What's the goal of human existence?

1. What is the goal of human existence? According to traditional Catholic theology, the goal is the Beatific vision:

1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face (1 Jn 3:2; cf. 1 Cor 13:12; Rev 22:4)…these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature.

But there are problems with that claim:

i) The setting is heaven or the intermediate state rather than the final state. So can an interim experience be the goal of human existence? How can a temporary experience which will eventually lie in the past be the goal of human existence? 

ii) There's no relationship between the claim and the prooftexts. The prooftexts don't say or imply that the saints will see  the divine essence with an intuitive vision.

iii) It's contradictory to say the saints will see God face to face without the mediation of any creature. God in himself has no face. God has no appearance. He's not a physical being. He can manifest himself, but he does so through symbolic physical media or symbolic dreams and visions. The saints could see God face-to-face in the way Isaiah (Isa 6) and Daniel (Dan 7) had a vision of God like a human king on a throne. 

iv) Of course, there's a sense in which the saints can see God face-to-face in the person of Jesus, as God Incarnate. 

2. What about the evangelical perspective? If you ask evangelicals what's the first thing they want to see or do when they get to heaven, they will give different answers. 

i) Some will say they look forward to seeing their departed loves ones. For them, the joy of heaven is primarily a family reunion between loved ones separated by death. I think that's the more candid answer. (This assumes your late relatives died in Christ.)

ii) The pious answer is that the first thing Christians want to see is Jesus when they die. In some cases that's a sincere answer, but in some cases I suspect they say that because they think that's what they're supposed to say or feel. 

But is that the goal of human existence? Is Jesus a means to an end or an end in himself, redemptively speaking? He's the Savior, but once we complete the pilgrimage, have we crossed that bridge? 

Likewise, if you meet Jesus when you die, then what? is there something special about being in the presence of Jesus? The disciples were often in his company day and night for weeks or months. But for the most part it wasn't some conspicuously numinous experience. There was the Transfiguration. Walking on water. But in general, to be in the physical presence of Jesus wasn't a source of ecstasy. 

Even in Scripture, encounters with Jesus take two different forms. One form is outwardly human and down-to-earth. The other form is an overwhelming Christophany. 

What do you do for eternity after you meet Jesus? Do the saints hang out with Jesus every day? If so, doing what?

iii) Another answer might be to see the glories of heaven. But many Christians undergo psychological damage in this life. In their case, the first thing they need isn't something spectacular, but emotional healing. Perhaps encountering Jesus will be restorative. And a family reunion will be restorative to some degree. 

It might be a two-stage process. The first stage is emotional healing. After that you're ready for the glories of heaven. 

3. Another cliche is ask God all your questions. Theological questions. Or existential questions what why God allowed certain tragedies or disappointments to darken your life or the lives of your loved ones. 

4. Humans are fundamentally earthlings, and I think we find the fulfillment of our basic needs and desires in natural goods. That doesn't mean the natural realm is sufficient. By itself, the natural realm is thin and one-dimensional. It requires the 3D depth of the supernatural realm to fill it out and give it ultimate meaning. But I don't think supernatural experiences are the essence of what makes human life satisfying. Down-to-earth goods are more central to the kind of creatures God made us to be. 

This also goes to the distinction between heaven or the intermediate state and the new earth or the final state. In this life, many Christians experience deprivations. Things they lost that made life enjoyable and worthwhile, as well as basic physical and emotional needs that went unmet in this life. In the world to come, their neglected physical and emotional needs will be provided for.