Maybe you have come to a place in your life where you're asking, "What's the point?"  We work hard in high school to get to college.  We work in college to get a job.  We get a job so we can pay bills.  Then we die.  It's like a bumper sticker: "Birth  School  Work  Death."  Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

There is no purpose in life without our Creator.  Trying to find a meaning in life without God would be like a television trying to find a purpose without ever being plugged into the wall.  It could be a table or a doorstop, but it would never live up to the fullness of what it was created to be.

We were created for God.  It's that simple.  This life is an extremely brief time (especially compared to eternity) in which we have the chance to freely choose Christ.  It's not just a "suffer now and get paid later" kind of deal.  Jesus offers life in abundance.  The kingdom of God begins here!  We celebrate it at every Mass.  We experience it in the deep love we give and receive from others.  We can taste a small bit of heaven on earth, so that our lives are no longer meaningless, but meaningful.

Our lives are incomplete without a relationship with God. As St. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless, Lord, until they rest in You."  Jesus is the missing piece in our empty soul.  Plugging into Him gives us the fullness of life that we were created for.

Does this mean that everything will be great from here on out?  No.  Christianity does not offer a life free of suffering.  But on the cross we see that our suffering no longer needs to end in death, but can bring new life.  This is the hope God offers us that the world cannot give.  Our home is with Him forever.

Pray about what Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-21. Think about the things you spend your time on. Do any of them have eternal significance?  (Do they bring you or others closer to God?)  If you find that meaningless things are getting in the way of meaningful ones, maybe you should cut them out of your life.  Think about how you can spend your time on this earth so that you can build up treasures in heaven.

Good job!  You’ve finished the first week!  Celebrate with a tasty cookie.