. It’s a symbol created by scientists to show how close humanity is to a global disaster. Midnight doesn’t mean a date or a deadline. It stands for catastrophe caused by human actions—nuclear war, climate collapse, pandemics, or technology we fail to control.

The idea began in 1947. The people behind it were scientists who worked on the atomic bomb. After seeing what humans were capable of, they felt responsible for warning the world. They didn’t want charts or long reports. They wanted something simple, something anyone could understand.

So they made a clock.

When that clock is close to midnight, it means the risks we created are piling up.

Those risks don’t come from just one place.

Nuclear weapons are still around, and some countries are building more instead of limiting them. When nuclear powers are involved in conflicts, even a small mistake can turn into something that cannot be taken back.

Climate change is no longer something for the future. Heat, floods, droughts, and storms are already disrupting lives. Some changes trigger more changes, making the damage harder to undo once it starts.

Health systems remain fragile. Another major outbreak could spread faster than countries can respond, especially when trust and cooperation are weak.

Technology, including artificial intelligence, is moving faster than our ability to set limits. Powerful tools are now used in warfare, surveillance, and decision-making, often without clear rules.

New kinds of arms races are forming—not just with nuclear weapons, but with cyber attacks, autonomous weapons, and space systems. Everyone is rushing. Very few are slowing down.

False information spreads faster than facts. Fear and anger travel faster than truth. When people no longer agree on what is real, good decisions fall apart.

Trust is breaking down. Many people no longer trust leaders, institutions, media, or even science. Without trust, even good solutions fail.

Some leaders respond to crises by tightening control instead of working together. History shows this usually leads to more conflict, not stability.

After a while, constant crises start to feel normal. War, disasters, and suffering become background noise. When that happens, people react too late.

Countries also get tired of working together. “Me first” thinking replaces cooperation, even when the problems are clearly shared.

All of this is what the clock is reacting to. Not one event. A pattern.

Humans created these risks. Humans understand them. But humans often delay, argue, or look away.

As of 2026, the Doomsday Clock stands at 85 seconds to midnight. That’s the closest it has ever been. During the Cold War, the worst point was two minutes. After that era, the clock once moved back as far as seventeen minutes. Today, it is this close because many risks are happening at the same time.

That doesn’t mean disaster will happen tomorrow. It means the room for error is getting smaller.

The clock has moved backward before.

It moves back when weapons are reduced instead of expanded. When leaders choose cooperation over ego. When truth matters more than outrage. When science is trusted. When climate action is taken seriously. When technology is guided instead of blindly followed.

The clock is not controlled by fate. It is shaped by human choices.

You don’t need to be a scientist or a politician to matter. Paying attention matters. Questioning what spreads fear matters. Supporting choices that protect people and the planet matters. Talking about these things matters, even when they feel heavy.

The Doomsday Clock exists to remind us of one simple thing.

There is still time.

And what happens next depends on what we choose to do.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Month: January 2026

Word of Life • February 2026

The Doomsday Clock