Friday, December 9, 2011

THE POINT OF LIFE

What is the point of life? The purpose of being alive can be summed up in one word: Love. To love God with our whole being and to love our neighbour as our self. That is what Jesus said in Matthew 22.37-30. (cf. John 15.9 &12). The greatest commandment is rooted in love.* To love Christ with complete abandon and obey His commandments gives life its highest meaning. Love is superior to all things but has no place for superiority. Love puts the interests of others above self-interest. Saint Paul described the characteristics of authentic love in 1Corinthians 13.  Anything truly worth while is based on love.

Divine Love is at the foundations of Advent and Easter: They changed the course of human history.

Love should be at the foundation of the family.

Think about what gives the greatest meaning to your life. Is it not love? If what gives meaning to your life is not love then I submit that you are not really living. The worst betrayal in life is to betray love. 

At fifty-eight years of age, my deepest regrets relate to the betrayal or denial of love and life. My biggest regret is the abortion of my first child in 1971. I refused to be open to life and the prospect of love. My son or daughter's life was sacrificed so that I could live as I wished. Granted, I have been forgiven for that great and terrible sin but it remains my biggest regret. The single biggest shame of my life was not giving love when it was so freely given to me. I have been such a a foolish and stupid man.

I had to become a loser to be a winner. Most of my adult life has been spent chronically ill and disabled. My career was over before it really began. Sometimes at my lowest points, I have wondered what was the point of my life on earth? Well, the point was/is love. I don't have the trappings of "things" that clutter other men's hearts. Most "things" are out of reach for me. 

But I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that becomes more real the sicker I become. I have a family, and I have a community. It is all rooted in love and love is the point of life. I am happy and content.

Mark
(* I am not speaking about love in the romantic and sexual context.)

0 comments: