PURPOSE –
I am often reminded that the old Baltimore Catechism started with the phrase, why did God make you?
My uncle Alex, who was very influential in my life and faith journey used to say, what was the purpose of being born, as a test. He would like to test us, his family.
The answer given in the BC is, God made me to know Him, to Love Him and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven.
We will explore this more as well as learn how can we serve Him, especially, in these our current times and what are the signs of our current times.
I want to start with two Bible quotes, Romans 14:19 tells us we need to strengthen one another and 2 Peter 3:9 says God is patient and wishes no one to perish but for all to come to repentance. I recommend you commit these two verses to memory as they will help you to not only understand your purpose in life but to help you in your daily walk of faith.
How were you and I born? God, through our parents, one man and one woman, loved us into existence and breathed the breath of life into us.
Why were you and I born? This is a little more complex and you will have to figure some things out on your own, but I will try to help you get started. You nor I can answer this question unless or until we study and remain open to God’s grace in our lives. How do you obtain God’s grace in your life? You have to listen to Him. How do you listen to Him? It takes time and practice. You have to spend time in quiet and silence to hear His voice in your heart. You have to live in His Word. He speaks to you and I through the Bible, His word. This takes a lifetime of prayer, reading, study, being in relationship with others of faith and meeting with a spiritual director regularly. This journey also never ends until God calls us home. I suggest you get started, now. Don’t wait until you know enough. You don’t have to be a theologian to get started. I am not a theologian, and I am doing as much as I can to advance The Kingdom in my own little world. You need to start by going to mass every Sunday. From there you need help along the way. As I stated above you need to join a small faith sharing group and commit to meeting weekly with them. Things will evolve after that. You will start praying the Rosary and going to Eucharistic Adoration and doing so much more. make sure you take baby steps. You will most likely take a few steps forward in faith, then regress, then move ahead and regress and this will continue. So, you need to go to Confession often. One Confession will give you grace, but not enough to change permanently. You need to focus on the word METANOIA, go look it up now because you need to start disciplining yourself to study and do research. You also need to focus on the words Temperance and Prudence, so go look those up now as well and then come back to this article.
The reason I know all this is because I have lived it. I am also open to God’s will for my life and I listen to Him. The Holy Spirit will prompt you also, if you allow Him too. I am in the 52nd year of my journey and continue to learn and grow. It’s an awesome adventure. God is awesomely indescribable!
You can’t take action and fulfill your purpose without prayer and doing the things I mention above. If you are not willing to do any of the above, then stop reading and go back to your former life and be your own god and see where that leads you. Best wishes!
Ok, so let’s focus on why you were born. Why do you think you were born? To consume whatever you can? Think about all the things you consume and throw away. Let’s start with food and drink. Is your belly full and your body not thirsty? Good, count that as a blessing because you are in the upper echelon of the world’s population. Do you live in a dwelling with walls and roof and running water and hot water to boot? if so, count another blessing. Do you have a job or maybe you are a full-time student? Wow! You are really living the luxurious life now, materially richer than more than 90% of the world’s population. You tell me what other blessings you can count and why you were born?
Do you know Jesus? Oh, you say yes? Good. Do you intimately know Him? Do you know why He was born? This may be a good time to go read from the book of the prophet Isaiah; then go read all four Gospels. Yes, this journey will take time, the rest of your life, but go get started and just learn, pray, practice, and study a little each day. It takes 21 days of doing the same thing over and over again before it becomes habit. Your faith HAS to become habit; and it’s a good habit. The best habit you will ever partake in, just like brushing your teeth, but even more important. You can and will persevere if you meet with a small brand of “brothers” or “sisters” every week, never missing those meetings, because this will hold you accountable.
I really want to help you, and I have learned all this from experience in my own life. This is how you and I grow in Christ Jesus and as the prophet John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease”, and you will.
You were born not just to live for yourself, or to say to another, “eat, drink and be merry” when you know they are suffering. First off, we can make an impact in our world, in our families and among our friends. Start here, teach your son and daughter how to be a man or a woman. Teach them how to take care of themselves in every way. Love them!
