Another year goes by and before you know it, as the clock of life ticks toward dusk, there are times, he wonders how much time he has left. How much time can we spend accepting someone and patting someone on the back? "How many days does he have left to love without being anxious or sad?" Taken from a Korean poem— 'How many days do I have left to love?'
"A glass of milk in the morning, fast food for lunch, looking at the hands of the clock like a person being chased… Everyone has the same face and extends their hand to shake, but they are all walking with different hearts. Where are we going without saying anything? People who are together but are lonely."
This song is called 'City People' by the late Shin Hae-cheol, released in 1992. Even though 30 years have passed he predicted this day accurately.
Even though the world has become more comfortable and affluent, we are always busy and lonely, and happiness is far away. Why is that so? There are many reasons, but there are also some universal factors.
Although the world has become materially rich, we actually miss out on important values such as family, friends, community, spirituality, faith, service, sharing, caring for, and loving each other— the civilization of advanced modern society alone cannot fulfill human happiness.
Pope Francis emphasized the role of Christians when he said: "If you want to proclaim the Gospel, you must stand on the streets" (General Audience, Wednesday, November 29, 2023). What is that role? God's children must frequently visit the places where their neighbors live, where they suffer, work, study, and think, to provide a place for encounter and conversation, and to embody the Gospel in their lives. This is an invitation to become healthy and happy believers.
Only then will the neighbors we meet experience the happiness God wants us to have. What must we do to become such a person of faith? What do you think the secret is? There is no royal road. The way is to be close to the Mass, liturgy, and the Word of God, and to practice prayer, reflection, silence, and charity. We need to focus on spiritual values to be happy.
Conflicts and difficulties always exist in society and the world, and much effort and cooperation are required to resolve them. Prayer and spirituality give us a lot of strength along the way. So, despite our busy schedules, we must make time to mature our spirituality.
How many days do we have left to love? Like the Old Testament Book of Job which predicted that the most amazing wisdom is to fear God and avoid evil (see Job 28:28).
