By Jacqueline Kelly –
When a festival or vacation approaches, holiday gifts, aromas and decoratives are temporary at it’s best. They leave us with memories but the happiness is temporary and short-lived at that point of time.
Temporary happiness is only a part of the entire circle of happiness. The circle of happiness is only completed when our spiritual lives are in tune with the Lord our God.
If, we do not experience happiness at it’s fullest, we should begin to make an inventory our life which includes finances, relationships, professional life, spiritual life and our health. We should find out what is amiss in our life and why has the spark gone out of our life.
Bonaventure nailed it when he said, “No one can be happy unless he rises above himself, not by an ascent of the body but of the heart.”
For a human being to be happy, it is important for us to be aware of our environment in order to be sensitive to the needs of others around us.
In order to find happiness, we should ask God for directions in our lives in order for us not to go astray.
We should make an effort to help where we can and in whatever small way we can, we should be kind to as many as possible, ready to forgive those who have hurt us in any possible way and live a peaceful life in the quest for happiness.
Saint Claire of Assissi said which is very close to the words of wisdom. “Have caution in not allowing yourself to be struck down by adversity nor becoming vain by prosperity.”
It is very important for us to know and realize that God loves us and wants to have a close relationship with us. Not because he needs us but because he wants us to stay close to His heart. God is love and God is good. He is a forgiving God. He wants us to know Him and have tremendous faith in Him and to enjoy His magnificence. We can achieve God’s love through prayer and forgiveness. Prayer takes us closer to God. It helps us to examine our conscience and enlightens our souls and we get an insight into our faults and wrongdoings.
It is indeed difficult to forgive those who have hurt us and especially our near and dear ones. This is the time when we need to pray fervently and have faith that God will instil the Holy Spirit in us to help us in the right direction and guide us on the right path and the threshold of life. Faith is a gift from God. In order, to have it and to enjoy it, we need to turn to God in repentance and humble prayer.
Faith is the most challenging way of life. In Cor1-13:13 it is stated that “There are three things that last: Faith, Hope and Love and the greatest of this is Love”.
The very same God who created this universe desires a relationship with us. We are significant to Him because he is our creator and He designed us in His own image and likeness. Whatever, race or caste or religion we might belong to, God still loves us. We might be of any colour or creed it is not of any significance or importance to God. God is concerned with our Love for Him and the Purity of our Hearts.
God is committed to our well-being. He cares about us. He not only has plans for our future and our lives but He has mapped out a perfect course for our lives that will result in our utmost joy and fulfilment. The only obstacle that keeps us away from God and makes God unhappy is SIN. Have we really thought about our own personal sin? God cannot tolerate when we sin. So, he makes a way for sin to be no longer a barrier. He has a solution to prevent us from hurting Him. He died for us. That shows how much He loved us. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. So, that we can spend eternity in heaven with God. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Spiritual new birth is the Gateway to a new beginning. The start of our journey with God.
A mother of five children had a voluntary abortion the first time she discovered herself to be pregnant. After, that dramatic experience, her life changed completely, so much so that she became a mother of five children. This means that from the experience of ill-doing may arise a new spring towards good and a change of life-style. In fact, our sins often awaken our conscience and help us return to the Almighty. The fear of God can guide us in doing the examination of our conscience and it will help us to compare our own life and examine ourselves according to our misdeeds.
God is going to take care of us. He is the anchor that will never leave us. The Spirit will always be inside our hearts. We should be thankful that God allowed and gave us the ability to change our mind, to repent and to take a different course of action. It is a wonderful thing that God allowed us to be able to stop when we are in trouble and depressed and weakened by sin and allows us to
bounce back and start over.
We should not let fear keep us from sharing the hope that we have in God. As Saint Padre Pio has rightly said, ‘Pray, Hope and do not Worry.’ For the Lord is your Tower and He will give you the Power in any difficult Hour.