Discovering Life’s Purpose Blog
Thoughts, musings, and ruminations on the purpose of life.
2024
- Thank God for Purgatory
Purgatory is arguably the most misunderstood teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Catechism clarifies its teaching. Simply put, it teaches that purgatory is a…
- Agape Love
While at a COR (Christ in Others) retreat with my late wife, I briefly met a paraplegic on a field trip to Participation House, an assisted-living residence in Markham. On the…
- A Much-Needed Wakeup Call
In the late 1990’s, I travelled to Mumbai, India on a sales process consulting gig for Microsoft. On a weekend during my stay at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, I decided to do a…
- Achieving True Happiness
Is true happiness eluding you? By true happiness, I mean a permanent happiness, independent of whatever you experience. Is such a state of happiness even achievable? I suspect your…
- GurusRUs
What is your position on the meaning of life. Have you decided that life has no meaning – “we live, we die, next!”? Have you decided that the meaning of life is to do what you…
- The Joy of Overcoming Sin
Are you put off by the Roman Catholic Church’s insistence that you continually sin? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Can you think of any organization that has carried…
- Faith and Reason
As a flaming atheist in the 1960’s, I was disgusted by what I was learning about the Roman Catholic Church. As late as the end of the nineteenth century, the Church insisted that…
- When Prayers Are Answered
Are prayers answered? For most of my life, my answer was, “No!”. For many of my friends, their answer is, “No”. One made this clear. When I told him I would pray for him, he…
- The Many Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Two weeks less a day, prior to this writing, Christians of most denominations celebrated Pentecost. Each year, on the 50th day of Easter, they celebrate the visual descent of the…
- The Many Faces of Our Creator
Would you agree with me that, as far as we know, no one has seen the face of our creator nor knows if our creator even has a face? Despite this, would you also agree that most of…
- The Rubik’s Cube of Life’s Meaning
Towards the end of the fourth century, St. Augustine wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee.” Of course, he is…
- What if God is Waiting for You and Me?
In his epic poem, The Hound of Heaven, Francis Thompson portrays God as a hound, relentlessly pursuing us however hard we try to escape. Here’s an excerpt. From those strong feet…
- The World is a Mess. What Can I Do About It?
Is there any doubt that the world is a mess? Barely one night goes by that the evening news does not contain one or several stories of tragedy. Just one study has determined that…
- Do You Have a Favourite Prayer
During the 2024 Lenten season, I took the sacrament of reconciliation during a retreat. The priest asked me if I had a favourite prayer? For my penance, he asked that I say that…
- Is Common Sense as Good as It Gets
In Are Our Most Important Questions Unanswerable?, we concluded that answers based on reasoning and observation provide us knowledge, though not absolute, as good as any knowledge…
- Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen
In our last post, we pursued whether the question, “Why does a loving God expose us to suffering?”, is unanswerable. Using reasoning, we concluded that it is answerable and…
- Is God Messing With My Mind?
Until recently, I was convinced that anyone expecting to receive something for which they prayed to God, was kidding themselves. I felt this way for three reasons. Firstly…
- The Courageous Ostrich
Once upon a time, a beautiful ostrich was born. Well, it was beautiful to its mother anyway. While it was with its mother, it was the happiest, most carefree ostrich it knew. One…
2023
- The Elephant in the Room
If you’ve checked out my book, Discovering Life’s Purpose, or this blog, you know I feel nothing is more important to all of us than learning to live our lives on Earth according…
- God Incorporated
In my November 15 post – All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day – we questioned why there was no All Angels’ Day. This led to the question, “Do angels really exist and if so, how can…
- All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
The Roman Catholic Church designates November 1 as All Saints’ Day and November 2 as All Souls’ Day. Every year these feast days have raised unanswered questions in my mind. Were…
- The 75-Year War
On October 7, 2023, Hamas succeeded in entering Southern Israel, killing up to 1400 Israelis, and taking close to 220 hostages. It was the deadliest attack in nearly 75 years. In…
- Unrequited Love
Christian teaching, seen simplistically, is that bad people go to hell and good people go to heaven. Christian funerals consistently claim that the deceased is now at peace in…
- Steering the Queen Mary
Steering a ship of the Queen Mary’s enormous size calls for the use of very robust equipment. The steering gear that serves the vessel weighs 180 tons and occupies a space about 68…
- Rights and Responsibilities
Do you find abortion to be one of the most, if not the most contentious issue of our time? Is your position on this fixed? If so, is it your position that it should be permitted or…
- The Rich Man and the Camel
Have you heard the one about the rich man and the camel? No one tells them like Jesus! Check it out in Matt 19: 23-26. As He does elsewhere, Jesus warns us we can do nothing…
- Are Your Bags All Packed for Eternal Life?
Do you know, as well as you know anything, that you will be taking the trip of your life at the end of your earthly life – that you will be on a trip to eternal life? If you…
- Why Did God Restrict His Covenant?
