Created for Union with God
Introduction to Catholic Spiritual Formation: Part 1
Every human heart carries a restlessness—a deep sense that we were made for something more than what this world offers.
You've felt it. In quiet moments when success feels hollow. In relationships that promise fulfillment but leave you longing. In achievements that should satisfy but somehow don't. C.S. Lewis called it "the inconsolable longing"—a homesickness for a place we've never been. St. Augustine named it more directly: "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."
This restlessness is the most important clue about who you are and why you exist.
The deepest yearning of our hearts is not what most people think. It's not the next promotion, the perfect relationship, or even the resolution of our problems. These things may bring temporary satisfaction, but they cannot touch the fundamental longing that drives us. What we're really searching for is something infinitely greater.
This restless heart of yours is actually homesickness for God Himself. And the reason you feel it is because you were created for nothing less than union with Him.
Key Teaching
"God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in His own blessed life."— Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1
The Catechism begins here for good reason: this statement reveals the divine intention behind your existence.
Read it again, slowly.
You were not created merely to survive, to succeed, to be moral, or even just to serve God. You were created for something far greater: to share in God's own divine life—to be united with Him in the most intimate communion possible.
This is your purpose: union.
By "union," we don't mean losing your identity or becoming God yourself. We mean something far more beautiful: being drawn into the very love that flows between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Think of it as God inviting you into His own family circle, not as a distant observer, but as a beloved child who truly belongs.
Before we talk about prayer techniques, moral improvement, or spiritual disciplines, you must understand this foundational truth: your life only makes sense in light of the eternal desire God has to share Himself with you. Everything else in the spiritual life flows from this reality.
Why Did God Create Us?
God is perfect in Himself. He lacks nothing. The Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, exists in perfect love, perfect joy, perfect communion. God was not lonely before creation. He did not need you, or me, or anyone else to complete Him or make Him happy.
So why did He create us?
He created you out of "sheer goodness", a phrase the Catechism uses to emphasize that all of this is pure gift. There was no divine loneliness to fill, no cosmic purpose that required your existence. God created you for one reason: because His love is so abundant that He wanted to share it.
Think of the desire parents have towards their children. Newborn babies cannot give anything back. They cannot serve, cannot contribute, or even say "thank you." Yet parents still have joy in loving them, in sharing their life with them, in watching them grow into the fullness of who they're meant to be. This is a faint echo of God's heart toward you.
"In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life." — CCC 1
From the very beginning—before time, before the world, before you took your first breath—God wanted to raise you not merely as a creature who serves Him, but as a child who shares in His blessedness. This was always the plan. God didn’t just want subjects to rule over. He would have gone about that much differently. What God wants is a family. One that is perfectly loving and chooses to belong.
Divine Union
"That they may all be one... I in them and Thou in Me, that they may become perfectly one." — John 17:21-23
These are the words of Jesus praying to the Father, and He is praying for you. Jesus is asking that you and I would be drawn into the very life of the Trinity—that the love and communion He shares with the Father in the Holy Spirit would become ours.
When we speak of union with God, we're not talking about a feeling, a spiritual experience, or even a very close friendship. We're talking about something that transforms the very essence of who you are.
Consider the difference:
This is why Scripture speaks of grace as "participation in the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). It's not that we become God (as some spiritual movements suggest)—that's impossible. But God literally shares His life with us, making us partakers of what belongs to Him alone.
When you are in the state of grace, you are not simply "on God's good side" or "forgiven." Listen to what Jesus promises: "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). God has made His dwelling within your soul. The Trinity lives in you. This is the foundation of all Christian mysticism and the reason the saints could speak of experiencing heaven even on earth.
Grace is the Seed of Eternal Life
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, one of the great 20th-century Thomistic spiritual theologians, helped Catholics understand something profound about the grace we receive in this life. He taught that sanctifying grace is far more extraordinary than just a divine gift that makes us "acceptable" to God.
"Grace is the beginning of eternal life. It is already a participation in God's own life. What remains in heaven is only its full flowering." — The Three Ages of the Interior Life
Think of it this way: the life of God that you will live in heaven has already begun in your soul right now. Grace represents the seed of heaven itself, planted in you through baptism and nourished through the sacraments.
This is why the saints often speak of heaven not as something far away in the future, but as a reality they are experiencing now. What we call "growing in holiness" is really this divine life expanding within us, gradually transforming us from the inside out.
To be in the state of grace means that the same life that flows eternally between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is flowing in you, revealing and perfecting the divine life you already possess.
Your True Identity
Once you can grasp that you are created for union with a loving Father, we can start to understand what you must do to grow in the spiritual life.
You don’t approach this as a "sinner needing fixing" but "beloved child invited into intimacy." Yes, we have fallen and need redemption—but redemption's purpose is restoration to our original calling: communion with God.
Everything else in the spiritual life flows from this foundational identity:
The purpose of prayer is to enter this communion with God
The sacraments give us a share in God's own life
Virtue and detachment remove obstacles to this union
Penance and sacrifice are the means by which we achieve this detachment
Heaven is the perfection and permanence of this union
This radically reframes the spiritual journey. You are not trying to become someone God could love. You are learning to live as someone God already loves infinitely. You don’t have to earn your way into God’s family. To grow in holiness is simply to become who you are: His beloved child, destined for union with Him.
