What's the point of anything in this life if we are meant for the Next?

[Galnextdoor]

If we are meant for the Next Life, why care about anything in this one? There’s so much bad stuff happening and so many people worried about bad stuff that might happen soon (look at the World News and End Times Speculation threads) that it just makes every aspect of this life seem pointless and that a nihilistic approach would be more appropriate

Also, this opening post would be MUCH longer but everything I typed sounded like a cry for help.

I like to think of things this way. When we created in are mother’s womb, we are developed and formed. We were happy there. Then we were born, which was a death of one way of life and the beginning of the new. Now we are in this life where we are developing and shaping our soul. Who we are, what we participate in, how we act towards others and God shapes and forms our soul. We need to seek out things that shape our soul in a positive way. The Catholic Church and the bible teaches us how to do that. Ultimately, how we develop our soul is what follows our rebirth into the next life. All the bad things happening give us the opportunity to help and pray for others, thus loving our neighbor and loving God.

Seeking after good times all the time in this life affects your soul the same way that trying to nourish your body by eating candy all the time would affect your body.

Doing fun things from time to time gives our brains a chance to relax, rejuvenate, and refresh ourselves. Then we are better prepared to continue on.

Physicists say that our bodies contain energy and that energy cannot just disappear. It has to go somewhere. There are many things in nature that allow us to know there is a God. There are laws in nature. Scientists and mathematicians can use formulas to predict what happens in nature. A sentient being created these laws. If a person can reason this, it is usually not hard to make the leap of faith that God exists, and we have a duty to find out the truth about Him.

The Catholic Church has had many wise theologians, saints, and writers. By studying them and what the bible says, one can find truth that will lead a person to a better understanding of God.

When bad things happen, I like to read the Psalms in the bible. Terrible things were happening, but the writer was able decry what was happening while maintaining his love and trust in God.

I hope this helps.

 

[Dorothy]

Isn’t it the case, however, that the Way of the Cross in imitation of Jesus includes sheltering and clothing the poor, feeding the hungry, tending to the ill, and providing solace and comfort to the bereft? And didn’t Francis pay particular attention to the physical needs of the poor, as well as show exceptional kindness to animals and care for the environment? This doesn’t seem to me an instance of renouncing the world in its entirety and focusing only on heaven.

I believe in the great holiness of St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan Order.

I remember, back in the day, reading a commentary on St. Francis by a priest. I am paraphrasing, but he said that St. Francis was so holy that he had dominion over the animals like our first parents before the fall. He had a great respect for all of creation because he put the Lord first, loving Him first and foremost, and his neighbor as himself.

Renouncing the world means we need to live in the world, but not be of it. Some are called to do that more radically than others, depending on their state in life.

 

[Robert_Sock]

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-Matt 6:

 

[meltzerboy]

I like to think of things this way. When we created in are mother’s womb, we are developed and formed. We were happy there. Then we were born, which was a death of one way of life and the beginning of the new. Now we are in this life where we are developing and shaping our soul. Who we are, what we participate in, how we act towards others and God shapes and forms our soul. We need to seek out things that shape our soul in a positive way. The Catholic Church and the bible teaches us how to do that. Ultimately, how we develop our soul is what follows our rebirth into the next life. All the bad things happening give us the opportunity to help and pray for others, thus loving our neighbor and loving God.

Seeking after good times all the time in this life affects your soul the same way that trying to nourish your body by eating candy all the time would affect your body.

Doing fun things from time to time gives our brains a chance to relax, rejuvenate, and refresh ourselves. Then we are better prepared to continue on.

Physicists say that our bodies contain energy and that energy cannot just disappear. It has to go somewhere. There are many things in nature that allow us to know there is a God. There are laws in nature. Scientists and mathematicians can use formulas to predict what happens in nature. A sentient being created these laws. If a person can reason this, it is usually not hard to make the leap of faith that God exists, and we have a duty to find out the truth about Him.

The Catholic Church has had many wise theologians, saints, and writers. By studying them and what the bible says, one can find truth that will lead a person to a better understanding of God.

When bad things happen, I like to read the Psalms in the bible. Terrible things were happening, but the writer was able decry what was happening while maintaining his love and trust in God.

