Chasing Illusions

Over the years, we hear hundreds of stories of how people came to believe in Jesus Christ and dedicate their lives to Him. Many of them follow a familiar pattern.

First, they start off following a dream of worldly success. Some people dreamed of becoming famous athletes while others yearned for wealth. Throughout their lives, they made sacrifices to pursue their goals. Sometimes, marriages were ruined because of their passion to fulfill their dreams. Eventually, because of their hard work and determination, they reach their goal. They become more famous than they ever thought possible. Or, they made more money than they could ever hope to spend. However, when they had reached the heights of success, they found themselves asking, “Is this all there is? Was this worth all the sacrifices I’ve made?”

Then, they begin to ask themselves the deep questions. Why am I here? What purpose is there to life? What am I meant to do with my life? If they are honest with themselves, they come to find the answers to those questions in Jesus Christ. Then they find the fulfillment they had been seeking in money, fame, success and pleasure.

Like many of us, they believed the lie that we can find our ultimate happiness in this world. They confused “having more”  with being fulfilled. Chasing the false promises of this world only led to frustration. In a never ending search for that “something more”, happiness remained elusive. They were caught in a cycle of chasing one illusion, finding that it didn’t satisfy and then chasing after another illusion.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul tells us “you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” Chasing after the things of this world is, ultimately, futile. It cannot meet the deepest need of our heart which is union with God. As Christians, we have found the answer to the questions, “Why am I here? What purpose is there to life? What am I meant to do with my life?”

Because we have found our ultimate purpose in Jesus Christ, we must live differently than our brothers and sisters without faith do. It must be clear that we have different priorities than those who place their hope merely in the things of this world. If our faith is not reflected in our behavior, then our faith isn’t real.

How are we, as Christians, different from those who lack faith?

The first difference is that Christians put God’s will before their own. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “thy will be done” rather than “my will be done”. People who live only for this world need to assert themselves. They believe they will only be happy by getting what they want. However, people of faith trust in God. They understand that God really wants what is best for us. In fact, only He knows what will truly make us happy. Therefore, our first question always is “what will please God” rather than “what will please me.”

The second difference is that people of faith seek first the things of heaven rather than the things of earth. We still need to eat, we still need homes to live in, we still need money. However, these are not our primary concerns. Because we have faith that God will provide us with all that we need, we do not worry about those things. Rather, we ground ourselves in the things that last, the things of heaven. Because of that, we are free to give what we have to the needy and volunteer our time. We are not so concerned with our needs that we overlook the needs of our neighbors. And, in the process, we discover that our fulfillment comes not from meeting our own needs but from helping meet the needs of others.

The third difference is that people of faith truly love their neighbors. Those who are caught up in the lie that they have to get ahead to be happy or that they need more stuff to be fulfilled see other people as obstacles or competitors. Or, in their quest to be successful, they see people as objects to be used to help them advance. However, Christians see people not as “others” but as “brothers”. Because God’s love burns in our hearts, we understand that we cannot be truly happy if we have enough of this world’s goods while our sisters and brothers are suffering in poverty. We find happiness, then, not in hoarding things out of fear that there won’t be enough for us but in giving things away, even going without, so that others may have what they need. In the process, we discover that fulfillment comes not from filling ourselves up but from emptying ourselves for others.

Fourthly, Christians understand their self-worth differently from those who lack faith. Those who have set their hearts on the things of this world measure their worth in dollars and cents. There is nothing more important to them than what others think of them. So they are always trying to impress, always trying to have more than others, always fighting to come up on top. People of faith, however, measure themselves by how much they love. We are focused not on accomplishments but on relationships. What is important to us is not how much we get done but how much love we put into our work.

People of faith have found the secret to happiness. It is God. Only He can meet the deepest need of our heart because He created our hearts. When we give our lives over to Him, we live differently and find our ultimate fulfillment.

There is another pattern in most conversion stories. Usually those who become disillusioned with the things of this world meet someone who is full of joy and peace. They see in that person the fulfillment and happiness they have been seeking in the things of this world. They ask the person what that secret is and they reply, “It is faith in Jesus Christ.” Let us, then, be that person who is different. Let us be that person who is so filled with joy and peace that others ask us what our secret is. Then we can share with them the good news of Jesus Christ and, in so doing, we will have realized our ultimate purpose in life.