PURPOSE OF LIFE
We need to seek the highest good, the total good,
which is above all else!
What is the good life, and the ultimate end or purpose of life? Is it
not happiness, which is none other than the complete good, the sum of all
goods, leaving nothing more to be desired? Jesus addresses this question in his
Sermon on the Mount. The word beatitude literally means "happiness"
or "blessedness". What is the significance of Jesus' beatitudes, and
why are they so central to His teaching? The beatitudes respond to the natural
desire for happiness that God has placed in every heart. They teach us the
final end to which God calls us, namely the coming of God's Kingdom (Matt.
4:17), the vision of God, entering into the joy of the Lord (Matt. 25:21-23)
and into his rest. Jesus' beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices
concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods he
puts at our disposal. God alone satisfies. We need to seek the highest good,
the total good, which is above all else!
To seek the highest good, is to seek God. All the beatitudes add up to one truth: trust
in God and you will find happiness, joy, and peace. St. Paul's letter to the
Corinthians confirms this, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement". And so
we are called to live out this mission statement that came from Jesus with
compassion, forgiveness, gentleness and forbearance.
No matter what we are called to
in life, no matter how challenging our situation may be, we must have trust in
God. To be "poor in spirit" means to rely completely of God, with
great joy. The beatitudes, which Jesus offers us, are a sign of contradiction
to the world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find
happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? Hunger of the spirit
seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit. Poverty of spirit
finds ample room and joy in possessing God as the greatest treasure possible.
Thomas Aquinas said that no one can live without joy. That is why a person
deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures. Sorrow and mourning over the sins of a wasted
life leads to joy and frees one from the burden of guilt and spiritual
oppression. God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of abundant life
and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more
than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world.
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord (Ps 34.) May we hunger and thirst
for God alone?