Spiritual Meditation
If you are new to mental prayer, we're going to do a simple exercise to introduce you to this foundational practice of the spiritual life.
Scripture for Reflection: Ephesians 1:4-5
Preparation: Find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted for 10-15 minutes. Turn off your phone. Sit comfortably but upright. Light a candle if it helps you focus. Begin with a simple prayer: "Come, Holy Spirit, open my heart to receive what You want to show me."
Step 1: Read (1-2 minutes) Read this passage slowly, three times. Don't try to analyze or understand everything—just let the words wash over you.
"He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will."
Step 2: Reflect (2-3 minutes) Choose one phrase that stands out to you:
"He chose us... before the foundation of the world"
"He destined us in love to be his sons"
"According to the purpose of his will"
Repeat this phrase quietly in your mind. Ask God: What are you saying to me through these words?
Step 3: Respond (2-3 minutes) Speak to God as you would a loving father. Tell Him what strikes you about this and why. If you're confused or unsettled by any of it, tell Him that too. Then ask Him whatever question may be on your mind. You might say: "God, what do You want me to know about why I exist? How do I need to change my understanding of myself to know that You created me for union with You?"
Step 4: Listen (3-5 minutes) Simply rest in God's presence. This means sitting quietly without trying to think, analyze, or figure anything out. Let your mind settle like dust in still water. If your mind begins to wander on unrelated things, gently return your attention to God. You might repeat a simple word like "Lord, keep me here with You" to help you stay focused. Don't worry if you don't "hear" anything dramatic. God often speaks in gentle impressions, quiet peace, or simple clarity. Sometimes the gift is simply being with Him.
Step 5: Journal (1-3 minutes) After your prayer, write down one word or phrase that captures what stirred in your heart during this time. Get a dedicated notebook for this purpose. We'll be using it throughout this entire program.
Key Takeaways
Before moving forward in this program, let these foundational truths settle deeply in your heart:
God created you to share in His own divine life—not just to serve Him, but to be united with Him in intimate communion.
This union is real, not symbolic—through grace, God literally dwells within your soul and shares His life with you.
Your deepest identity is "beloved child," not "broken sinner." Yes, we need redemption, but redemption restores us to our original calling: union with God.
Grace is the seed of heaven already planted in you—what you will experience fully in eternity has already begun in your soul through baptism.
Everything in the spiritual life flows from this truth—prayer, sacraments, virtue, sacrifice, and detachment all serve this one purpose: removing obstacles to union with God.
The spiritual life reveals your true identity as God sees you: His beloved child destined for union with Him.
Foundation for the Journey Ahead: This truth—that you are created for union with God—is the bedrock upon which everything else in this program will build. Without it, the spiritual life becomes either moralism (trying to earn God's love) or performance (trying to impress God with our efforts). With it, the spiritual life becomes what it truly is: learning to live as the beloved child you already are.
Reflection & Review Questions
For Personal Reflection:
1. How does understanding that you were created "out of sheer goodness" change your perspective on your relationship with God?
2. What resonates most with you about the idea that grace is "the seed of heaven" already planted in your soul?
3. In what ways have you been thinking of yourself primarily as a "sinner needing fixing" rather than a "beloved child invited into intimacy"?
4. Which aspect of union with God feels most appealing to you? Which feels most challenging or confusing?
For Deeper Consideration:
5. How might your daily life look different if you truly lived from the identity of "beloved child destined for union with God"?
6. What fears or resistances come up when you consider that God wants intimate communion with you?
7. Looking at the bullet points under "Identity Before Mission," which area (prayer, sacraments, virtue, etc.) do you most want to grow in, and why?
For Group Discussion or Spiritual Direction:
8. Share about your experience with the meditation exercise. What word or phrase did you write in your journal?
9. How does this teaching on our purpose for union compare to how you were taught about the spiritual life before?
10. What questions do you still have about union with God that you'd like to explore further?
Knowledge Check:
11. According to the Catechism, why did God create us?
12. What is the difference between human love and divine union?
13. What does Garrigou-Lagrange mean when he says grace is "the seed of eternal life"?
14. List the five ways that everything in the spiritual life flows from our identity as children created for union.
15. How is Christian union with God different from New Age concepts of "becoming divine"?
Answer Key
11. God created us "to make him share in His own blessed life" - out of "sheer goodness," not because He needed us, but because He wanted to share His love and make us His adopted children.
12. Human love involves feelings, choices, and actions between separate beings. Divine union means God actually shares His very being with us through grace, dwelling within our souls.
13. Grace is the actual beginning of eternal life, a participation in God's own life. Heaven will be the full flowering of what has already begun in our souls.
14. Prayer enters this communion• Sacraments give us a share in God's life • Virtue and detachment remove obstacles to union • Penance and sacrifice achieve detachment • Heaven is the perfection of this union
15. In Christianity, we don't become God or merge into divinity. Instead, God graciously shares His life with us while we remain fully human, invited into intimate communion with Him.