Daily reflection _ a desire for happiness

A DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS
In spite of all his material possessions, he comes to still lacking one thing. He is seeking the kind of lasting peace and happiness which money cannot buy him.  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
Ezekiel the prophet witnesses the death of his wife and views her death as a foreshadowing of the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people. All individuals must one day die. The famous people of history and the unremembered multitudes all lie in their graves. Nations eventually fade from power; the once mighty empires of Assyria and of Rome are no more. All things human are but temporary.
There is nothing like death to put human life and its values into perspective. Even before death we taste the impermanence of pleasure and satisfaction. At this time of the year many people take their vacations. They save and plan all year and look forward with great eagerness to a trip as a time of relaxation. And yet the most pleasurable and satisfying of all vacations seem to be over all too soon and we are left wondering where the time has gone.
As we go through life we need times of respite, even just plain fun. We should see wholesome pleasure and the joys of living as God's gifts to us. May we never, however, substitute the gift for the giver, or think there is nothing more to the meaning of life than alternating between work and play, pleasure and pain. But thank God for this gift of convenience. Jesus tries to give the rich young man a sense of proper values when he asks the right question, "What must I do to possess everlasting life" (Mt 19:16)? In effect, Jesus tells him that he must free himself from dependence on material things and turn his life over to God totally (cf Mt 19:21).
What gives hope and satisfaction to our desire for happiness and security? This young man had the best that the world could offer - wealth and security. In spite of all his material possessions, he comes to still lacking one thing. He is seeking the kind of lasting peace and happiness which money cannot buy him. The answer he got, however, was not what he was looking for. He protested that he kept all the Commandments, but Jesus spoke to the trouble in his heart.
One thing kept him from giving himself whole-heartedly to God. While lacking nothing in material goods, he was nonetheless possessive of what he had. He placed his hope and security in what he possessed. So when Jesus challenges him to make God his one true possession and treasure, he becomes dismayed and holds tightly to his wallet.
Jesus himself is the greatest treasure we can have; giving up everything to have Jesus as our treasure is not sorrowful, but the greatest joy. Jesus challenges the young man, He also challenges us as well!
Are we truly open to the Spirit of God?