Have you ever wondered why, according to the Old Testament, God chose the Jewish people with whom to make His covenant? Why would a God, who loves all of us, focus on the Jewish…
- The Greatest Commandment Yardstick
What yardstick should we use to measure how well we’ve met The Greatest Commandment? In All the Alls in The Greatest Commandment, we concluded that The Greatest Commandment demands…
- The Kid Who Wouldn't Learn - The Sequel
As Billy sat in the principal’s office, he was overcome with foreboding. He was trying to process that he was not going to matriculate. Suddenly the office was filled with a great…
- The Kid Who Wouldn't Learn - The Movie
In the maternity ward, Billy’s mom gazed down on Billy snuggled in her arms. He was perfect. She loved him with all her heart. He would have the best. Nothing was too good for…
- The Problem with Free Will
Recently, I had the pleasure of a wide-ranging interview with Rodger Nichols of Cover to Cover Book Beat. At one point, he asked how a creator, who loves us, could enable others’…
- Summer Must-Reads
The days are getting longer. Summer vacation is just around the corner. Can there be any better time to check out this summer’s must-reads? This year’s must-read winner is The…
- What If You Could Really Know Your Purpose?
From time to time do you question, “Why am I here?” Does the question nag at you until you are able to put it aside? At other times do you question, “What am I doing here? Is what…
- How Do We Rid Ourselves of Mass Shootings?
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the annual rate of mass shootings in the US has been in the 600’s since 2020 – almost double that of the average in the 2010 decade.…
- Why Must We Internalize the Word of God?
In How Must We Prepare for the Heaven Beyond Earth?, we discovered that God Incarnate taught that our preparation for heaven must include our internalization of the Word of God.…
- How Must We Prepare for the Heaven Beyond Earth?
In What Do We Know About the State of Heaven?, we reminded ourselves of how reasoning, spiritualism and religion all establish our knowledge Jesus Christ was God Incarnate. Armed…
- What Do We Know About the State of Heaven?
In Can We Experience Heaven on Earth, we established that heaven is a state rather than a place. Should we pursue how we can know what it’s like and how we can experience it on…
- How Can You Know You Know?
One of this blog’s readers raised an issue with its December 1 post – Must We Set Aside the Bible to Discover Life’s Meaning? His point was. “…the inconsistencies and…
- Can We Experience Heaven on Earth?
Can we experience heaven on earth? Well, no, if heaven is a place somewhere beyond Earth. But we have already established that Heaven Is Not a Place. If heaven is a state of being…
- Heaven Is Not a Place
As a child, were you taught that heaven is a place above the clouds where God sits on His throne. Were you also taught that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole with eight tiny…
- 2023’s Top Five New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time again. Do you (still) make New Year’s resolutions? If not, is it because you know they have a very short shelf life? Is it because you find you keep making the same…
2022
- A Christmas Bedtime Story
Once upon a time, the Great Power, experiencing a profound sense of loneliness, realized that it had felt this way as long as it could remember (which was, of course, what we call…
- Must We Set Aside the Bible to Discover Life’s Meaning?
NR The Bible cannot be the Word of God because of its errors, lack of supporting facts and the impossible feats it relates. R The Bible must be the Word of God because God needed a…
- Is it Time to Relearn Learning?
Do you feel pretty confident that you know the answer to life’s meaning? How did you come to this knowledge? Did you not observe every clue you could discover, learn what they tell…
- Who Cares if the Eucharist is Real?
According to the New Testament, at The Last Supper, Jesus Christ transformed bread and wine into His body and blood and commanded His disciples to “do this in memory of me”. Roman…
- How Can You Know Jesus’ Miracles Were Real?
Do you find the New Testament miracles hard to accept? For most of my life, I did. My skepticism led me to dismiss them. Are they not pretty easy to dismiss when we have never…
- How Can a Man be God?
Christianity is primarily based on the tenet that Jesus Christ, its founder, is God Incarnate. How can a mere man be God? Is this claim nothing more than Christianity’s trump card?…
- How Can the Bible Be the Word of God?
Christians insist the Bible is the Word of God. How can they maintain that when the Bible is full of errors? How can any of us accept their claim? If God didn’t talk to the Bible’s…
- Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
Have bad things ever happened to you or someone you love? Does it make you question whether your creator really loves us? How could a creator that loves you and all its children…
- Are You Tired of Being Told What to Think?
Before publishing my first book – Discovering Life’s Purpose – in 2018, a friend kindly read a prepublication manuscript. When his wife learned what he was doing, she asked…
- Have You Met the Prodigal Son?
Have you ever met the prodigal son? You know who I’m referring to, right? You know, the dude who squandered his whole inheritance and then returned to his father with his tail…
- Is It Responsible to Doubt?
Is there anything in your life about which you are plagued with doubt? For example, do you doubt that there is life after death. Even if you soundly believe that there is, can you…
- Are You Victimized by Doubt?
