The afterlife

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16: 24-28)

Jesus warns us against placing our earthly desires above those of the afterlife. The reason is simple: being created in the image of God, we will never be able to satisfy our thirst for happiness except in him. Whoever places the desires of God above his own, even willing give up even his legitimate desires for God, he does so because he understands how much the God loved him through the gift of His Son. May we always keep in mind that this love is the only one that can give meaning to our life in the certainty that true life begins after earthly trials have ended, that is, in the afterlife.