The Pursuit of happiness in the secular world

[Teresa9]

Dear friends

I am interested in hearing about any experiences either first hand or known to you of anyone who has pursued happiness in all the wrong ways, not knowing that happiness can only be found in union with Jesus.

I think we all pursue happiness in secular things (possessions, holidays etc) however, has your pursuit of happiness in the secular lessened or remained the same since either you were converted in faith or to faith?

Do you think pursuit of happiness in the secular world is a spiritual poverty even if one has faith?

God Bless you and much love and peace to you and those you love

Teresa

 

[Joysong]

Teresa:

I think we all pursue happiness in secular things (possessions, holidays etc) however, has your pursuit of happiness in the secular lessened or remained the same since either you were converted in faith or to faith?

For me, it has definitely increased since I converted. God has helped me to see His beautiful creation with a new eye and sensitivity. I began to love it as He does, and perceive the purpose for which He created it. Scripture tells us in Genesis that when God finished creating the world, He saw all things as “good.” This has stimulated a passion in me to be a creator of sorts myself, but with a proper focus of doing it all “through Him, with Him, and in Him” so that “all glory and honor is Yours, forever and ever!”

Amen,
Carole

 

[jrabs]

I have pursued happiness in men ( dating experiences) and thought that the man I truly loved was supposed to make me happy in return by focusing on me, what I wanted, and when I wanted it. When he was not ready to cater to my beckon call, I was upset.

It took God’s hand to take that person away from me and tell me that inner happiness and peace is only found in Christ. I need to be in a relationship with Christ first before anyone else. God will show us how to love in a healthy Christian way.

God and the Holy Spirit are working on me currently.

 

[oriel36]

Teresa9:

Dear friends

I am interested in hearing about any experiences either first hand or known to you of anyone who has pursued happiness in all the wrong ways, not knowing that happiness can only be found in union with Jesus.

I think we all pursue happiness in secular things (possessions, holidays etc) however, has your pursuit of happiness in the secular lessened or remained the same since either you were converted in faith or to faith?

Do you think pursuit of happiness in the secular world is a spiritual poverty even if one has faith?

God Bless you and much love and peace to you and those you love

Teresa

It seems that St Francis turned much regarding ‘Spirituality’ on its head and makes it a very human experience.There is no self -importance in his Spirituality and Christ is more magnificent and elegant through the rough and tumble experiences that assault us every day in some shape or form than what holds us in awe of any other miracle that springs from His existence.

feastofsaints.com/perfectjoy.htm

There is no real difference between Spiritual and secular and indeed one encompasses the other whether the unbeliever likes it or not.It is up to us as Catholics to make the unbeliever marvel at our energy in outward things rather than promote the old heaven/hell thing which they often taunt us with.

 

[Teresa9]

Dear friends

Thank you all for your replies. I enjoyed reading all of them. The thing that strikes me most is that the secular things in life alone do not bring happiness in it’s entirety, perhaps a short term happiness, but nothing of endurance; but when they are united in Christ Jesus they bring happiness and joy, even through the tough things in life.

A good glass of wine drunk on a summer’s evening under the stars in the garden in the company of friends with thanksgiving in your heart to God is a beautiful prayer and draws what is viewed as secular by the worldly terms is purely spiritual, infact there is nothing on this earth that is not spiritual. Everything that God has created is a source of unending joy to Him and He looked upon it and said ‘it is good’. When we enjoy a painting/pieces of music that someone has created we should offer thanks to God , because He gave them the talent to paint it/compose it. It is humanity that has seperated God away from His creation and attempt to pursue happiness in His creation without offering glory and thanksgiving to Him, it is humanity that has forgotten God in the things they now deem as secular, they are not secular, they are God’s! When we see something someone has created that is offensive even blasphemous to God, I have seen many art works that are, still thank God for their talents, it is their choice to sin against God by misusing them.

Everything falls under God’s premise and God’s love and laws. I have often been annoyed that it has been thought in order to be holy or spiritual, a person must withdraw from the world. The world is God’s and though our hearts are striving for heaven, our humanity is very much in the world , it is the bringing of heaven to this world that we also should strive for. True, we do not make the pursuit of possessions and an unhealthy fascination with acquiring them our first priority, we should look towards Christian poverty in order to appreciate God’s riches upon this earth, when we adopt this attitude we are able to share what we do have and give in love of Christ. This is also a prayer of trust in God’s Providence to provide for us and all of our human needs either physical, spiritual or mental.

