I hear (and read) friends' questions such as "Who amI and what do I want out of life?" and "What's my purpose? Do I needa purpose?" I guess I've been too busy lately to contemplate these questions, ormaybe it's just that I haven't needed to. After all, I know who and what I am,a child of God. But I don't like to see people floundering. I know how that feels.
When I decided to blog about these questions, Iwas at a loss as to how to answer them in a clear and eloquent way. On my own Icame up with this:
My purpose, as a Catholic Christian woman, wife, and homeschoolingmom, is plain--to serve God and my family, and to help others in various ways,i.e. praying, volunteering, donating food, clothing, or money to organizationsthat help the needy.
But not everyone has those particular vocations. What is the basic Catholic answer?
I did an "image" internet search--"Catholic who am I." (I rarely Google in grammatically correctlanguage.) The results were interesting: a few cards with variations of "Iam a Catholic. In case of an emergency, call a priest" (because we needthe blessing of the sick and/or Reconciliation), photos of priests holdingsigns saying "We can't wait for health care that protects life," and amany Rosary pictures, and other things (including some not so nicesentiments).
My favorite was a C.S. Lewis photo with a quote:
“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knewa bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel reallycomfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
Of course, C.S. Lewis wasn't Catholic, though he was oneof the greatest Christian apologists in recent history.
So, the verdict is-- We are called to seek theSacraments, defend life, pray, and (if C.S. Lewis is correct) do things thatare difficult, uncomfortable, or downright unpleasant. Gee, that doesn't squarewith what the world tells us--"Do whatever makes you feel happy."
I don't know how "happy" I feel when I'mcleaning up a child's throw-up at 2am. I don't always feel like donating money to feed the poor or volunteering my timeto organize some homeschooling group. I mean, I get gratification in knowing Iwas useful in some way, but it's not always a barrel of laughs, or as C.S.Lewis puts it, "a bottle of Port." (What the heck is port?) And I really don't think it felt pleasant for the martyrs who were shot, burned, beheaded, or ripped apart by lions.
I heard a guy on Catholic radio a couple years ago whoreminded us to pray for the Lord's guidance concerning our vocation. To ask Himto make His will our will. I pray that for my children, who are stilldiscovering their calling. I think it's a wise prayer, one that would benefiteveryone. The trouble is, many in the world today don't want to surrender toGod. That's too bad, because God is pretty dang smart (actually,"smart" doesn't begin to describe His mind) and he loves us more thanwe can ever comprehend. Look what He's done for us!
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