The meaning of it all

The universe we live in and the daily events of our lives derive meaning from our faith. We would be living in a universe of blind chance ...

The universe we live in and the daily events of our lives derive meaning from our faith. We would be living in a universe of blind chance and random happenings, if our lives were not underprinned by our faith. Every event in our lives, from our birth, to our growing up in a particular family and environment, to our marriage, old age and death, is seen as part of a plan, which we do not map for ourselves, but which nevertheless derives meaning from being part of a greater plan of God and the universe.

This universe of meaning embraces everything from the vegetable to the animal kingdom and human beings. Trees and flowers do what they have to do, such as providing oxygen and shelter,beauty and grace, without questioning what they were made for. Similarly, the denizens of the animal kingdom are part of the cycle of nature and an intrinsic part of the natural chain. They live their lives without questioning the meaning of their ways and wherewithal.

To human beings is given the rare distinction of questioning their origin, their purpose in life and their end. Thus questions such as: why was I born, why do I have a certain physical shape and colour, why was I born in a certain race and nationality, why did I take birth in a particular family, why did my destiny shape up the way it did? All these questions are part of the human fabric of our daily lives.

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Some people reject the very notion of the supernatural and prefer to find meaning in a closed universe which offers no opening to the beyond. Others live as if there was no beyond. But, the majority find meaning through their faith in a beyond that they entrust their lives to.

For those with faith, every action, every breath, derives its meaning as part of a larger plan. This is not a box in universe that slams the lid on present or future happenings. It leaves options for change, for resolution of conflicts, for healing of wounds, for an end to uncalled for suffering and for a destiny that supersedes our wildest dreams.

Faith invests our every action with a meaning. It determines our motivation to our daily duties and work. It inspires us with a vision.

Through selfishness and greed, the real meaning of our actions and the real meaning of events are often lost in a haze of derived meanings.

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On the other hand, actions inspired by love, reaching out, compassion, giving and selflessness, may go unnoticed but provide us with a real satisfaction and a sense of having accomplished something substantial in life.

Our faith is precisely reflected in the manner in which we respond to other human beings. When we treat them with contempt and show a lack of respect in any way to their person, we are robbing them of the meaning which they are meant to bring to our lives. When we see in them the image of the creator, we invest them with a value which enriches our human relations. Faith is also reflected in a respect for everything in nature and around us, as we live in an interconnected world.

A life without faith in God is often a life without goals. Or it is life inspired by petty considerations, pride and self-aggrandisement.

A universe of meaning is the realisation that we owe all that we are and have to the creator, that our life is a trust we have to nurture and give back. That we are called to love and to serve and not to dominate and demand and that ultimately all life derives meaning from a loving creator who has created us to love God and our fellow human beings.