The Purpose Of Life
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The Lord is near to all who call upon him.”Ps. 145
They say that the number of people suffering from depression, has significantly increased, and consequently suicides, those neither studying nor working, addictions etc. Many have no reason to live or do anything, they are demotivated, self-absorbed, literally killing time on the internet, video games, or worse things, becoming addicted to drugs, pornography, and so many other things that destroy their lives. Or they are simply distracted, seeking apparent well-being, pursuing artificial pleasure, or focusing solely on their bodies, pursuing health or beauty.
As Einstein said, the ship is safe anchored in the harbor, but it was not made for that. What good is it for a person to gain the whole world if they lose their soul? What use is it to have health and beauty if there is no purpose to live and to give the life? Who does the ship enrich if it never leaves the harbor? If it is only concerned with self-care, narcissistically self-centered?
We have not been given life to gaze at our own navels, nor to kill time, nor to remain anchored, endlessly sweeping over and over, searching for imperfections in our skin and beautifying what is already beautiful. Life has no reason to be if it is only for maintaining health; anyway, it will age and die, and what would it have served?
“Why have you spent the whole day doing nothing?”… And He said to them: “You also go and work in my vineyard.”Matthew 20:6s
The Lord, because He loves us, asks us to be active in His divine work, responding with love to all that we receive.
What is the purpose of human life, created by God in His image and likeness? It is to live as an image
of God, reflecting His fruits and gifts of love, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, strength,
wisdom, knowledge… (Isaiah 11 gifts and Galatians 5:22 fruits).
Human being has been created to know, love, and serve God, and thus save his soul (St. Ignatius of Loyola). On the other hand, if one allows themselves to be carried away by their carnal tendencies, they will end up living only instinctively, as if without a soul, driven by their pride, greed, anger, envy, lust, and laziness, forever unsatisfied, in sin, becoming useless because they don’t have motivation to love or strive for anything.
Sin always carries its own penance, such as unhappiness, emptiness, frustration, victimhood, boredom, and worse evils of sin, as happens when one is driven by greed to even steal or seek easy money. Or driven by lust, they engage in all sorts of disordered pleasure-seeking, destroying themselves and many others.
Each person chooses what they want for their life: either an empty and worthless life (which does not even deserve to be called life, for it is a walking corpse, spiritually dead) or opening up to receive the abundant life that Jesus came to give us (John 10:10); the life we see in Paul, who would not exchange it for anything, full of meaning to live and to die, as an entry into eternal Life (Philippians 1:21).
Readings for the Week
Sunday: Is 55:6-9/Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 (18a)/Phil 1:20c-24, 27a/Mt 20:1-16a
Monday: Ezr 1:1-6/Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6/Lk 8:16-18
Tuesday: Ezr 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5/Lk 8:19-21
Wednesday: Ezr 9:5-9/Tb 13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8/Lk 9:1-6
Thursday: Hg 1:1-8/Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b/Lk 9:7-9
Friday: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12:7-12a/Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5/Jn 1:47-51
Saturday: Zec 2:5-9, 14-15a/Jer 31:10, 11-12ab, 13/Lk 9:43b-45
Next Sunday: Ez 18:25-28/Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, (6a)/Phil 2:1-11 or 2:1-5/Mt 21:28-32
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Priesthood Sunday
Tuesday: Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
Wednesday: St. Vincent de Paul, Priest
Thursday: St. Wenceslaus, Martyr; St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs
Friday: Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
Saturday: St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Next Sunday: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Respect Life Sunday