Why Are We Here?

Why are we here? I don’t really question God’s existence because it is evident in historical fact and proven miracles. I don’t generally question whether Catholicism is the truth, either, because I understand its validity from my theology classes; but I often question why God created us in the first place. What reason did God have to bring us into existence and care about us? What do we have to offer our omnipotent God that he does not already possess?

               In my quest for answers, I often read that God created us purely out of his love, and I never understood. I supposed it was something I would never comprehend, at least not on Earth. Then I found the perfect section to read in the Catechism: paragraphs 282 through 315. After reflecting on some of the material in this section, specifically paragraph 295, I think I understand why we were created as much as I can, with my faulty human intellect. It was, indeed, out of love that he created us because he has love in such abundance and yearns to share it. As the Catechism says, “[The world] is not the product of any necessity whatever, nor of blind fate or chance. We believe that it proceeds from God’s free will; he wanted to make his creatures share in his being, wisdom, and goodness” (CCC 295).

When I see or experience something wonderful, my first instinct is to share it with everyone I possibly can. Understanding that God is love, how much more does he wish to share himself with us? I think of the stories I recount to my friends and the joy I get from sharing my experiences with them. I imagine God with this same sentiment and desire to share exponentially magnified, and its outpouring resulted in the universe and life itself.

As I appreciate good listeners for my stories, I’m sure God will appreciate my dedication in every task. There is nothing God requires from us, but in gratitude we can offer him a good life well lived. It can be very difficult to justify working hard if we don’t understand our origin, so we must keep in mind that we exist because God is love, and love must be shared.