THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself why you are here in this world? Why God created you? Are you a part of a total scheme designed by God for a very important purpose? Or are you just a speck of dust thrown in this world of irrational uncertainties and living without any significant existence? Any rational human being who  becomes aware of his existence will naturally ask this question.  There usually  comes a point in time in a man's life when he will ask himself what his purpose in life is or perhaps  what the purpose of man's life is in general. If he has not encountered this question in school in his religion subject, he will probably ask a priest about it or some trustworthy philosopher. Now, it is quite important to know the right answer to this question because in case he finds the wrong answer and live accordingly, he would be committing a grave error in his life depending on how far from the truth the answer he finds. In the same manner that a person might probably destroy a device if he doesn't know how to use it, a life lived for the wrong purpose would lead to a wrong life. If for example a child finds a whiteboard marker in his room and doesn't know what it is and what it is for, what are the possibilities that he might just waste it away. If he pulls the cap and discovers the soft sharp edge of the marker, he might use it to tickle his ears and what happens? He will dirty his ears and waste the ink. In short, he will turn the marker into waste. That is precisely what can happen in your life if you don't know its purpose. You will put your life into waste if you don't live it according to its true purpose. (cf. Leo Trese, The Faith Explained)


I. Why did God make us?

But what is the purpose of life? Where do we get the answer? Before we ask God about it through the holy bible, why don't we try speculating about it by observing our selves. Why do men do or make things? Why do we make shoes, clothes, ball pen, refrigerators, plastics, etc.? Isn't it true that we do all these things in order to use them, to benefit from them. All the things we do or make are made because they are useful to us. Now, did God make us also because He has some use for us? Did He create us in order to benefit from us? The  answer is a big NO! Why NO?? Because God is Perfect! The reason man makes or invents lots of things is because man is imperfect. We need many things to make our life more comfortable, more pleasant, or make ourselves prouder, happier, etc. We make shoes to protect our feet from dirt and from unnecessary burden. We manufacture ball pens to make writing convenient and cellphones for easy and prompt communication. On the other hand, God is perfect. He doesn't need anything to make Himself more comfortable, happier or greater or better. He doesn't need anything to make Him more perfect. To make something more perfect is actually a contradiction! Something perfect cannot be made more perfect or better or else it isn't perfect at all. Since He is perfect, He has no need for creation.

Well then, if that is the case, why did He create us? If he has no need of us, why did He make us? Well, the answer can be found in point nos. 293, 295 & 356 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and that is “God created us in order to show forth His goodness and to share with us His divine life and everlasting happiness in heaven”. And the reason for this is because God is Love! God doesn't need us because He is perfect, but due to His infinite Love, because all his actions are out of Love, He created us. He wants to give us His life, His love, His everlasting happiness in heaven. Just like our parents who brought us into this world because of their love for us, God created man because of His love for us. He wants to share with us   His everlasting happiness in heaven.  The marital act of our parents was not just due to the pleasures they sought for themselves but specially due to their great desire to have children.

That is tremendously how good God is? Comparing ourselves to God in His goodness, we are less than nothing  for the goodness that we find in ourselves all comes from Him. These thoughts should  move us to fall-in-love with  God because if the actions of men are due to his selfish needs, the actions of God are due to His selfless Love. This realization ought to make us love God with a love which is tender and filial since people are normally moved to love if they are loved.

However, if God made us to share His happiness in heaven, that means, we are meant for heaven, then why are we here on earth? Why are we not yet in heaven? What are we doing here in this world? Well, the simple answer to that question is to test us. Before God brings us to heaven, we have to prove ourselves worthy of His Love, worthy of His divine reward in heaven. God will not bring us straight to heaven without us doing anything to deserve it. If we enjoy heaven without us fulfilling anything, what will be the reason for us  being there?... “Well, you see, I am just a lucky guy, you know..hehehe.”. Of course not! That is not true and that is not the case. Before we go to heaven, we need to work hard for it.  And the reason for this is because God is Just. The Justice of God demands  that man ought to prove himself worthy of the love and the reward of God in heaven.  A just reward requires a good work deserving a just recompense.

Furthermore, it is also part of God's perfection to be Just. Which is more beautiful and perfect for man, to deserve heaven or just be lucky about it? Of course, to deserve heaven when one works hard for it is more dignified for man and much better for him. And since God is perfect, it is more beautiful that He places us in this world to work our way to heaven rather than just put us straight to heaven without deserving it.

Truly, if we just use a little common sense in our coconut shell, we should wonder what we are doing in this world if the next life to come is unending, everlasting, or will run thru infinite time! Comparing this life to the next, a hundred years compared to eternity, this life is even less of a speck of dust in the vast expanse of the universe because while the vast universe is not infinite, everlasting life is infinite time, or to be exact, timeless. What is then the meaning of this life here in this world? What is life for and why are we here at all if this life is so short and fleeting? Life in this world is really just a test of Faith in God, a test of Hope in God, and finally, a test of love for God. Life in this world is just a Test! And in conclusion, the purpose of life is: to know God, to love God, and to serve God.

First, we need  to know who God is in our life in order that we may truly love Him. When we were children, we didn't really love our parents because we have not yet understood who they are in our life. We only love them in so far as they are able to satisfy our needs. And that kind of love is selfish love. True love means forgetting oneself for the sake of the loved one. As we grow old and mature as an adult, we come to a better understanding of the debt we owe our parents, of who they are in our life and consequently, we learned to really love them unselfishly in the same way they love us. The same thing should happen to us about our knowledge of God. As we grow old and mature as a person, as we  pass through life, we ought to have a deeper knowledge of who God is in our life.  We should come to a better understanding that God is our true father; that our parents are just the instruments God uses in order to make us comprehend and appreciate His love for us.

If for example, a stranger comes to you and surprisingly asks you to clean his shoes, what would your reaction be? Naturally, you would react badly and say to him “ Shame on you! Who are you to order me to clean your shoes!” However, if you recognized that  he is your father, your reaction would be the complete opposite. You would readily obey and even ask him what else he wants you to do. This is exactly what would happen if we do not have a good appreciation of who God is in our life. We would treat Him as a stranger. We would complain about His commandments  and ask why is He such a demanding Master and King who acts like a very strict and uncaring disciplinarian. But if we come to know who He really is in our life, then we would learn to love Him as our father and behave lovingly as His children. 

By knowing God, we will learn to love Him because He is infinitely good and beautiful, because He is infinitely lovable. By loving God, it will be our happiness to serve Him. And consequently, by serving God, we will automatically go to heaven. And heaven is where we will find our true and everlasting happiness. That is the wonderful purpose of our life: to be in heaven. And the path towards heaven is by knowing, loving  and serving God. Our heart longs for love and our life seeks for happiness. It is in heaven where we will obtain our true happiness, complete and perfect.