The Meaning of Life 

God created us in order to live in communion with him, to know and love him, to serve him, and in that way to experience the fullness of life that he wants to give us. As the Catechism puts it: "Man is made to live in communion with God in whom he finds happiness" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #45) 

What Went Wrong? 

The original sin of our first parents destroyed that communion with God, frustrating his plan for our lives and leaving us unable to achieve the purpose for which we had been created. 

God to the Rescue 

In response to our tragic situation, God sent his Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity, to become one of us and thereby undo what sin had done. 

Through a personal friendship with Christ (being in a "state of grace"), each of us can regain intimacy with God, thus fulfilling the ultimate purpose for which we were created.  

Nothing else will satisfy our hearts, not money, not fame, not power, not pleasure. As St Augustine put it, and as the Catechism reminds us: "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." (Confessions, Book 1; Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 30). 

What Next? 

The crucial task of every human life, then, consists in knowing, loving, and following Jesus Christ: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) 

Christ established his Church as a means to foster that friendship between him and each person, between him and all people, and between all people in him. 

Getting Closer to Christ 

Our Christian life is a pilgrimage, a journey. In order to do a quick "check-up" to see how your journey is going, you can use the analogy of a car.  

Our destination is God, communion, intimacy with him. Is that your destination? 

The Fuel 

Our fuel, without which the car will go nowhere, no matter how nice it may be, is God's grace, his very life, poured into our soul. God is infinite and perfect, we are finite and imperfect; if he does not reach down and offer us his friendship, we cannot achieve it on our own. That "offer" of God comes through his grace. And the normal channels of that grace are the sacraments: baptism, confirmation, confession, communion, matrimony, orders, and anointing. Most of them we only receive once, but confession and communion are there for us to frequent, to "fill up" our spiritual fuel tanks regularly. 

The Engine 

The engine, which transforms the fuel into energy, which allows God's grace to affect my mind, my heart, and my entire life, is prayer. Without prayer, God's grace remains dormant, it doesn't reach my heart, and I don't grow closer to him. How long will a friendship last if you never spend time with your friend? Our friendship with Christ is no different. 

The Wheels 

The four wheels of the car correspond to four aspects of our Christian life that need constant maintenance, four areas of attention that can get worn down, low on air, or entirely flat if we don't take care of them. Without them, however, we cannot move forward at optimal speed and efficiency in our pursuit of total communion with God.  

The "RACE" 

They are easy to remember - RACE:  

"R" for "Reading". Reading refers to constantly learning more about my faith, about the teachings of the Church, about Christ and his plans, whether by reading books, listening to tapes, attending lectures and study circles, etc. If I make no effort to learn Christ's point of view, I will end up adopting someone else's point of view - the TV's, the newspaper's, my boss', my professor's? In our "age of information", with Church teaching available from myriad sources, we have no excuse for not knowing what we believe and why. 

"A" for "Apostolate". An "apostle" is someone who is "sent out" to perform a task. When we become followers of Christ we are given the all-important task to: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19-20) If a cell is not reproducing, it is probably dying; if I am not bringing others closer to Christ, I am probably not close to Christ myself. 

"C" is for "Cross". The Cross - suffering, sacrifice, self-denial - was Christ's chosen instrument to redeem the world, to reestablish communion between God and man. If self-denial and sacrifice (i.e. doing things God's way when I would prefer to do things some other way, accepting the trials he allows me to undergo even when they make my heart bleed) are not present in our lives, how can we stay close to Christ? As Christ put it: "Then he said to all, 'If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (Lk 9:23). He didn't make it optional. 

"E" for "Encouragement". We can't do it alone. There are no Christian "Lone Rangers" - at least, not for long. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt 18:20). We need the encouragement of friends and companions who share our priorities, and we need the encouragement of those who are further along on the journey, who can guide and direct us. 

In Short 

If I am frequenting the sacraments, I will have plenty of fuel for my journey. If my prayer-life is healthy, the engine of my life will be pushing me forward towards the fulfillment of the purpose for which God created me. If the four wheels have good tread and plenty of air, I will be running the "RACE in order to win" (1Cor 9:24), discovering every day the "immeasurable riches of Christ" (Eph 2:7)