(1) our life shows the shadow Trinity(Happiness-Father,
(2)Your life period is short,compared to eternal life. In this life you are subject to manage worldly attractions such as power. Money and sex. Earth bound desires such as Fornication(sin against your flesh) to be avoided for you to achieve Happiness in both lives of worldly and eternal
Today readings invites us to reflect
To avoid too much engrossing to earthly requirements such as Money, power and worldly desires! And correct your self!
B. Preamble to today's reading:
B.1 value of repenting:
Our life is 3 dimensional with time.
(1) Your character is changing from day to day(your appearance -body, character change)
(2) Way of living people changes from day to day(technology, culture changes)
(3) Your activities changes from day to day
(Your habits change)
Unless you know how to manage these changes, for you to reap happy life, the purpose of living(happy life) become lost!.
In this change of environment, we should train ourself, to control ourselves and to maintain a good behavior for happy life. Happy means you know how to mange fear and sorrow, with the treatments given in catholism!.
B.2 earth bound Happiness:
This is short lived. No body in this world has achieved everlasting happiness with regard to Power(controlling others), you have seen powerful people all of a sudden become power less causing fear and sorrow in their own life. Similarly you have seen very rich people, suddenly not only become poor but end of in mental agonies. In this scenario, are we achieving the purpose of creation, A HAPPY life in this world too?
Catholicism teach you, how to enjoy your time happily. You may live 5 or 100 years, it provide your a method, as how to enjoy that 5 or 100 years of your life. In order to enjoy present time, you should be able to forget the past and see how to enjoy present with catholic principles. And then maintain that happiness until your death!. Method proposed by Catholicism is simple and easy to implement.
B.3 happiness:
There are 3 basic steps to be followed. First reach a peaceful mind. In order to do this avoid sloth(laziness) and anger in your life.
Then develop a worry less mind- hand over your fear and sorrows to Holy mary and saints. Avoid too much analysis, since there can be many outcomes for a particular action, you may go mad, when you start too much analysis. Your faith will help you, not to analyze too much.
Good example is mother theresa, imagine how she organized a massive society to support poorest of the poor.
Finally you should have a Happy mind. When you trust God is your master and you are guaranteed a happy life, in this world too. Avoid all other 5 vices that may come across in your earth bound life.
Pride(start thinking you are very important like God). Lust(avoid sin against your own flesh),envy(avoid jealousy),avarice(avoid why not me), gluttony( avoid animal appetite).
B.4. How to disseminate your happiness?
To make another person happy, first you should be happy. If you are not happy, how can give happiness to others?
To enjoy your life, you should share your god given talents with society. With happy mind, you start developing your talents, 3 steps to follow: (1) have happy mind(2) develop a healthy life(enough excercise+drinking water+avoid too much worrying)(3) use the latest available technology(like internet, computers).
B.3 what is evil?
Your definition of evil may be different to mine. There are 2 major devil actions in catholism
(1) Have a good behavior by following 10 commandments with no enemies!
(2) Follow God's will by developing a happy mind, avoiding 7 vices.
Otherwise, you will condition your self, to satisfy mentally your wrong doings(justifying yourself for your own conveniance)
For example if you worship your mother/father is a sin. How many srilankan catholics believe this as a Sin?. How many catholic schools/teachers advice, their students not to worship teachers but only to Eucrist?
Similarly, if you don't know how to develop a happy mind, can you get God' s will? No. You are carrying your will, with fear and sorrow in your mind.
Catholicism provide first you have to understand the theory then if you have deviate from the theory, the process you should follow to clear the effects of that deviation(Sin) by confession. Major problem is your own conditioning, blinding your self to identify Sin as a Sin. The out come is the presence of fear and sorrow in your own life.
C. Today's reading: Prophet Jonah says(Jon3:1-5.10) says"..God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behavior: And God relented. Paul says" ..those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it...the world as we know it is passing away. Mk(1:14-20) says"After John has arrested...'The time has come'..Repent and believe the good news..He saw Simon and His brother Andrew...said to them 'Follow Me and I will make you into fishers of men'..they went after Him' reminds(1)How God has reintroduce Happiness with Jesus(2)value of confession into our life(3) identify what is Sin-going against 10 commandments,7 vices, going against God's will. These are the preconditions to see Jesus in U'r life!.when U compare Eternal life, worldly life is negligible. Hence engrossed too much on earth bound requirements such as Money,power,worldly desires is causing unhappiness in both world!
Conclusion: we have to be clear that our present life is short when compared to eternal life. Except Jesus, no other dead person has come back to earth after their death. Jesus resurrection shows, that He overcame earth bound desires for eternal Happiness, and showed us how to do that in a simple way. Until resurrection God shows us path with angels,dreams,stars how to lead a spiritual life in this world!. Now there are no such direct indications for us from God. We have to search for His will, to find happiness to us even in this world!, today it reminds us the value of repenting since we tend to go too much on earth bound needs, then reach short lived happiness, even in this world too. once you reach happiness, you can extend that happiness to the society!. Catholicism teach you (1) how to be happy by yourself at the present time(2) how to maintain that happiness till end your earthly life and extend that happiness in eternal way(3) how to extend your happiness in your living society. All these things you can do, since you get to know, when you please God, HE will ensure your earthly happiness too. Don't think whether I am Happy, think only whether you are happy? Whether your actions pleases God.
GBU
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