I look back to the rich young man in scripture who would not sell his goods and riches to follow Christ. This is the crux of placing wordly things above love of God. Jesus asked this man to sell what he had and follow Him, what this young man did not realise is that what he had was by God’s Providence and that God had been kind to this man and yet this man could not return to God when asked to do so. It is not the possession that is the problem, it is the attachment to them, the love of those things above all else that is unhealthy. Poverty is relative, being rich is relative in this sense of Christ’s wisdom in Sacred Scripture, if whatever you have seperates you from God, no matter how little or great your riches are, then this is the pursuit of possession in preferance of our own pastoral care of our souls. Indeed God#s Providence led to the riches we have and as the servants with their talents, we are stewards not owners of what we have and we should use what we have for the good of humanity and of ourselves.

If what you do have you offer thanks to God for and raise at Holy Mass on the Paten, you have given to God what belongs to God and if you share what you have for the good of all of humanity whilst taking care of yourself at the same time, then you truly live the Christian spirit.

This advent let us gift ourselves and all we have in thanksgiving to God for our Saviour, Christ Jesus.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you and those you love

Teresa

 

[Joysong]

Dear Teresa,

Your message was so inspiring and uplifting!

. . . it is the bringing of heaven to this world that we also should strive for.

Indeed, “Thy kingdom come, on EARTH, as it is in heaven!”

 

[goravens]

Teresa9:

Dear friends

The thing that strikes me most is that the secular things in life alone do not bring happiness in it’s entirety, perhaps a short term happiness, but nothing of endurance; but when they are united in Christ Jesus they bring happiness and joy, even through the tough things in life.

A good glass of wine drunk on a summer’s evening under the stars in the garden in the company of friends with thanksgiving in your heart to God is a beautiful prayer and draws what is viewed as secular by the worldly terms is purely spiritual, infact there is nothing on this earth that is not spiritual. Everything that God has created is a source of unending joy to Him and He looked upon it and said ‘it is good’. When we enjoy a painting/pieces of music that someone has created we should offer thanks to God , because He gave them the talent to paint it/compose it. It is humanity that has seperated God away from His creation and attempt to pursue happiness in His creation without offering glory and thanksgiving to Him, it is humanity that has forgotten God in the things they now deem as secular, they are not secular, they are God’s! When we see something someone has created that is offensive even blasphemous to God, I have seen many art works that are, still thank God for their talents, it is their choice to sin against God by misusing them.

Everything falls under God’s premise and God’s love and laws. I have often been annoyed that it has been thought in order to be holy or spiritual, a person must withdraw from the world. The world is God’s and though our hearts are striving for heaven, our humanity is very much in the world , it is the bringing of heaven to this world that we also should strive for. True, we do not make the pursuit of possessions and an unhealthy fascination with acquiring them our first priority, we should look towards Christian poverty in order to appreciate God’s riches upon this earth, when we adopt this attitude we are able to share what we do have and give in love of Christ. This is also a prayer of trust in God’s Providence to provide for us and all of our human needs either physical, spiritual or mental.

If what you do have you offer thanks to God for and raise at Holy Mass on the Paten, you have given to God what belongs to God and if you share what you have for the good of all of humanity whilst taking care of yourself at the same time, then you truly live the Christian spirit.

Teresa

Awesome post, Teresa! I’ll give a resounding “AMEN!!” to that.

Sometimes I’ve caught myself filling up life and time with secular things that really pull me away from God. For example, I’ll go shopping just because it’s something mindless to do after a long week of work. It became a habit for a little while of me going once a week even if I didn’t buy anything. I was thinking a lot more about acquiring material things, and thinking we didn’t have enough of this or that. And I started becoming reallly restless. Luckily, I recongnized that I was trying to fill something in me that was lacking, with material things. Even though friends at work would have seen nothing wrong with my regular shopping trips, I knew it was too much and not for the right reasons. It was at a time when I really did not have any genuine fellowship or community with other Christians, and I was somewhat lonely. Once I recognized, prayed about it, and sought out community (even on this forum), things got much better. My relationship with Jesus has improved and detachment from material things started to grow once again. I can go shopping for needed things, and even for something “mindless” once in awhile, but it’s not nearly so often and is for the right reasons now.

