What's it all about?

As human beings, we have a distinct place in creation. We are made in the image and likeness of God, created to think, to choose, to love and be loved in return. That sets us apart from even the most intelligent creature in the rest of the animal kingdom. The fulfilment of human existence is not found in what we can achieve, but in God. As creatures made in God's image and likeness, we have a lofty destiny - eternal life with him.

Deep within us, we sense that all is not as it should be. Even the most happy occasions can leave us not quite satisfied. We can easily feel isolated, even among a crowd of friends.

That is because we have an inbuilt yearning for eternity. Through prayer and reflection, we begin to recognise this thirst, and come to realise that we achieve true greatness not through success in the ordinary sense of the term, but through the gift of ourselves. That is because God, in whose image and likeness we are made, is himself in relation. He does not exist 'for himself'. We too are like that: we are created to look beyond our immediate concerns and towards the needs of others. That is what love is. The more we are aware of this, the more our lives will make sense and in fact become fulfilled.

Life is not aimless. It has a purpose. God sent his Son into the world to die for me. I have an infinite value and am loved unconditionally by God. The task is to recognise that and do something about it! How?

The Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman said, “Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning”. And therein lies the task - to make something of our lives. For a Christian, that 'making something of our lives' has an extra flavour, a greater impulse than the drive for mere 'success' understood in conventual terms. The call is to offer ourselves back to God who created us and loves us, in a way which he desires for our greatest happiness. He has a great plan for each one of us.