WORDS FROM FATHER YOHANES: True Happiness Begins with God

By Father Yohanes Akoit

What are we human beings truly searching for in life? Why do we work, pursue our goals, build relationships, stay healthy, become priests, marry, and strive to become better day by day? Behind the many answers and motivations in life, we may come to one agreement that unites us all: we want to be happy and attain salvation in the Lord. We may have different ideas about what makes us happy and how to attain salvation in the Lord. For some, happiness means being successful in life. For others, it means having a harmonious family, good health, freedom, reconciliation, and more. Therefore, happiness and salvation are not just feelings. They are about living a life that is worthwhile. Ironically, although every one of us desires happiness and salvation in the Lord, not everyone understands what happiness truly is. We are often so busy pursuing it that we forget its essence. As a result, we may achieve success but lose our peace of mind; we may possess many things yet never feel that we have enough; we may marry someone we love, but still find it difficult to reconcile; in front of others, we smile and appear well, but inside we are controlled by anger, anxiety, dishonesty, fear, and dissatisfaction.

Without oversimplifying life, perhaps one reason why these ironies occur is that we do not fully understand what happiness and salvation in the Lord truly are. The best way to attain them is not merely to look at their definitions. Rather, it is to look at our lives themselves: who am I, and what does it mean for me to live as a human being? How do I face suffering, and what gives me the strength to move forward when I experience problems such as health issues, the death of a loved one, bitter past experiences, unchanging bad attitudes, disharmony and lack of reconciliation in my family, anxiety, and more? If we find answers to how we should deal with these realities, then we will most likely be able to taste and experience happiness in a concrete way.

The Gospel reading for the Solemnity of All Saints gives us a portrayal of how to experience such happiness. It invites us to reflect on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12a) as a doorway to attaining happiness. All the aspects contained in the Beatitudes present the wonderful teachings of Jesus as a model for pursuing happiness. We can consider one of them here. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here, the phrase “poor in spirit” simply means being humble before the Lord. It means recognizing that we cannot rely on our own strength alone, but that we need God in our lives. Therefore, a person who is poor in spirit will recognize the connection in the trilogy of life: oneself, reality, and God. This connection helps us understand that we cannot fully control reality, including life, sickness, the future, and many other things. Consequently, understanding this trilogy of life helps us say, “Lord, I need You.” With this disposition, although there may be shortcomings in life, we remain open to receiving what God offers. Although we may experience sickness, because God is with us, we can still find reasons to be grateful. At the very least, we may see that even in sickness there are family and friends who support us, medicines that can help us, and many other blessings. This disposition helps us experience happiness in the midst of our misery. Therefore, we are called to build our relationship with God and discover the meaning of life in Him.

Father Yohanes Akoit is pastor of St. Julian and St. Anthony Catholic churches in Kentucky.