Searching for Meaning
Week One
What gives you meaning?
In his classic memoir Man's Search for Meaning, psychiatrist Viktor
Frankl explores how we can find meaning in life even in the most
tragic circumstances.
He tells readers about the extreme hunger and inhumanity he
endured in four different concentration camps in Nazi Germany.
He was separated from his wife, parents and brother who all died
in the camps. He was forced to hand over every personal belonging
including his most treasured writings - his "life's work." He lived in
constant threat of death.
If there ever was an experience that would lead someone to
conclude that life is meaningless, Frankl's is one. Yet, his spirit was not
crushed. He found light in this darkness. How?
He discovered that even in the most terrible circumstances, we
still have the freedom to choose to create meaning in our live s. It is this
same freedom to choose life that St. Irenaeus referred to when he said,
"The glory of God is the human being fully alive."
The most powerful and moving details of Frankl's story are the
thoughts that gave him the will to live - thoughts of his wife's love.
He shares:
"We stumbled on in the darkness, over big stones and through
large puddles, along the one road leading from the camp. The guards
kept shouting at us and driving us with the butts of their rifles.
Anyone with very sore feet supported himself on his neighbor's arm.
Hardly a word was spoken; the icy wind did not encourage talk ... But
my mind clung to my wife's image...! heard her answering me, saw her
smile, her frank and encouraging look. Real or not, her look was then
more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise."
JOIN THEJOURNEY
MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE
"We are not some
casual and meaningless
product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of
a thought of God.
Each of us is willed.
Each of us is loved.
Each of us is necessary'.'
- Pope Benedict XVI
Prayer for the Crace of Memory
Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order
to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart. - Deuteronomy 8:2
Loving God,
Saint I gnatius asks us to call back into our
memory the gifts we have received,
And ponder with deep affection how much
You have done for us.
Let us ask for the grace to recover memory:
Memory of our own personal journeys,
Memory of how the Lord sought us out.
May looking back help us to be more alert in
perceiving Your presence.
May the grace of memory strengthen our
hearts. Amen.
Adapted from Pope Francis'
"United by the Grace ofMemory,"
Open Mind, Faithful Heart
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For Prayer and Reflection
As you contemplate what gives your life
meaning, consider the message of Pope Francis:
"God does not reveal Himself cloaked in worldly
power and wealth, but rather in weakness and
poverty." He reminds us that the most humble
and ordinary aspects of our daily lives are infused
with meaning and filled with God's loving presence.
You are invited to spend some quiet time today
reflecting on what gives your life meaning by writing
responses to these questions. You may also visit our blog
at: https://encounteringchristblog.wordpress.com/
In My Daily Life
What gives your life meaning? Take time to write down
some of the most meaningful aspects of your life.
In Our Catholic Faith
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that 'in
every human encounter ...in every apparent coincidence,
in every challenge, every suffering, there is a message
from God to us.'
What times have you felt God's hand in your life and
events most clearly?
In Friendship withjesus Christ
During a storm at sea, Jesus said to His disciples, "Take
courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" Scripture tells us that
"He got into the boat with them and the wind died
down." (Mark 6:51-52).
What times have you found meaning in difficult
circumstances because Christ was "in the boat with you?"
SOURCES AND FOR FURTHER READING:
Frankl, Viktor E. (1984). Man's Search for Meaning. New York: Simon &
Schuste.
Pope Francis (2013). Open Mind, Faithful Heart. New York: Crossroad
Publishing Company.
Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (20ll). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Pope Francis' Lenten Message in 2014 available at http://www.news.va/en/
news/popes-lenten-message-2014-by-his-poverty-you-might.
Ellsberg, Robert (2003). The Saints' Guide to Happiness. New York:
Doubleday.
Butler-Bowdon, Tom (2003). 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life.
London & Boston: Nicholas Brealey.
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