(12 Oct. 2011) A faith. A religion. A philosophy. A world-view. A life perspective. Call it what you will, but everyone has one. Not everyone will call it by a name, not everyone will identify it with some group or set of ideals, not everyone will even admit to having one. But everyone does. Fundamentally, everyone who decides to get out of bed in the morning has some reason for doing so. Something motivates them, something drives them, something deep within tells every human soul each day, “today is worth living,” and hence, we actually get out of bed.

Many people nowadays do not want to “label” themselves with a religion, a denomination, a philosophy, or an ideology. The culture’s mad desire for individuality has swept so far that to label yourself with any such group would be frowned upon. Yet still, man desires a reason to exist, and though he might go looking in all the wrong places, he desires that reason to be something above himself. Something higher. Something beyond. Otherwise, why even get out of bed?

Saint Peter tells us in his first letter that we must be ready to show the world the reason for the hope that is within us. If we so dare to challenge the culture as to put an identity on our reason for hope, our reason for existence, we need look no further than to place our identity in Jesus Christ, and in Him crucified. There is nothing more true, good, and beautiful than Truth Himself. And Truth (yes, there is a Truth) is a Person—not an ideology, not a world-view, not a way-of-thinking. Truth is a real Person, who walked this earth, who remains with us, and who longs to be our reason for everything.

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” ~Fr. Arrupe, SJ

Mallory Ryan (introducing Mysterium’s newest blogger)