Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is the meaning of life? These are the questions taken up in CCC 282-301, the answers to which we will meditate upon today in the Rosary. The lie the devil has spread is that we do not come from an All-Good, All-Powerful and Loving Father. Instead, all the matter in the universe was smooshed into an incredibly hot, infinitely dense subatomic speck of matter. Then, resulting from random chance, the universe and human sprung into being and developed. This ultimately means, you come from nothing, nothing more than random chaos and there is nothing after death. You come from nothing, you are going toward nothing and your life has no meaning. God’s answers to these questions are quite different. With infinite wisdom, power and love, God created the world and you so that you could share in the very life of God and live with him and your family and friends forever. The truth is so much better than the lie. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” There exists but one God. . . he is the Father, God, the Creator, the author, the giver of order. He made all things by himself, that is, by his Word and by his Wisdom", "by the Son and the Spirit" who, so to speak, are "his hands." God is perfect and complete in the Trinity. He needs nothing at all. So why did God create the world and us? Because God is Love and Goodness itself. Love is a gift of self for the good of others. God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness: “Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand.” We came from love and we are invited to enter fully into the love of God and we journey by way of love. John of the Cross says: At the evening of life we shall be judged by our love. The World was created for the Glory of God. What is the Glory of God? The CCC and St Irenaeus teach that The Glory of God is man fully Alive! To be fully alive means to reach all our human and divine potential by becoming an adopted son or daughter of God. This means that the purpose or meaning of life is our transformation to be like God and live like God forever. This transformation come by emptying ourselves of all disordered desires, then longing for God above all things, seeking to do his will, allowing him to purify and finally to fill us completely with Himself. God creates an ordered and good world CCC 299 Because creation comes forth from God's goodness, it shares in that goodness - "And God saw that it was good. . . very good", for God willed creation as a gift addressed to man, an inheritance destined for and entrusted to him. Not only is creation good, so too every person is fundamentally good. To every person God says: “It is good that you exist, how wonderful you are!” Tragically, many people do not know this about themselves. It is our job to make it known to them. Beginning with our spouse, each of our children and the rest of the people in our lives. How will you communicate this to someone today! God upholds and sustains creation. 301 With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. This means that if God was not thinking of you, right at this moment, you would cease to exist. God holds you in existence at every moment and he enables you to do all you do. Jesus said to the Apostles at the Last Supper: Apart from me you can do nothing. Recognizing this utter dependence upon God should lead us to see that the most important thing, the most productive thing we could do each day is set aside time to give our 100% attention to God in prayer. Because we depend upon God for everything, prayer is the best investment of our time. But most people don’t pray because they are too busy. The pride this implies!