There are many things that men try to achieve as signs of living well in this life, and they include worldly pursuits like wealth, professional success, and prosperity. These are noble goals in life that require hard work, however, we can also see that many have fallen into temptation by their single-minded pursuit of such worldly goals, and some may even try to find ways and means to justify their personal greed and insatiable appetite for these perishable things. As a result, feelings of gratitude are ignored and it becomes almost impossible to satisfy the thirst for such worldly goods and achievements. St. Paul in his letter reminds us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” What St. Paul is highlighting to us is that all earthly possessions, be it our wealth, professional status, popularity, or other earthly delights, can’t qualify us for Heaven, and when the Day of the Lord comes, all of our earthly possessions will be stripped away from us.
Our Lord Jesus, before leaving His disciples, shared an important insight into Heaven’s treasures awaiting us, when He said that He was going to the Father to prepare a place for each of us. He alone can satisfy all that we need in this life and the afterlife too, truly lasting happiness that the world can’t give.
St. Paul also reminds us to adopt a steadfast attitude in life that is always “firm, steadfast, fully devoted to the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord, our labor is not in vain.” We’re reminded to use all our resources, ideas, talents, to persevere in doing good, and carry out works of mercy such as visiting and comforting the sick, feeding and quenching the hunger and thirst of the needy, helping to clothe the naked, providing hospitality to strangers and visiting those in prison. These are the essential things that we strive to pursue as long as we have a single breath on earth, lest we return to our Father in Heaven, and He might say that He does not know us.
Therefore, there is no need to do great things, but to carry out the simplest tasks with sincerity and love. Thus, happiness is the blessing that the Lord bestows upon each of us in different ways. However, one must be able to share his or her mercy with those in need unconditionally. A person must be discerning to the prompting of the Lord in order to see clearly what he or she can do in service to others and truly experience a joyful life on earth and in the life to come.
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