During the quiet times, when we are not occupied with the hustle and bustle of daily living, there are many questions that every human being must wonder about. Many people have utilized the gifts of faith and reason to formulate the following answers.
Who made me?
God made me. It is impossible that the intricacies of the human body happened by chance. Every cell has a specific function. Think of the many elements of the eye alone, and how they all work together to transfer images from the external world to the brain. Could this happen by chance, or by random selection? It is highly unlikely, if not impossible. Of the millions of people on earth, no two are exactly the same. Who is responsible for such infinite variety?
Who is God?
God is the Supreme Being Who made all things. Every human knows through instinct that a Supreme Being exists. God revealed His true identity first to the Jewish nation, but all ancient societies invented a god or gods to satisfy the innate desire to acknowledge and worship a Supreme Being. The ancient Greeks had Zeus, the ancient Romans had Jupiter, and the native people of North America had the Great Spirit.
Why am I here?
You are here to prove your love and loyalty to God. God's first creation, the angels, lived in heaven. When some of them, led by Lucifer, rebelled, there was a great war. The peace and perfection of heaven was temporarily disturbed. To avoid a recurrence, the first human beings were placed in a beautiful garden. Like the angels, they were given free will, and they soon destroyed the perfection of Eden through sin. Since that time, those humans who live their lives loving God and their neighbor as well as they are able, will attain eternal happiness in heaven.
What will happen when I die?
After death, you will be judged on how well you loved God and others during your life, according to the knowledge and the understanding to which you had access. If you were successful, you will gain heaven. If you freely chose evil, you will join Satan and his legions in hell.
Most of us are not perfect enough for heaven at the moment of death. Roman Catholics believe there is an intermediate place, Purgatory, where imperfections are erased and any remaining attachment to sin is released. Purgatory is a temporary place for purification, but it lacks the hopelessness and despair which afflict the souls in hell.
Why does God allow evil?
God is all-good. He never creates evil. When bad things happen on earth, they are the result of actions by humans or devils. The fallen angels, Lucifer, now known as Satan, and those who chose to follow him, are extremely jealous of humans. God intends that humans will occupy their former places in heaven. This will not happen if the fallen angels can help it. They are still very intelligent and very powerful. What evil and destruction they cannot accomplish on their own, there are lots of wicked humans ready and able to help them.
These are the answers to life's fundamental questions which the author and many others have found to be reasonable, satisfying and to resound with the ring of truth. However, they only scratch the tip of the surface of available knowledge and inspiration. For further information, please contact a priest or deacon in your local Catholic Church.
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