The Search for True Happiness
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February 15, 2019Who wouldn’t want to take the direct path to happiness?
Well, today’s Gospel reading gives us a roadmap to follow if we want to be happy, not just in the future, but today as well. What is the wonderful guide, you may be asking? It’s the Beatitudes.
What makes the Beatitudes so different is that their message runs contrary to what the world teaches about happiness. The world tells us that we can find true happiness in having successful careers, in being esteemed by our peers, by having a lot of money, getting the latest fashion, or having a lot of fun. The Beatitudes tell us that true happiness comes from self-sacrifice, from following the way of the Lord even when it is difficult, and from putting others first.
This message wasn’t any easier to accept in Jesus’ time than it is today. However, we must all come to the point where we acknowledge our spiritual poverty and our complete dependence on God if we want to be truly happy. Then we can begin to understand why Jesus would say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.”
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1st Reading Reflection Discussion 2nd Readin Reflection Digging Deeper Gospel Reflection Join us for FORMED Fellowship + Lunch
Invite a friend or family
(Sunday, Feb 17, 2019 @ 12:00 noon in the Hall)
1st Reading ReflectionSome may think that the word “curse” should never be associated with the person of the Lord, yet that’s what Jeremiah says. Why would the God of love curse anybody? Yet God’s love demands a curse upon those who are indifferent to him. Indifference, not hate, is the opposite of love. Hate at least cares enough about someone to dislike them, indifference doesn’t care at all. Love is complete concern for the concerns of another, and so God is infinitely concerned with each one of us.
A curse is actually what happens when human indifference comes face to face with God’s love. Indifference to God’s blessing is itself the curse. God’s unwavering plan is to bless us. However, those who reject God’s blessing, out of hate or indifference, are cursed for the very lack of his blessing. It’s just like a light switch. Either it’s on and there’s light, or it’s off and you’re in the dark. God’s blessing is light itself and, if we reject that light, we’re condemning ourselves to curse the darkness.
2nd Reading Reflection
Some members of the Church at Corinth didn’t believe that people would actually be resurrected, and Paul handles this question by immediately referring to what he considers the central element of the Christian faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Paul’s eyes, the opinion that no one is actually resurrected from the dead empties the faith of its substance. The Christian faith without the historical event of the Resurrection is like a body drained of blood; that is, it’s dead.
The bottom line is that it’s absurd for a Christian not to believe in the Resurrection. A Christian who doesn’t believe in the Resurrection is like a fisherman who doesn’t believe in fish; the goal of fishing is to catch fish, and the goal of Christians is to be resurrected with Christ. St. Paul’s argument is simply this: If you don’t believe in the Resurrection, Christ’s and ours, you really aren’t a Christian at all.
Gospel Reflection
This passage from Luke is sometimes called the “Sermon on the Plain” to distinguish it from Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” Luke suggests that Jesus is a new Moses coming down from a new Mount Sinai to give a New Law for the New Covenant People of God. The New Law was that God’s blessing would explode in the world to such an extent through his offering of self that even the greatest evils of human history (poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution) would be seen as channels of immense blessing.
The blessings of God, unlocked by Christ’s cross, would be so vast under the new regime that no amount of earthy comfort could compare. In fact, those who pursue riches, feasts, entertainment, and honor for their own sake will find them empty in comparison and perhaps even the cause of their own perdition.
DISCUSSION:
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with a roadmap for blessedness. In the Beatitudes, Christ tells his followers that true happiness and fulfillment come from humility and service that reflect his own life.
- According to the presenter, how does Christ’s view of happiness differ with the cultural perceptions of his time?
- How does the Christian way differ with our own world’s understanding of happiness?
PRAY & MEDIATE:
PRAYER: Imagine yourself sitting at the feet of Jesus when he gave the Beatitudes. Hear him say that the rich and satisfied will be unhappy. Hear him offer a path of true happiness through humble obedience and faith. Do you accept this humble path? Do you choose his roadmap of happiness over the need for wealth, worldly success, and human praise and acceptance? Now if Jesus were to approach you and ask you where you are putting your emphasis, what do you say to him?
RESOLUTION: Now in prayer, ask Jesus to show you an area of your life where you are too focused on or too attached to the fortunes, pleasures, and comforts offered by this world. Also ask him to show you ways you can change the desires of your heart to bring them more in line with the Beatitudes. Think of one small change you can make to your life this week that will help you place more of your heart’s focus on the kingdom of God.
Reflections reprinted with permission from Opening the Word at Formed.org .
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