If you don’t have children, love your spouse or friends or mentor a child or friend. Whatever you are good at or interested in, start with that and help another in that area.
We are flesh and spirit, so you must take care of yourself spiritually by practicing and living your faith by example and others will take notice, ask questions or start following your example.
Find a cause that interests you and go volunteer in it. Go to your favorite search engine and enter pro-life causes, soup kitchens, caring for animals or whatever else interests you and start helping out. Give of your time, talent and treasure! Give 5% to your Church and 5% to your favorite charity or charities or give as much as you feel comfortable. God will never be outdone in generosity, and I can personally vouch for this. Just by being part of a small faith sharing group you will find causes to support through the people in your faith group.
Help out and volunteer at your local Catholic grade school or High School in any capacity you can.
Start a blog; write a book; go on internet radio; get into politics. Make a difference in the life of another! You can do it!
We are really cooking now! I like to cook and I like to eat! Already we have figured out why we were born. Yes, it’s to help others. Do everything and all your good works in the name of Jesus! We are not social workers. Everyone you serve is Jesus Himself! As I started to write above, Jesus was tireless in His good works and we all know why He ultimately came. To sacrifice His own life by dying on the cross and then rising from the dead and ascending into heaven to prepare a place for us, so that we can know, love and serve God in this life and spend all eternity happy in the next with Him.
But never forget what is needed to get to the Resurrection. We must go through the cross to experience the Resurrection. Jesus never promised us an easy life on earth. He only promised us eternal life with Him in the next if we do what?
“Repent, turn away from sin, and remain faithful to the Gospel” ( which means good news). We can have great fun and experience great Joy in this life and God wants us to, but never forget this and know that I hit my knees and ask our Lord’s help with this every day. Swallow your pride, which is the root of all sin and repent, turn away from sin and remain faithful to the Gospel. You are a sinner and so am I. We both need a Redeemer and he is Jesus, The King, and sitting on His throne of majesty now. If you will not repent, admit your sin, believe on the Lord Jesus and confess your sin in the Sacrament of Confession then you may as well stop reading this and return to your former way of life, and come back when you are willing to swallow your pride.
I hope this makes sense and you can understand your purpose of being born, ultimately to serve and help others get to heaven as well as your self, and enjoying this great life God gave us along the way.
Sit down now, and write your mission statement for you life. Save it, pray it and recite it daily. I wrote mine 15 years ago: “To Glorify God in business and life, while helping others along the way”.
I walk almost every day, at least a couple of miles. Most of the ideas for articles come when I walk. It’s like the Holy Spirit infuses my brain with the words He wants me to write. God is so awesome and I am so thankful to Him for choosing me as one of His many instruments. He has chosen you as well, so start listening to Him and he will tell you what He wants you to do. Many are called, few are chosen. The reason few are chosen is because so few listen. Jesus told us this.
We need to pray so hard for our Catholic priests and all religious every day, as they have been chosen to serve us, God’s people.
I hope you now are at least somewhat aware of your purpose in life and have a base to start and build on.
SIGNS –
The signs of our times are really important to look at as well. We live in a time of great upheaval. It’s like a giant revolution going on all around us, right in front of us and throughout the world. God is in control and Jesus has won the victory over death and sin, so no need to worry, even though things seem out of control.
People are thirsting like crazy for freedom. Freedom from addiction, freedom from authority, freedom from everything. It seems like everyone wants to do their own thing and that people think they should be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want. I have discovered thankfully that true freedom is following God’s will for my life. It also brings great Joy and Peace. I am praying right now for you to experience this freedom. The freedom to follow God’s will for your life. To bend your will to what He wants you to do for Him, not the other way around.
You and I need to be steadfast in our faith. Love unconditionally, however, constantly seeking and speaking the truth, and living it as well. Stand up, speak up, write, go on radio if you can, always be armed with Church teaching and do everything in full communion with the Church Magisterium and make sure you know what the Church is teaching. Full Communion, and nothing less.
As Jesus taught us we need to love our neighbor, and that’s everyone. Adhere to the saying, love the sinner, hate the sin. We are all made in God’s image and we all have unalienable rights given to us by God from moment of conception until natural death and everywhere in between. Instruct the ignorant and admonish the sinner with love and mercy but be firm and steadfast in your Catholic faith.
