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Today’s readings remind us of our weak human nature. All too often we fall prey to our impulses, emotions, or learned patterns of behaviors. We are driven by social pressures and our expectations. We look for happiness in material things. Our motivations are subject to what brings us the most pleasure and the least constraints. Of course, these are generalizations and luckily, we don’t always act on these desires. But in some ways, we are slaves of our human nature. We prefer the path to least resistance. Research on happiness suggests that we don’t find it the accumulation of wealth, but rather in our relationships. One of these relationships can be the one we may have with God. We are slaves of our human nature, but there is hope in today’s message. In the psalm, we hear that we can find true happiness in God’s Law. Happy are those who follow and study God’s law. If we follow the way of the just, we are freed from sin and can expect eternal life. I find this message of hope powerful. It helps me put my faith in context. I often feel weak, doubting my worth, but knowing that God watches over the just, is helpful. Knowing that the just will prevail is particularly important to me, and knowing that following the paths of the just will lead to eternal life is truly a gift of God that can bring happiness. |