I recently read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist who spent three years in Nazi concentration camps and who pioneered the concept of logotherapy—the belief that people need meaning in their lives to reach their full potential and to have the continuing will to live. The book is not only an eye-opening account of his time as a prisoner, but it attests to the resilience of the human spirit, to the fact that life is precious, and to the confidence that we can derive something good from our suffering.
For numerous reasons, this poignant line in the book struck me: “Human life under any circumstances never ceases to have a meaning.” It struck me not only because it’s true, but because that’s what we Christians are called to understand and to teach others. Whether you’re a prisoner in a concentration camp, a prisoner of your own destructive thoughts, or a prisoner of the evils of our culture, your life has meaning and a purpose, even if you don’t think it does. And only when you realize this truth can you break free from the destructive nature of your captivity.
But while Frankl taught his patients and the wider world that they must find meaning in their own lives, we as Christians must go a step further and help others see the truth that all human life has meaning. Our actions and our words must reflect the fact that no one person is more special in the eyes of God than another. We are all equally valued—from the tiniest preborn baby to the sick or elderly person just moments from death.
In today’s society, this value often gets forgotten or overlooked, especially when people put themselves first, when they do what makes them happy rather than holy, when they fail to cherish life in all stages, and when they lack the courage to remain faithful to God despite outside resistance or their own laziness. We see evidence of this all around us, as we watch women cheer for the “right” to abort a baby up until the time of birth, witness women “rally in support” of a mother who murdered her innocent children, and see governors sign legislation legalizing assisted suicide. The list of threats to life goes on and on. And for those who don’t believe that life has meaning, these actions only reinforce this false belief. When they repeatedly observe the devaluing of life all around them, they internalize this belief, begin to see it as a “good,” and adopt it as their own.
This is a tragic way to live. Yet we know the truth. Life is precious, and it can be gone in an instant, whether that’s a result of murder, abortion, assisted suicide, accidents, or natural disasters.
We can never know when our time here on Earth will be over and we will meet God face to face, so we must live with the knowledge that our lives have meaning and that that meaning is Christ. As Catholics, we believe that we were created to know, love, and serve God in this world so that we can be with Him for eternity after we die. That fact gives us purpose, and it leads us to care for more than just ourselves. If we truly want to spend eternity with our Lord, we must care for and protect those around us, using whatever gifts He has given us.
In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul wrote, “Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.”
The days are evil, of that we can be sure. But there have always been evil days when Satan has attempted to triumph. He was there at the fall of man, there in Auschwitz, and in every time period between them. And he’s most certainly there where people cheer for the killing of babies. Yet we know that his presence does not mean his victory. Christ’s death and Resurrection assure us that He has won. We need only follow Him, do His work, and protect those around us, for that is the will of the Lord.
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl spoke of the many ways he offered hope to the other prisoners when they had none, when people around them were dying senseless deaths, and when they thought they would die alone in the camp. It was a hope that kept many of them alive just one more day.
How much greater is our hope in God!
Frankl had no promises to give, but he taught the other men the importance of finding meaning in their lives, even when suffering. At the end of his book, he spoke of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, who gave his life for another prisoner in Auschwitz, and he addressed the importance of talking about saints, explaining that though they are in the minority, he sees in them the “challenge to join the minority,” because “everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.”
Doing our best, protecting the vulnerable, and bringing Christ’s light to the world is the will of God. As we do so, let us keep Frankl’s words forefront in our hearts and minds so that we may live them with conviction: “Human life under any circumstances never ceases to have a meaning.”
This article first appeared in LifeSiteNews at lifesitenews.com/opinion/every-human-life-has-meaning-no-matter-the-circumstances.
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