The purpose of God’s Creation of Mankind

31 ^st Sunday in Ordinary Time Rev 7:2-4, 9-14; 1Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a.

What is the purpose of God’s creation of Mankind? To know, love and serve Him in this life on earth and to be with Him forever in the next. What we do while living on this earth determines our destiny for our life after. If we fulfill the first part of the Purpose of God’s Creation of mankind, then for sure we will see Him face to face forever in the life after.
Today, all three readings speak about seeing God face to face. The people of all nations, tongues and tribes will be gathered together and they will see God face to face forever. This is what God wants to do for us. But one needs to know, love and serve God while living on earth if he or she wants to make true what God wants to do for us.
How could one know God? An analogy may help us here. A lover has to spend lots of time with his lady love if he wants to know her better. In the same way it is our personal intimate relationship with God and our willingness to listen to Him in our prayer would help us know Him better.
How could we love and serve God? There could be so many ways and means through which we could do that. Mathew suggests few ways by which one could love and serve God on this earth. They are.

1. Mt5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”. It means that one needs to be humble before God. One needs to be completely dependent on God and His providence in his life. Poverty would help a person to be humble and dependent on God.
2. Verse 5 says, ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. In the New Testament land means the kingdom. One needs to be meek enough in order to inherit the kingdom of God.
3. Verse 6 says, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied”. Here righteousness means saving activity of God. One needs to submit to all God’s Will for the salvation of human race.
4. According to verse 7, one needs to be merciful.
5. Verse 8 says, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God”. In the Old Testament only a person with clean heart can take part in the Temple worship. New Testament promise is that a person with clean heart will see God not in the Temple but in the coming Kingdom. Who is pure in heart? As 1Jn3:3 says everyone who has the hope that we shall be like God and see Him as He is makes himself pure.
6. Verse 10 says, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of God”. John affirms it in Rev 7:14. In his vision an elder asks John, who are these wearing white robes and where are they coming from? The elder says to John that they are the ones who have withstood the time of great distress and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Verses 11 and 12 say that one needs to be ready to be persecuted and insulted for the sake of righteousness.

Let us take a minute to think. Am I poor in Spirit, humble before God and dependent on God and His Providence? Do I submit to all God’s Will for the salvation of Human race? Do I hope that I will be like God and see God as He is? Am I willing to be persecuted or insulted for the sake of righteousness?