Seeking Real Happiness

I recently read an article that discussed a study about religious affiliation in the United States.  The number of people who are identifying as religiously unaffiliated is growing rapidly.  Referred to as religious “nones,” this group includes those who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or “nothing.”  This study, released earlier this month, revealed that around three in ten Americans fall into the religious “nones” category.  Reading this reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, from St. John Paul II, which says, “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.”  If we’re not seeking Jesus, we will be left disappointed and unsatisfied with the things of the world that we are chasing.

As a Catholic, my main goal each day is to seek Jesus in all things so that I can grow closer to Him.  Of course, I often fail at prioritizing this goal in my life, but it still is my number one goal.  What do people without faith seek?  What are their goals in life?  If the only goals I was striving to reach were ones regarding power, money, status and other worldly successes and pleasures, I feel as if I would often find myself hungry and yearning for more, for something deeper.  What or who are people without faith living for?  I ask this not in an attacking way but out of genuine curiosity.

Not having any sort of faith would mean not having any real reasons to live in a certain way and doing whatever we want.  We can fill our lives with everything we could possibly dream of and all the things we would ever want.  But what happens when that is not enough?  What happens when we are let down, hurt, disappointed, or experiencing changes in our lives?  We will find ourselves feeling empty and searching, with no one to turn to and nowhere to go.
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When we seek Jesus instead, we will find that we have everything.  A life with Christ does not mean that we will not be disappointed, hurt, or let down at times.  However, the difference is that He will never be the one to cause these feelings.  When we seek Jesus, He reveals to us that He is complete love, joy, goodness, and everything in between.  He knows our hearts and is the only one that can fill the empty spaces.  While more and more people are trying to find their happiness in nothing, may we all live in a way that shows that it can only be found in Jesus, who is everything.