I hope this helps.

Interesting perspective and well stated! I tend to agree with this.

 

[meltzerboy]

I believe in the great holiness of St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan Order.

I remember, back in the day, reading a commentary on St. Francis by a priest. I am paraphrasing, but he said that St. Francis was so holy that he had dominion over the animals like our first parents before the fall. He had a great respect for all of creation because he put the Lord first, loving Him first and foremost, and his neighbor as himself.

Renouncing the world means we need to live in the world, but not be of it. Some are called to do that more radically than others, depending on their state in life.

I agree. We should not be consumed by a self-centered materialistic pleasure of the world. At the same time, finding love and joy in our present life is a means of showing G-d that we are thankful to Him for creating us and giving us the gift of life. And “repairing the world,” as Judaism calls it, also enables us to do G-d’s Will by helping those in need.

 

[Dorothy]

I agree. We should not be consumed by a self-centered materialistic pleasure of the world. At the same time, finding love and joy in our present life is a means of showing G-d that we are thankful to Him for creating us and giving us the gift of life. And “repairing the world,” as Judaism calls it, also enables us to do G-d’s Will by helping those in need.

Amen! Thank you for your response.

 

[meltzerboy]

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-Matt 6:

How does one “store up…treasures in heaven”? I believe it is by doing G-d’s Will here on earth, which, according to Jewish belief, means leading a life of moral purpose and meaning, doing good deeds for others in need, and expressing love and joy in the gift of life that G-d bestowed upon us. Further, these behaviors should not be done for the express purpose of achieving a heavenly reward, but rather because we are following in the footsteps and likeness of G-d’s Love for us by living in this way.

 

[smaw8]

You are right in saying we are meant for the next. It has been said over and over in different ways and wording over the centuries. The next life is an option of two eternities that we are given the choice to select from. Good and evil, God or Satan, heaven or hell. It isn’t wise, in fact it is stupid, to laugh at those of the past and think that they were just a bunch of under educated naive fools who rode mules and didn’t have any inkling of an idea of the advancements of the 19th - 21st century. Of course there were unbelievers in the past but we have tons of writings from the wise people who took wisdom to heart. They took lots of time to reflect and understood that the purpose of this life that we live in now is a preparation for heaven. But God gave us a choice to decide on our own if we want good or evil. Too many people choose the pleasures of an evil lifestyle and deny God by not wanting to give up sin and obey the 10 commandments. You can’t meet God halfway but you’ve got to search for him and learn to want him. It’s a struggle for all of us. I plan on searching and learning until the day I die.Hopefully on my deathbed I can say that I am finally a mature human being.
Good Luck!
Chris

 

[Robert_Sock]

How does one “store up…treasures in heaven”? I believe it is by doing G-d’s Will here on earth, which, according to Jewish belief, means leading a life of moral purpose and meaning, doing good deeds for others in need, and expressing love and joy in the gift of life that G-d bestowed upon us. Further, these behaviors should not be done for the express purpose of achieving a heavenly reward, but rather because we are following in the footsteps and likeness of G-d’s Love for us by living in this way.

I agree with you, and I think Christ would too. For me this passage of scripture acts as an incentive to not take pleasure even when permitted.

For as explained in chapter 6, any permitted action done without the specific intention of leading one to the serving of G-d (as, for example, eating in order to obtain strength for Torah study or performing the mitzvot) derives its vitality from the sitra achra. (This term simply means “the other side,” i.e., the absence of holiness.)
-Tanya: Likutei Amarim - Chapter 27

 

[SPBlitz]

I agree. We should not be consumed by a self-centered materialistic pleasure of the world. At the same time, finding love and joy in our present life is a means of showing G-d that we are thankful to Him for creating us and giving us the gift of life. And “repairing the world,” as Judaism calls it, also enables us to do G-d’s Will by helping those in need.

Darn meltzerboy, you said what I was trying to say in a fraction of the space!

 

[meltzerboy]

I agree with you, and I think Christ would too. For me this passage of scripture acts as an incentive to not take pleasure even when permitted.