Walk side by side with our Catholic priests and all clergy who follow the Magisterium. We, the lay faithful, are called to stand up and fight against the “powers and principalities” of evil. Our fight is not against “flesh and blood”. It is very important to keep that in mind.
Pray for more men to answer the call to the priesthood and diaconate, and for women to answer the call to the religious life. If you feel you are not being called to the clergy consider becoming a formal lay person in the Catholic faith like me. I have been meeting with and studying with The Dominican laity, St. Catherine of Siena chapter for quite some time now and will be officially received in this lay group, called the Order of Preachers, in a matter of days. It’s helped me so much in my faith journey and I learn so much just from meeting with my “brothers” and “sisters”. Along with my engagement and wedding days and the birth of my children, this day, when I am received, it will be one of the most joyous in my entire life.
These are the signs of our times – Confusion and Division – both are fruits of the devil. How do we counter act this? How do we go against the culture? How do we change hearts and minds? How do we teach the truth?
The signs of our times say “black is white and white is black”; “I am right and you are wrong”; “leave them alone”; “let them do whatever they want”; “Let a man become a woman and vice versa”; let two men or two woman marry each other; Also, “give me, give me, give me, without having to earn it”. In addition everything seems to be disposable, even from life in the womb until end of life and everywhere in between. Self control and discipline is needed so much in our culture today as well as self-denial of material things.
We have to steadfastly say no, what you are doing is tearing away the fabric of our moral and economic existence and here is why. We have to disagree with Joy first and foremost and not hatred. We have to say God loves you, but do you really love Him? Here is why… then be prepared to say something. You can start by reciting John 3:16, another verse that must be committed to memory: “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have life everlasting”. You need to know our Bible and Catechism. If the other person doesn’t want to hear it or returns hateful words to you, we must still reach out in love and mercy and eventually “shake the dust from our feet” and move on. Keep walking, keep smiling, sing the song “They will know we are Christians by our Love”. I like another song called Blessings by Laura Story, which explains that maybe all the bad “stuff” that happens to us are blessings in disguise; all the more to LISTEN to God.
There is hatred in our own country today; hatred toward police and authority, racism, huge chasm among politicians and hatred toward Christianity and religion. In other parts of the world, Christians are being martyred and forced to leave their homes; there are earthquakes, floods, droughts, war. Chaos seems to reign all over the world. All this is foretold in Scripture. Jesus tells we are not to worry and only the Father knows when the end will take place. We do know we are in the end times, because Jesus has already come so nothing new will be added. He makes all things new. We must pray incessantly and take action where God leads us as I mention above. As Jesus also told us the wheat and weeds will grow together until the end of time, so don’t throw your hands up and say the “world is going to hell in a hand basket”. Don’t give up on humanity. God will never give up on you and me. We are brothers and sisters and God’s own children no matter what. That doesn’t mean all will end up in heaven with Our Father, but we have to lift ourselves and as many as possible into heaven along our journey by knowing, loving and serving Jesus in everyone we encounter.
What are the signs of your personal times? I am a lifelong practicing Catholic, however, 2015 has been a tremendous year of grace and conversion for me. I have grown in my faith exponentially, but have not even scratched the surface. I am alone, but not alone! Every day is fresh and full of wonder! I went on overnight retreat new year’s eve and consecrated this year to my Lord and Savior Jesus and was determined to listen to Him. I suffered a heart attack in March and spent 4 days in the hospital. While I was in that hospital grace abounded. It’s a practice, a dedication, a never-ending journey. The Lord is with me every step of the way because I seek Him and ask Him to be with me constantly.
I pray, I act, I love, I live as God my Heavenly Father wants me to, following in His Son Jesus’ footsteps. It is not hard to take up your cross daily and walk if you surrender and allow Him to help you and hand IT all over to Him.
Purpose and Signs! What are yours?! Begin!
“Keep Walking”
http://www.WorldMeeting2015.org
Charles DeFeo: Catholic Blogger and Useless Servant of Christ 