A reminder that we are not made for this world

I have some great news for you.  One day you will die.  
Is that good news?  Well if we understand who we are and what we are created for, yes it is in fact good news.  
God made humanity for communion with Him.  It was, and remains His will that we be united with Him forever.  When we are united with Him we will possess goodness, truth and beauty, not just the mere reflections of those.  When we are united with God we are completely satisfied and complete.
I become so easily attached to things that God has created and I become full with those things leaving no room for the One who created all things.  In this state I am semi-unaware of my need for God.  When I am filled with His created things and distracted by them I tend to see death as a separation from so many good things and so many people that I love.  
Maybe we all need to remind ourselves that we are not made for this world.  This world is passing, and our ultimate fulfillment is not here.  Seen properly, death is our rebirth into the world for which we were actually made.  It is sort of like being a car with four flat tires.  I have never known what it is like to have air in the tires.  It kind of looks scary or painful to have air put into the tires.  But when the tires are inflated we begin to experience what it really means to be a car.  Once that happens we never desire to go back.  We find that we are fulfilled and happy and we will be amused that we once feared having our tires filled.
Let us not fear the Spirit of the Lord filling us!  Come Holy Spirit and purify our hearts and our desires.  Help us to see your beauty and desire you alone.  Help us to not fear the purifying fire of your love.  
  — Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] 
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