For as explained in chapter 6, any permitted action done without the specific intention of leading one to the serving of G-d (as, for example, eating in order to obtain strength for Torah study or performing the mitzvot) derives its vitality from the sitra achra. (This term simply means “the other side,” i.e., the absence of holiness.)
-Tanya: Likutei Amarim - Chapter 27

The Tanya is the mystical work of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Judaism. While I find their philosophy interesting, I don’t always agree with it. Besides, I don’t understand why, according to this passage, they believe that enjoyment of life is unholy unless it fosters “the intention of leading one to the serving of G-d.” This is because the Hasidic movement in general believes in the holiness of even mundane activities, such as eating, sleeping, and sex, and the integration of the sacred and the profane (secular).

 

[WonderAndAwe]

I agree. We should not be consumed by a self-centered materialistic pleasure of the world. At the same time, finding love and joy in our present life is a means of showing G-d that we are thankful to Him for creating us and giving us the gift of life. And “repairing the world,” as Judaism calls it, also enables us to do G-d’s Will by helping those in need.

I guess.

Still doesn’t make me feel better about anything. Why bother trying to get a job or go to college if Pope Leo XIII had a vision wherein Satan was given 100 years to mess things up and that periods ends in October 2017? Why bother with anything up until then? It doesn’t fill me with hope. It fills me with dread that I was born too late and I might as well not bother with things in this life at all if its all coming to a grand end in a few years.

Darn it I hate those End Times Speculation threads.

 

[schaeffer]

I guess.

Still doesn’t make me feel better about anything. Why bother trying to get a job or go to college if Pope Leo XIII had a vision wherein Satan was given 100 years to mess things up and that periods ends in October 2017? Why bother with anything up until then? It doesn’t fill me with hope. It fills me with dread that I was born too late and I might as well not bother with things in this life at all if its all coming to a grand end in a few years.

Darn it I hate those End Times Speculation threads.

My understanding of the Christian belief is that this earthly life is an opportunity to choose whether or not to follow God and whether or not one will spend the after life in hell or heaven, and IF heaven, what sort of accomodations one will have there.

Ultimately, each person has their own life to live and their own purpose or calling set by God. Not all people are created to have a particular level of education, or job, etc. Some are born with a body or mind that doesn’t even make that an option no matter what other circumstances they live in.

By having a relationship with their Creator, many people feel they discover what their calling or purpose is in this life. Some are called to do public things, others to a smaller quieter life. I think the idea is to seek and find your purpose via your creator, not via the messages and situations in the culture.

It sounds like your experience IS that the worldly life holds no hope and meaning for you, all the more reason for you to reach out to your Creator and be open to the plan that is laid for you.

In other words, the Christian faith is based on the belief that Satan does not win in the end.

 

[schaeffer]

I’ve never really understood this. If, according to Atheism, we cease to exist at death, how would anyone ever know that they squandered their lives? You wouldn’t exist to be able to look back on your life to either be depressed that you missed out or happy that you made the most of it.

Nihilistic is “this is all there is, therefore nothing matters or has purpose”

many believe “this is all there is, therefore everything has meaning and purpose”

And people who hold one of those beliefs often find it difficult to impossible to understand how the other could hold the belief they have.

Also, squandering does have an element of looking back over things…but we can very well realize we are squandering opportunities etc even as we do it.

Simple example…nice day outside…but instead I decide to lay on the couch, eating chips and rewatching 4 seasons of Dexter. Yeah, even as I do it I am well aware I am squandering opportunities to do a dozen other things…yet I make my choice just the same.

Many people, in the midst of life, realize they are squandering it, and make a change. Addicts get clean, people choose to get an education, find religion, or get active in their community because they realize right there and now that there is life to be lived and they aren’t living it.

Also, most of us realize that at some point when we are old or near death we will look over are lives, and we consider what it is we will wish we had done. Either that comes to us on our own, or via hearing others express it themselves.

 

[Dorothy]

I guess.

Still doesn’t make me feel better about anything. Why bother trying to get a job or go to college if Pope Leo XIII had a vision wherein Satan was given 100 years to mess things up and that periods ends in October 2017? Why bother with anything up until then? It doesn’t fill me with hope. It fills me with dread that I was born too late and I might as well not bother with things in this life at all if its all coming to a grand end in a few years.

