Architecture for Life
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What is the purpose of life?
The end of one year and beginning of another affords us the opportunity to ask one of the most important questions, why are we here? What is the purpose of our life?
You may immediately respond with “To get to heaven of course.”
While that is true, what does it mean, and how should we live our practically?
The Bible in 1 John 3:2 and the Catechism in paragraph 1023 say that Heaven is union with God and becoming like him.
Mother Teresa famously provided an acronym by which we could organize our lives and achieve this purpose. That acronym is J.O.Y. And it stands for Jesus, others and you.
When I first heard this, I thought it was nice but too simplistic to capture the complex nature of our lives. But actually, I think it provides a perfect architecture by which to build our lives.
We can reach the goal of union with God and becoming like him if we would love God; and if we would Love God through charity to others; and love God through charity to ourselves. Then we will be united to God and become like him through Love.
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Loving God
We are supposed to love God. And love is to do some good for someone. But what good does God want? He wants to be in relationship with you and he wants you to become like him.
The most direct way to love God and reach union with Him is by prayer (especially mediation), by receiving God in the Sacraments, and by faith, that is, by growing in knowledge about God.
Through daily meditation we reach direct contact with God and we allow God to form our soul in His likeness:
By reading or listening to the Word of God (what He has revealed through Scripture, Tradition and the teaching of the Church) and by thinking about it we grow in our knowledge of God (this is faith).
The more we think about the truth, goodness and beauty of who God is the more we desire God, forming our feelings to want God more than the things of this world.
Then if we conclude each meditation with a practical concrete resolution, something good we choose to do, our will is correctly formed.
By receiving Jesus in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist – we are united to God.
But the Eucharist is unique. When we eat all other food, we transform it into ourselves. Only the Eucharist transforms us into what we eat – into Christ.
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The second way we love God is through charity to others
When we do some good for someone for the love of God, we grow in union with him and become more like him. There are all kinds of ways to do good for others. Let’s focus on just a few.
We can do good for others by providing for their physical needs.
Even more, we can do so by developing a relationship, a real friendship with them. So many people today are suffering from loneliness which can only be overcome by the good of friendship.
We can do great good for others through our work. The purpose of work is not to make more cash or gain more power or give you access to what you want. The purpose of work is to make the world a better place by doing good for people.
That is why we should do some kind of work, some good for others until we die.
Every person has a super power – some way to go good for others. You may get paid for it or you may not. But the value of work is not based on pay – it’s value is doing good for others.
The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are one of the most important ways to love others, that is, do good for them, for the love of God.
Growing in any form of knowledge that could serve our family and those around us is a wonderful way to love God through others.
One of the best ways to love God by loving others is learn your faith and be able to explain it to others through friendship and good conversation.
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We love God by doing good for Him; by doing good for others and by doing good to oneself.
We need a healthy amount of sleep, healthy real food and drink (not just a constant diet of the processed stuff – not even sure what that is) we need exercise and recreation.
We need the good of family and friendship.
We also desire and need to grow in knowledge of God, his plan for the world, but also knowledge of the world around us.
And our soul needs to be nourished by beauty in its various forms: nature, art, literature, music, a game well executed.
God designed the human person to need specific good things to be fulfilled and happy. Physical goods, friendship, achievement, knowledge and beauty and union with God.
God wants us to pursue these. And we love him by pursuing them in a way that leads us to God and to take care of others.
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The purpose of life is union with God and becoming like him. That is what Heaven is.
Therefore, our highest priority and the most direct way to reach our destination is through prayer, receiving God in the sacraments and by growing in our knowledge of Him. After that, serving others is the second priority, and that developing your own capacities and following you own interests- even though it’s good and necessary- comes third.
So, I guess Mother Teresa had it right. If we want happiness and peace, if we want to achieve the purpose of our lives, then we will live JOY, Jesus first, then others and after that, you!