John Michael Talbot has a great book on this topic you’re talking about, called “Lessons of St.Francis.” It’s helped me recognize how much we have and what we’re called to do with our blessings as Christians.

 

[Teresa9]

Joysong:

Dear Teresa,

Your message was so inspiring and uplifting!

Indeed, “Thy kingdom come, on EARTH, as it is in heaven!”

Dearest Carole

Beautiful! Yes indeed…‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN’ When a soul is free from mortal sin, the Truine God dwells in that soul as it does at the point of Baptism, Confirmation and after Confession. That soul is walking on this earth with the Kingdom of heaven in their soul and in their heart. They have the capacity to bring to each person they meet the love and kindness of Christ and establish His Kingdom on earth in the Holy Catholic and Apostolic church.

‘Give us this day our daily bread’ this is trust in God’s Providence to provide all we need to live and enjoy life, bread being physical needs (food) bread being spirital needs (Eucharist and spiritual guidance and direction ‘Feed my sheep’) bread, enjoyment of life in things of the material world which God so chooses we can obtain by our capacity here, but that which we have we should share, homes, goods, money, time etc etc. We share our homes with our families and extended family, we share it with our friends and we help those who may need a bed for the night. We share our goods when we give away what we no longer need, when we lend or help other people, when we offer assistance by giving someone a lift in our car etc. We share our money when we help those less fortuante than ourselves and offer monetary help. I recall the widow’s mite, when she gave all she had though the sum was small. Most people can give some amount of money to help another. When we give freely of our time, we truly give ourselves, time to listen to another, time to stop and smile at someone, time to think before we speak, time to sit with someone, time to offer a helping hand.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you and those you love

Your friend

Teresa

 

[Teresa9]

goravens:

Awesome post, Teresa! I’ll give a resounding “AMEN!!” to that.

Sometimes I’ve caught myself filling up life and time with secular things that really pull me away from God. For example, I’ll go shopping just because it’s something mindless to do after a long week of work. It became a habit for a little while of me going once a week even if I didn’t buy anything. I was thinking a lot more about acquiring material things, and thinking we didn’t have enough of this or that. And I started becoming reallly restless. Luckily, I recongnized that I was trying to fill something in me that was lacking, with material things. Even though friends at work would have seen nothing wrong with my regular shopping trips, I knew it was too much and not for the right reasons. It was at a time when I really did not have any genuine fellowship or community with other Christians, and I was somewhat lonely. Once I recognized, prayed about it, and sought out community (even on this forum), things got much better. My relationship with Jesus has improved and detachment from material things started to grow once again. I can go shopping for needed things, and even for something “mindless” once in awhile, but it’s not nearly so often and is for the right reasons now.

John Michael Talbot has a great book on this topic you’re talking about, called “Lessons of St.Francis.” It’s helped me recognize how much we have and what we’re called to do with our blessings as Christians.

Dear friend

A happy heart you must have to possess this approach and keep this approach as it is easy to get sucked back into pursuing the material as a boost to our happiness.

We all get down, no-one is free from that! We all have our up times also. Then there is the times inbetween that are sort of level. A time of peace. When we are in Christ it brings the time of peace to all of the moods and increasingly as you have said, our deeper peace in Christ spreads into all parts of our lives so that no place is either too low or too high, yes we face good and bad times, but in any of those, Christ is beside us constantly enduring with us.

No-one was ever more lonely than Jesus, imagine, He is God and no-one totally understands Him, they either say He is a prophet or a madman or from the evil one!!!???!!! Jesus Himself felt great joy (e.g. joy at the faith of the Centurion) and great sorrow ( e.g. the death of Lazarus), even depression in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus did not go out and buy Himself a whole new wardrobe to cheer Himself up! His peace inside was never touched, He maintained His trust in God His Father and this kept His peace inside intact.

It is good to be blessed with possessions, this in itself is not evil or wrong, the over attachment is! We should be prepared to lose all and trust in the Providence of God.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you and those you love

Teresa