What Makes Life Meaningful?

Reflection Date: September 9, 2026 | Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest
Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31; Luke 6:20-26

Children of God:
One of the most dramatic turning points in the life of Saint Francis of Assisi happened when he encountered a leper on the road outside Assisi. 

Francis grew up in a wealthy merchant family and enjoyed comfortable clothes, social status, celebrations, and dreams of becoming a knight. 

Yet he carried a deep fear and disgust toward people with leprosy, whom society often isolated because of their illness and appearance. 

One day, while riding through the countryside, Francis saw a leper approaching him. 

His first instinct was to avoid the man, because everything about the encounter challenged the comfortable world Francis knew. 

Instead of turning away, Francis got down from his horse, approached the leper, and gave him money. 

Francis then went further and embraced and kissed the man. 

Later, Francis remembered that what once seemed bitter to him became something that felt surprisingly sweet. 

That encounter became a turning point because Francis discovered that his deepest transformation came when he stopped running away from the person he feared and began seeing that person with compassion. 

The experience eventually contributed to his decision to abandon a life centered on wealth and status and embrace a life of simplicity, service, and solidarity with the poor.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus looked at his disciples and spoke words that sounded surprising, even uncomfortable. 

He declared blessed those who were poor, hungry, weeping, and rejected because of him, while he warned those who were rich, satisfied, laughing, and highly praised. 

What are our take away lessons for today? 

First, ultimate dependence on God.

The poor and hungry are blessed because their lack of earthly support forces them to rely fully on God. 

This is not hard to explain. 

The people who have no money or food often turn closer to God. 

They do not have wealth to trust, so they put all their hope in heaven. 

Their hard life helps them build a strong faith.

But this is not also canonization of the poor. 

Ultimate dependence on God means completely relying on Him for life, strength, and guidance instead of trusting only in yourself. 

It is the deep belief that God holds all power and provides for every need.

Ultimate dependence on God.

Second, real happiness is bigger than having an easy life.

Jesus described people who were poor, hungry, grieving, and rejected as blessed, while he warned people who were rich, satisfied, comfortable, and highly praised. 

His words challenged the assumption that a comfortable life automatically means a good life. 

Jesus looked beyond temporary circumstances and asked what kind of person we were becoming.

This does not mean that poverty, hunger, or suffering are good things in themselves. 

Nobody should romanticize another person's suffering. 

The deeper message is that material comfort cannot become the only measure of happiness. 

Real happiness is bigger than having an easy life. 

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: Who are the people I instinctively avoid because they make me uncomfortable or challenge my preferences? 

Am I measuring my happiness mainly by what I own, achieve, or receive from others? What comfort, possession, attitude, or prejudice do I need to loosen so that I can become more generous and compassionate?

Children of God:
Wealth, comfort, popularity, and satisfaction can never become the only standards by which we judge a meaningful life. 

At the same time, poverty and suffering should never be romanticized or treated as desirable conditions. 

The gospel invites us to examine where our hearts find security and what our lives produce for others. 

Sometimes the generosity we offer to another person becomes the beginning of our own transformation. 

And sometimes the life we are trying so hard to protect is the very life we need to open more generously.