Are you victimized by doubt? If so, you’re not alone. Let’s see how doubt about the meaning of life applies to any doubt we experience. Only two minority groups have immunized…
- What The Hell!
Is there such a thing as hell? Of course, if you have concluded that there is no creator or afterlife, then the question is moot. But how sure are you of your conclusion? Are you…
- What’s Religion Got to Do with It?
This question came up in a recent discussion, with a friend, about life’s meaning. After many such discussions he finally told me that he despaired of ever being able to adopt…
- Do Christians Get a Free Pass?
Most Christians feel that their faith assures them that, at their deaths, they will be forgiven all their shortcomings and will immediately be welcomed into heaven. Do not pass…
- How Would You Rate Your Complacency?
Would you agree that nothing in life is anywhere near as important as achieving life’s meaning? Because life has no do-overs, can you afford any complacency about it? Do you agree…
- Do You Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist?
Faith is the last thing of which most people would accuse atheists! Would you be surprised to learn that faith is a prerequisite of atheism? Why is this? Have you ever discovered a…
- Purgatory
Wrath, fear, punishment, atrocities, vengefulness, genocide, abominations, iniquity – sound like what makes up TV drama? Actually, it’s what comprises much of God’s Word in the Old…
- A Universe From Nothing
In 2012, Lawrence Krauss published his ground-breaking scientific treatise entitled, A Universe from Nothing. In an Afterword of one edition, Richard Dawkins claims that Krauss’…
- The Neighbour in The Greatest Commandment
Have you heard Jesus’ parable of The Good Samaritan? He told it as an illustration of what The Greatest Commandment means by loving your neighbour as yourself. Although it is the…
- All the Alls in The Greatest Commandment
Have you ever noticed how many all’s there are in The Greatest Commandment? Have you ever reflected on what it means to love your God with all your heart, all your strength and all…
- The Treasure of Intimacy
Are you longing for intimacy? Has it alluded you? Has its absence left you feeling alone? Or have you experienced intimacy only to have it evaporate, seemingly forever? Are you…
- Could Free Will Be Your Most Dangerous Gift?
Do you think of free will as a gift from your creator? After all, isn’t everything you experience a gift from your creator? And what a huge grab bag of gifts it is! Your life, your…
- Is There More?
Do you sometimes feel uneasy about how your life is playing out? Does your life sometimes seem to be “same old, same old”? Do you sometimes feel like you’re just going through the…
2021
- Will You See the End of the World?
You have probably come across at least one prediction of the end of the world. You can google "wikipedia predictions of the end of the world" to view a list of the many made each…
- Is Your Creator Awaiting a Response to Its Constant Outreach?
In Why Our Creator Keeps Itself Hidden From Us, it seemed that our creator was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, it can’t confront us with its magnificence, by…
- Why Our Creator Keeps Itself Hidden from Us
What can we learn about our creator from our experience as procreators? Do you want your children to love you as you love them? Does every intentional and capable procreator, of…
- The Creator
What do we know of our creator? Might it be the elephant in the room? In the movie, Jumbo, Jimmy Durante, leading a live elephant, is stopped by a police office who asks, “What are…
- Lookin’ For Love
Do you feel lonely? Were you left alone after a relationship breakup? Have you not yet found the right partner? Do you worry that you may never find a genuine, intimate…
- Why is the Creation of Every Human Dependent on Us?
Did our creator create you and everything else in existence? Does it build into everything it creates the ability to reproduce itself? For example, each plant produces seeds some…
- Become At One with Creator
Become At One With Creator is the crowning stage in The Seven Stages of Discovering Life’s Purpose. In Stage Six – Adopt Creator’s Will, you place achieving your creator’s will…
- Adopt Creator’s Will
Is your knowledge of your creator’s will certain? Does that lead you to try to make your creator’s will your will? If so, you are in the Adopt Creator’s Will stage in The Seven…
- Know Creator’s Will
Are you, or someone you love, at the point where you know your creator’s will without doubt and with strong conviction? If so, you (or they) have reached Stage Five – Know…
- The Mid Stages: Reject, Practice and Question Childhood Teachings
At what point did you decide for yourself what you would do about what you were taught as a child? It was at that point that you moved to The Mid Stages of The Seven Stages of…
- Accept Childhood Teachings
Accept Childhood Teachings is the first stage in The Seven Stages of Discovering Life’s Purpose. Did you, like most children, accept without much thought, whatever you were taught…
- The Seven Stages of Discovering Life’s Purpose
Is the meaning of your life something for you to determine or has it already been established by your creator? After all, would not your creator’s will be the purpose of what it…
- The Seven Stages of Grief
Are you struggling with processing your grief over the loss of a dear one? Do you feel lost and rudderless? Have you faced the daunting challenge of comforting someone who has…
- Is The Meaning of Life Hiding in Plain Sight?
Have you settled on a meaning of your life when, all along, it had already been predetermined? Are you still searching for the predetermined meaning of your life while, all along…