Merry Christmas everyone!

I remember talking to a man and asking him, “Do you know what God wants you to do with your life?” “No,” he said. I then asked, “Do you know what you want to do?” “No.” Looking a bit worried, he asked, “Is that normal?”

What do you think, is it normal not to know what God’s calling us to? I would say it’s common, but I don’t think it’s good, because God has a plan for you, you have a purpose, and we need direction in our life.

I’ll put it another way: Archbishop Sheen said there are two types of people: the first always works toward a goal or purpose; the other looks for escape, excuses, rationalizations “in order to avoid the meaning and purpose of life” (Catholic Catechism, Philosophy of Life, 9:20).

Suppose you have a young lady who wants to be a doctor—this is her goal, but beyond this, there’s another purpose. “Suppose you ask her, ‘What do you want to do after you become a doctor?’” “Well, I want to marry.” “And then?” “Have children.” “And then?” “Settle down.” “And then?” “Be successful and make money.” “And then?” “Give money to my children.” “And then?” (10:20). There comes a last, ‘And then?’ The person with a purpose will know what this last “and then” is, and that person will be satisfied. The person without a purpose will not. He or she will always be waiting for something more.

I once asked a teenage girl who was very diligent about saving up money, very clear and responsible about that, because she wanted to buy a house. I was impressed! But I asked her that question, “And then what?” She didn’t know. To me, that would be very hard to live with.

Today we celebrate Jesus’ birth, and what strikes me is that from the very beginning, Jesus’ purpose is crystal clear: he’s our savior (see the Gospel for today).

When the movie “The Passion of the Christ” came out, there was the slogan, “He was born to die.” There’s more to it, but the point is: Jesus is clear about His purpose.

During Jesus’ interrogation, He had a clear answer about His purpose, “For this I was born [today] and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37).

I love that! Because I want clarity in my life! Why? Because clarity means I know what I’m doing.

The more we have clarity about our purpose, the more happiness we have. People who are clear about their life purpose live life “passionately and enthusiastically. They very rarely complain, they don’t talk negatively about others, and you never hear them refer to happiness as some future event linked to retirement, marriage, a promotion, or some unexpected windfall of money” (Matthew Kelly, The Rhythm of Life, 9).

When we don’t have clarity, we can’t make decisions (we don’t know what say “Yes” or “No” to), we’re bored, waste time, lethargic, apathetic. For example, have you ever have an afternoon where one thing blends into another, and pretty soon you realize you’ve done nothing?

What should we do? You can’t give yourself a purpose, you have to discover it. When we try to give ourselves, it’s man-made, and it can be taken away by us. When our purpose is given to us, then nothing can take it away.

God has created everyone for a purpose. Everyone has a destiny: mission, a special call from God, part of a greater drama; things could go wrong if you don’t fulfill it. God has entrusted something to you that He’s not entrusted to someone else.

Generally speaking, God asks us to becoming the best-version-of-yourself: God’s not asking you to be someone we’re not (not your parents or friends), but just be a better version of yourself. Not be a second-rate version of yourself, but the best version.

For example, when we drive out tonight, we can choose to give into anger or we can choose to be patient. Which is the better version of ourselves? (Has anyone already had a good Christmas argument!? It’s too bad how we sometimes act poorly on the most joyous occasions of the year.) When we exercise and take care of our health, or waste time on the internet, which helps us become a better version of ourselves? When we treat other people with respect or ignore them, which is who we’re meant to be?

Now more specifically, if you want to know your purpose in life, you don’t just dial 1-800-PURPOSE. We have to ask God. How many people have actually asked God? It’s weird: how many times do I meet Catholics, who believe in God, but when I suggest this, they resist it? Why? Maybe they think God’s going to ask them to do something they don’t want to do. But God only asks us to be the best-version-of-ourselves. He only wants us to be happy.

Quick example of this: none of us controls the way our bodies are made. If we want to thrive, we need to sleep enough, eat good food, get good exercise—you can’t change this. It’s the way we’re designed. And that’s exactly what God wants. How do we feel when we sleep enough, eat healthy food, and get exercise? When was the last time we had enough sleep? That’s exactly what God wants. And it’s the same thing with my emotional lives, relationships, our work, our lives. When we fulfill our purpose, then we’re really happy.

Jesus, from the moment He was conceived, when He was born, when He was 12 years old, knew exactly what He was here to do. That’s why He did the greatest person the world has ever seen, the holiest and happiest person the world has ever seen.

When we know our purpose, we’ll know what that last “And then?” is. We’ll complain less, talk negatively less, and we won’t talk about happiness as something coming in the future. Purpose and happiness go together. Purpose and happiness go together.