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.
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?