Searching for God

We are all searching for God. Hidden in the word search, is hope. We spend a great deal of time searching for the  necessities of life: food, clothing and shelter; this requires money, competence and strength. We also search for the immaterial: to love and be loved, for acceptance and happiness.                     

A priest writing in the Kyeongyang magazine wants us to reflect on this searching-- a large component of life. 

At times we do get what we want and have great joy but this doesn't last long, and quickly we are in  pursuit of other goals. Not realized we are dissatisfied, and we begin to pile up discontent which makes our existence difficult and unattractive. But this dissatisfaction is a good for which we should be thankful.

Dissatisfaction is not an emotion we enjoy, but  important and necessary for it shows we need to search for true happiness. Uncomfortableness makes us search for what will make us comfortable while dissatisfaction goads us on to search for what will make us happy.

"The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for: The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator" (Catechism #29).

Searching here means more than going in pursuit and desiring but concretely to search in study and examination.  "Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Although man can forget God or reject him, he never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man every effort of intellect, a sound will, 'an upright heart', as well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God" (Catechism #30).

We all have the capacity to search for God and the dissatisfaction we have with life is the very call of God, in us from creation. As we search for God the writer wants us to remember that God is always in search of us and it is only in him we will have satisfaction. 

Those who are searching for the fleeting and transient are really in search of God, and we need to pray for them. And we need to remember that God is leading us always with his graces and calling us to himself.