Life's real business

Let's see to it that we are always aware of life's real business, the only thing necessary in life. (cfr Lk 10,42) We should know how to cruise the ocean of life that can get turbulent and threatening. Let's try to avoid getting confused and lost in the drama of life.

That business is none other than the salvation of our souls. Said in other words, it is about conforming ourselves to be what God wants us to be -his image and likeness, his children in Christ who is the pattern of our humanity and the redeemer of our damaged humanity. It's about loving God and others.

This should be the context of all we do here on earth. All our work, the exercise of our freedom and creativity, the events and circumstances of our life, whether good or bad according to our human standards, should be viewed in this context. Short of this, we would just be going in circles in life exposed to all sorts of dangers and anomalies.

This does not mean we should only be thinking of our eternal salvation by completely neglecting our earthly and temporal duties. In fact, our eternal salvation depends on how we 'perform' in our earthly concerns. We have to know how to make an organic link between the here-andnow and the life beyond death.

We need to remember that our life here on earth is the testing ground if we want what God wants us to be. We have been made free and responsible by God, and he does not want to impose his will on us. We have to correspond to it freely and responsibly.

That's why we have been placed first here on earth and not immediately in heaven where we came from and where we belong. It is for us to be tested.

We should avoid the extremes of being too otherworldly at the expense of our worldly affairs and being too worldly at the expense of our eternal destination. Of the latter, Christ said: "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul." (Mk 8,36)

We have to always think both in terms of time and eternity that involves the material and spiritual aspects of our life. Our mind and heart should be both in heaven and on earth, not one or the other. This is always possible because of the spiritual character of our nature and also because of God's grace.

We have to know how Christ is present in all the events of our life and what Christ is showing or telling us in every moment. He is actually always intervening in our life.

This will require an abiding presence of God supported by concrete acts of piety like mental prayer, gospel reading, recourse to the sacraments, etc. We have to learn how to be recollected and contemplative even in the middle of our busy life.

With Christ, everything has meaning. Even our human failures acquire some saving value. Irrespective of how our life runs, with Christ everything will always end with victory even if we have to go through a lot of suffering.

Christ already reassured us of this when he said: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (Jn 16,33) So let us just be game in this life as we go through the business of cooperating in our own salvation and the whole of mankind through all the events and circumstances of life here on earth.

‘We need to remember that our life here on earth is the testing ground if

we want what God wants us to be.’