May 5 Mon
What is the purpose of my life?
God's glory should be the sole purpose of created beings.
In the Book of Revelation, St John reveals the glory which is given to God in heaven: I looked and behold, a great multitude … standing before the throne and before the Lamb, … crying out with a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb!"
Glory belongs to God alone because He is the Lord of all things. Everything is his, and all things should proclaim the glory of their Creator, who conserves them and takes care of them in his Providence. The whole of creation is united in this praise, which is the true purpose of its existence.
Through Christian doctrine, we know “that our Lord is the beginning, the end, and the center of all creation. And on being made man and coming to live among us, He has shown us that we are not on this earth to seek a passing, temporal happiness. We are here to reach eternal happiness, following in his footsteps. And we will only attain this by learning from him."
The only purpose of created beings, man included, is to give glory to God. We were born to give him glory. “If life did not have as its aim to give glory to God, it would be detestable - even more, loathsome."
Our life should be one of continuous praise, ceaselessly giving glory to God. How can we achieve this? By always attributing to the Lord every good thing He has placed in us.
Whatever is lovable in us belongs to God. Convinced of this reality, “we must not work for our own glory, but to disappear from view; and with our sacrifice, we shall put Christ at the summit of all human activities."
“Our motto should be that of John the Baptist: It is right that Christ grow in me, and that I become smaller."
“We have already seen Jesus' example. Let us return to it once more by reading a marvelous text from St Paul, which I have already quoted to you on another occasion: We ought not to please ourselves ... For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, ‘the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’"
As well as our Lord's example, we also have another very useful remedy to overcome our tendency towards self-complacency. “Do you want to free yourself from vainglory and people's praise? St John Damascene asks. Do not show your deeds to men. Work quietly so that no one sees you but God alone."
St. Josemaría told us: “Give all the glory to God. With your will aided by grace, ‘squeeze’ out each one of your actions, so that nothing remains in them that smacks of human pride, of self-complacency."
“I have insisted on the need to put aside all earthly ambitions and to be filled with a continuous concern to serve. We are convinced that nothing is worthwhile, that nothing is of any importance, and that nothing is of any consequence, when compared to that sublime mission of serving Christ our Lord. Because we have learned to shun human applause and any show of vanity, our desire to preserve the treasure of humility must be ever more attentive and careful."