The Fullness of Life
By Fr. Florentino S. Lim, CIHM

Quest for life’s meaning

We sometimes experience deep frustration with ourselves and with our life. We feel that life is slipping away like the tiny grains in an hour glass and yet we have not done anything worthwhile. Some people, in spite of the vast material wealth they had amassed, or the countless places they had toured, or the many diplomas they had collected, wonder still why life is meaningless, fruitless and unfulfilling.  Like the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes, they eventually conclude: “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?”

And yet life can be rich and meaningful, fulfilling and fruitful. We need not conclude that “all things are vanity,” for God did not create anything in vain: He has a plan and a purpose for everything and for everyone, but we need to seek out His plan and fulfill it.
Life does not consist only in the consumption and enjoyment of the earthly goods, for “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” It would be tragic to live only for this world. Certainly, enjoyment of temporal and material blessings, used properly is part of God’s plan for us. But there is more to life, and His ultimate plan for us transcends our loftiest dreams and expectations.

Life consists, above all, in the unending discovery of the ineffable beauty, wisdom, holiness, grandeur, majesty, and infinite perfections of God. And being absorbed in the contemplation of this eternal Supreme Good, who is no other than our Loving Father and Creator we bow down to Him in worship and adoration, committing all our life and being to His honor, glory and praise.
But to love and adore this God whom we do not see is tantamount to mockery if we ignore our brothers and sisters who cry to us in their misery and desperation. For how can we claim to have the love of God in our hearts if we are not moved with love or with pity upon seeing our sisters and brothers in their sufferings and pains?
Upon discovering the real meaning of life, we must also come to that point of asking ourselves this fundamental question: “What is my personal mission in life or God’s plan for me?”
This discovery of a personal mission or vocation can be the most liberating episode in our life. We experience a sense of direction. We begin to understand the reason why we are in the world and in this particular milieu. Life finally becomes meaningful. But for most of us that vision of a personal mission or life’s vocation will be a continued search and a journey in faith. It will be like the gleam of sunlight directed through a thick forest suddenly bursting forth radiance; however, as we advance some few steps we again are forced to grope in the dark, but we know for certain that the sun will be there to dispel the shadows and to illuminate our path   from time to time.

Going back to the Book of Ecclesiastes, it is noteworthy that in the end, after his lengthy exploration about the meaning of life, its author came to this conclusion:

After all this, there is only one thing to say:

Have reverence for God,

and obey His commands,

because this is  all that man was created for.

God will judge everything we do,

whether good or bad,

even things done in secret.

            (Ecclesiastes 12:13-4)