Do you want to be happy? The answer is so obvious that very few people would bother to ask the question. However we understand happiness, each one of us is looking for it. The whole advertising industry is based on this fundamental human desire. Every company tries to convince us that its product or service will make us happy. We can also find numerous books which offer many ways of living that leads to happiness. Of course, the Bible is a book which offers its own way to gain happiness.
Let’s look carefully at the first reading. In an old-fashioned way the book of the Apocalypse shows uncountable crowds of people dressed in white clothes and with palms in their hands; these are symbols of happiness. This state is our goal. We can also find an explanation on how to reach this state; listen again: “these people have been through the great persecution and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb”. This description speaks about the active engagement of those people.
The second reading leads us further. The same St John wrote in his letter that we are called God’s children. But being a child is a transitory stage of life. St John continues: “we are already the children of God, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed”. We can’t continue to live like children pandering to every ones whims. We have to be grown up in our minds.
The gospel shows the way to achieve happiness. Let’s be honest: it doesn’t look very attractive to people in the modern world. The currently accepted way to happiness is exactly the opposite: instead of internal freedom people depend on material goods; instead of gentleness people want to be famous and influential even for a short time; instead of having sympathy for others people prefer constant fun and joy for themselves; instead of mercy and forgiveness people choose to poison their minds through hatred and revenge; instead of fairness people turn things to their own advantage; instead of accepting people on face value, others see them as an opportunity for personal gain. As many people try to achieve happiness in an earthly way just as many are embittered, unhappy and depressed. Unfortunately this state of mind pushes them down even further – and they become more embittered, more unhappy and more depressed.
Jesus offers the way to internal freedom: being poor in spirit, gentle, merciful, sympathetic, a peacemaker, fair. These are attitudes which give real and long-lasting happiness. So, we must continue to make every effort to gain happiness; but we must choose the proper way.