“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.” (Is 55,6) What impels us to seek God in our lives? Is it his justice or his mercy? Certainly if we have been away from the Lord for awhile, are experiencing a sense of distance from him and have not been actively engaged as good stewards of his many gifts we would not be very eager to encounter the Lord in his justice. We would certainly be hoping to catch him on a day when he was feeling particularly generous and merciful. “Let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.” (Is 55,7) When it comes to matters of final judgment, our thoughts most often turn towards accounting and just rewards. God reminds us through the prophet Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.” (Is 55,8f) When it comes to final judgment, God’s thoughts turn toward mercy, generosity and salvation. God did not create us as machines to achieve a predictable outcome, rather, he created us as his children to cleave to him in love to draw near to his heart of compassion and to share in his joy.

St. Paul reveals to us the meaning and purpose of life as he has discovered it, “For to me life is Christ…If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.” (Phil 1,21f) The writer of Hebrews concludes that Christ expresses the meaning and purpose of his life in the writing of the scroll, “Behold, I come to do your will, O God.” Indeed, at the crucial moment of his life, facing the final sacrifice, Jesus prays to the Father, “Still, not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22,42) “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (Jn 18,37) Jesus affirms that the Father gives us life and that life has purpose and meaning and expresses a truth about the Father’s love. We are created to work with God and ultimately to find our rest in him. “But Jesus answered them, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” (Jn 5,17) When we rest we will find our rest in Christ, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11,28)

Jesus teaches us in the parable of the landowner, who goes out to hire workers for his vineyard, that the Father is active in calling us to share in his work. The landowner in the parable goes out five different times in the day in search of workers to share in his care of the vineyard. The Father will not rest until all people have an opportunity to realize their potential and find meaning and purpose in their lives in doing the work that has been appointed to them. God did not create us to stand around and do nothing. He didn’t create us to just take up space on the earth. God created us with a purpose and meaning for our lives. We have a limited amount of time to accomplish the work that we are meant to do on this earth. “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.” (Eph 1,11f)

“‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’” (Mt 20,8) It does not please God to see us standing around idle, wasting our lives and not accomplishing the purpose for which he created us. Life is a gift and it is not meant to be wasted on frivolous pursuits. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1Pt 4,10) God has created each of us with special gifts to share in service to our brothers and sisters in love. As good stewards, we need to be employed in the work of serving God and his kingdom. “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot;” (Jer 29,11-14)

The meaning and purpose of our lives is expressed in doing the Father’s will and realizing our potential. We are not meant to stand around waiting all our lives for God to reveal his will, neither are we meant to waste our life in “doing it my way” and pursuing our own willful desires. Be engaged! Seek the Lord with all your heart, call on him and he will help you to be the person you are meant to be. The Father is generous in rewarding his children for the work that they accomplish according to his will and purpose. At the end of the day we long to hear him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant…Come, share your master’s joy.” (Mt 25,23) To share in the Father’s joy and glory is the reward for which we all hope.