We exist because of God’s immense love for us. Even after humanity turned away from Him through original sin, He sent His Son to redeem us. There is no way to fully repay God for His love, but we can use this life to glorify Him and strive to become more like Him.
In this life, we are imperfect and constantly striving to grow. We live in a world filled with sickness, pain, suffering, and death. Sadness, fear, and injustice are all common. But our time here is temporary. One day, we will all die—and when we rise again, we will be transformed into something perfect and everlasting.
Our bodies will change from imperfection to perfection. Scripture gives us glimpses of this transformation. After His resurrection, Jesus’ disciples didn’t immediately recognize Him, and during His transfiguration, His face changed in appearance. While we don’t know exactly what our glorified bodies will look like, they will be perfected. I believe we will resemble our earthly selves but in a way that fully reflects our goodness and beauty.
Yet, the greatest transformation will happen in our hearts and souls. Our desires will align completely with God’s will. The love we show now, though meaningful, is imperfect. In the next life, our love will be perfected, mirroring God’s own love. As Catholics, we believe that purification occurs after death. None of us could stand before God without any imperfections. But just as fire refines iron, God’s light will burn away our impurities, making us perfect. At first, we may feel pain as we recognize how our sins have hurt others. Yet, as we come to understand God’s perfect love, that pain will fade until only purity remains.
We must constantly seek growth and a deeper relationship with God. Revelation warns that the lukewarm will be spit out, so let’s stay on fire in our faith. If we ask God to show us new ways to love Him and others and keep our fire burning strong, we will transfigure the world and glorify the Lord by our life.
