Goals and values in life are frequently different for each of us but
beneath the goals and values is the same search for happiness, a desire
that is inscribed in our human nature, says a seminary professor writing
in the With Bible magazine.
By this desire for
happiness, he believes we are showing our love for the world. Even
though we experience quarreling, violence, oppression, pain, and
sickness, we still love the world. What needs to be done, the professor says, is to distinguish
between loving the world and being conditioned, manipulated by the
world. Since we were born in the world, we have both the duty and the
right to love the world. With this understanding, we have to define what
we mean by happiness. Some think happiness comes from possessing
material goods and honors; some think it comes from sharing.
Which
is it? he asks his readers. There are workers who believe that a good,
well-paying job will bring them happiness. And there are students who
think that happiness comes with getting into their school of choice, and
for untold numbers of people who struggle with a difficult situation,
solving the difficulty would bring happiness to them. The understanding
of happiness is different for each of us.
There is
another face, he says, to the world we love: the fear that surrounds our
knowing that it will come to an end for us. The Scriptures speak of the
transiency of life: "All mankind is grass, and all their glory like the
flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the
breath of the Lord blows upon it" (Isa 40:6-7).
Whether
we acknowledge it or not, we are going forward daily toward death. As
the psalm says: "A short span you have made my days, and my life is as
naught before you; only a breath is any human existence"( Ps 39:6).
Although life on this earth is short, it does not prevent us from
constantly looking for happiness during our short stay here.
So
what is happiness in this situation? What do we need to do to find
happiness? The answer can be found, he says, in the Gospel of Matthew,
chapter five to seven, but especially in the fifth chapter, containing
the Beatitudes. The sermon on the mount was from ancient times
considered the center piece of the New Testament, and the main point of
Christ's teachings. St. Augustine said that in the sermon of the mount we can
find the pattern of Jesus' life, and the complete teaching on the
commandments.
Beginning with the eight steps for
entering God's kingdom, we are shown the way to form ourselves in the
image of Jesus. We are taught how to grow closer to God and to possess
him. Before Augustine, St. Irenaeus said, "Humans are on earth to enjoy
God, to feel, love and possess him." Another way to express this is to
say we are on earth to discover Jesus, to live according to his word,
to appreciate and enjoy him. By doing this we will come to the fullest
understanding of what is meant by finding happiness in our lives.
Granted
that we all want happiness, what is the difference between wanting
happiness and being happy? When I say I am happy at this moment, I am truly happy. When I say I want to be
happy we are either less happy or unhappy and searching for happiness.
So who is the happy person?
