I think most of us have pondered our existence at one point or another. It’s difficult not to wonder about our purpose, about the meaning of life. Many of the great thinkers, writers, philosophers, and theologians have all considered it and provided their theories and opinions.

So, why are we here?

That’s a great question. What are we all doing here, on this earth, at this time? Why do we have the family we have, the friends we have, the people who we love? What the heck is the point of it all?

Some would propose that our existence is solely and earthly one. We have no real meaning, per se. We just are. We are born, we go through life, and then we die. That’s it. There is nothing more.

Others might say that our purpose in life is to make the most of it, to spend it with people who enrich it, who make it better, people who we love. Again, however, they will say that once we reach its end, there is no more. We cease to exist and there is nothing but an abyss of darkness.

Is it any wonder people are scared of death when this is what they are told?

In an increasingly secular world, people don’t really want anything to do with religion. Some call it a cult, others label those who are religious insane or say that they believe in fairytales. As a Catholic myself, I have come to understand that not everyone wants to be religious. Oftentimes, it’s the world that has turned them against religion, against faith. And while I’m not here to force anyone to become a Catholic, to follow God, I am going to do what I can to at least provide a little catechesis in the hope that it might help you to understand that we are not just some insignificant beings who live only to die into nothingness.

Our purpose can be found in the intentions of our Creator. Each one of us did not just spawn out of nothingness. We did not just suddenly materialise into existence. We were each created by someone far greater than us. We were each created by God in His image. God has known us since our conception.

In the Book of Jeremiah we read:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

And Psalm 139 praises God for creating us:

‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.’ (Psalm 139:13-18)

It’s such a beautiful Psalm. God has known us longer than we have known ourselves. God’s intentions for each of us were to create a human being, a beautiful individual, who could give glory to Him through the life they lived.

Each one of us has been created to honour Him in any and every way we can. And we have each been given certain gifts that we are to use to give glory and praise to Him and build His Kingdom on this earth. We were made for community, each of us have been given these gifts to enhance that community, to make it so rich and beautiful.

Some of us praise and glorify Him through music, some through writing, some through youth ministry. We might honour and glorify Him in our work, by being a model of Christ to those around us and those whom we meet on our journey through life. Some of us might serve in different ministries in our Parish communities, some may volunteer to help those in need.

Each of us can honour, praise, and glorify God in so many different ways.

In doing so, we often find our disposition tends towards one of fulfillment and happiness. The reason for this is simple – we are living out our purpose in life.

But our purpose, the meaning of our life, goes much further than just giving glory to God on this earth. Our meaning, our existence, is one that does not end in death, but transcends this earthly life.

When we breathe our last breath, our earthly bodies will give out, They will cease to function, they will be prepared for burial or cremation, and, ultimately, they will end up either in the ground or reduced to ashes.

But our physical bodies do not just stop working because our life has ended and faded to black. Our bodies are not just physical in nature, but also consist of a spiritual element – the soul. The soul is what makes us who we are. It is our inmost being. Our life, our love, all of it originates in the soul.

You might have heard someone who witnessed someone else’s death that ‘the light went out of their eyes.’ Someone told me just recently that when they witnessed a person’s death, they noticed a brief change in colour in the person.

These descriptions are very likely observances of the soul leaving the body. While the body is left lifeless, the soul lives on, beginning its journey to its final home for eternity. Depending on the life the individual lived, that soul will either end up in eternal paradise, returning to dwell with its Creator, in a state of purgation where it must be purified before entering into the home of its Creator, or condemned to eternal life in the fires of despair.

The meaning of our existence, therefore, is not just to live and die. It is to live and live.

We must glorify God in every way possible on in our earthly lives so that we can live with Him in our eternal lives.

Now I’m sure that there will be some reading this who are not Catholic, and probably not religious at all. You may be ambivalent towards religion; you may even despise it. And so you’re probably wondering why you should believe any of this.

To those people, I ask you to consider this:

If you are right, if religion is all just one giant fantasy that we’re all using to make ourselves feel better, then we are all going to die and cease to exist entirely upon our deaths. There are no eternal consequences for whatever we do in our lives, and we can live them as much or as little as we would like.

But if you are wrong, and our existence does indeed transcend this life into eternal life, then there are profound eternal consequences for not living a good life. For all anyone knows, you could be risking eternal damnation.

So why risk it? At the end of the day, there is greater harm in not believing than there is in doing so. If you spend your life believing in a ‘fairytale’ just to end up in a void, then it is what it is, no harm no foul. But if you believe in that ‘fairytale’ and it turns out to be more than just a ‘fairytale,’ a reality in fact, then that belief and living your life in the best way you possibly can might just assure you a beautiful eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven, face-to-face with your Creator, admiring and adoring Him forever.

And really, how depressing must it be to even consider that our life has no purpose, no meaning at all? What is the point of even being here if we just are, if there is no more to life than just sitting around on earth waiting to die? That kind of thinking, the theory of existing just to exist, is so bleak that it is hardly surprising that people can despair and become so bitter and angry at the world.

So why are we here? Because God put us here. God our Creator formed us in His Image, placed us here on this earth, at this exact time, with the family, friends, and loved ones we have so that we might praise Him, honour Him, and glorify Him, so that ultimately we might one day return to Him in eternal paradise and live with Him forever.