Darn it I hate those End Times Speculation threads.

Dear “Wonder”,

I just thought of something I read a long time ago…

One monk in a monastery told another monk that the world would end tomorrow. The one he told looked intently at him and asked “What should I do?” The other one said “Plant a tree!”

That said to me that we should just go on doing what we should be doing, praying, working, learning, and planting. When we do all these things for the glory and love of God we are doing the right thing to prepare ourselves for His coming. Hope springs eternal!

 

[Usagi]

I guess.

Still doesn’t make me feel better about anything. Why bother trying to get a job or go to college if Pope Leo XIII had a vision wherein Satan was given 100 years to mess things up and that periods ends in October 2017? Why bother with anything up until then? It doesn’t fill me with hope. It fills me with dread that I was born too late and I might as well not bother with things in this life at all if its all coming to a grand end in a few years.

Darn it I hate those End Times Speculation threads.

For one thing, Pope Leo XIII’s vision could be wrong or misunderstood.

I don’t think there has been a single generation of Christians who didn’t think they were living in the End Times. St. Paul wrote of “we who are alive” at the Second Coming, including himself in that category, but we’ve had nearly two thousand years of Christian history since he died. 25 years ago when I was in high school, a fellow student who led an early-morning Bible study had a similar “why bother” attitude; I certainly hope he’s developed some practical goals alongside his devotion to the Lord since then.

God made this world and all its joys. While we shouldn’t idolize lesser goods in preference to the Greatest Good, the lesser things are still good, given to us as His gifts.

Usagi

 

[Galnextdoor]

I guess.

Still doesn’t make me feel better about anything. Why bother trying to get a job or go to college if Pope Leo XIII had a vision wherein Satan was given 100 years to mess things up and that periods ends in October 2017? Why bother with anything up until then? It doesn’t fill me with hope. It fills me with dread that I was born too late and I might as well not bother with things in this life at all if its all coming to a grand end in a few years.

Darn it I hate those End Times Speculation threads.

Private visions can be misinterpreted by the receiver and those who write about them.

In the Bible it says “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Matthew 24:36

In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 the bible says “If any one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and earn their own living.”

So we are to prepare our souls like there is no tomorrow, and plan for our bodies like their will be many tomorrows.

 

[WonderAndAwe]

For one thing, Pope Leo XIII’s vision could be wrong or misunderstood.

I don’t think there has been a single generation of Christians who didn’t think they were living in the End Times. St. Paul wrote of “we who are alive” at the Second Coming, including himself in that category, but we’ve had nearly two thousand years of Christian history since he died. 25 years ago when I was in high school, a fellow student who led an early-morning Bible study had a similar “why bother” attitude; I certainly hope he’s developed some practical goals alongside his devotion to the Lord since then.

God made this world and all its joys. While we shouldn’t idolize lesser goods in preference to the Greatest Good, the lesser things are still good, given to us as His gifts.

Usagi

Doesn’t stop the End Times Speculation posters from giving it massive amounts of credence.

Private visions can be misinterpreted by the receiver and those who write about them.

In the Bible it says “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Matthew 24:36

In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 the bible says “If any one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and earn their own living.”

So we are to prepare our souls like there is no tomorrow, and plan for our bodies like their will be many tomorrows.

I tried questioning a thread on Blood Moon nonsense with that verse and got shot down for it because “signs and wonders, stay awake, watch for the signs, thief in the night.”

That begets PARANOIA AND DEPRESSION. Why do anything? Why not just sit in my house surrounded by junk, watching EWTN all day and causing my friends and family distress when I refuse to do anything that’s not entirely about Church?

I WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO LAUGH! I WANT TO BE HAPPY! END TIMES SPECULATION BEARS NO HAPPINESS, JUST PARANOIA AND FEAR! :crying:

Eschatology is best left exclusively to the Magisterium like biblical interpretation is, if only for the mental and spiritual safety of the flock.

 

[Dorothy]

Our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to receive His peace. “Be not afraid”!

Love the Lord, and love others. Do not let the doom sayers bring you down!

 

[Ignatius]

What’s the point of anything in this life if we are meant for the Next?.

The whole purpose of this life is to prepare us for the next.