Thursday Reflections on the 1st Week of Advent…What makes You happy?

I will be turning 51 by Dec. 13th. An older man (than me) approached me while I was accompanying two monk brothers doing their shopping at Wal-mart last Tuesday and the man recognized me, held my face between his hands and said, “ you are young, by the time you are 50 you will realize that all people are unhappy”. He mistook me as younger than my age. I replied by saying, “ oh thank you very much sir, but I will be turning 51 on the 13th and I am happy!. We parted ways with a smile on my face.

I will never forget what the man told me because I found it so pessimistic. “By the time you are 50 you will realize that all people are not happy”. That was a very strong remark.

Some of us are already 40, 50, or 60. Try asking yourself, “Am I really happy with the way I am living my life now?”

Young people look for happiness. The temptation for most of the youth is lust. They consider acquiring happiness by sexual expression, by sensuality, by porn materials, by pre-marital sex, by masturbation. That is the problem to most of the youth.

But when people reach the middle age, the appetite for sex diminishes, the libido cools off, and then what tales over is the lust for power.

At middle age, we think we can be happy with our diplomas. That’s why most of us in the middle age seek doctorate degrees. For those who cannot make their thesis, they work for honorary doctorates. Some of us think that we can be happy by our titles, by the titled positions that people confer on us.

Some people think they can be happy with the power that they carry in their hands or through the guns that they keep in their houses. Some think that their happiness can come from the cars that they drive everyday. And sadly enough, after realizing that sex is not the root of their happiness, middle aged people realize that power cannot cannot bring them happiness either.

So, at old age, what takes over us?

The problem of the young people is lust, the problem of the middle-aged people is ambition, the problem of the old people, of the dying people is avarice.
“I’m about to retire, I better prepare. I am about to retire, I have to make sure that I am taken cared of in terms of my housing, in terms of my hospitalization. I am not sure if my children will give me a fitting burial. I better take charge and get my memorial plan. I better take charge of my bank account that should be big enough, otherwise, they will not take care of me because they will not get anything from me.”

And then people still die unhappy because they realize that happiness cannot be found in the security that memorial plans offer.
People realize that happiness cannot be found in several bank accounts. People realize that happiness cannot be found in a secure hospitalization insurance.

Are we happy?
The Lord’s desire is that we all be happy. But happiness cannot be found in sex, in an earthly power, in large amount of money kept. It can only be found in God- in Jesus Christ.

It is very simple to analyze, some of us are young, some of us are middle-aged, others are retired. Where does our search for a real happiness lie?

Have a blessed Thursday to all of you…