December 29, 2013
A researcher recently asked himself, “What makes me happy?” – and then he did some research to back up what he found out. He believes – and I’m happy to join him in his conclusions – that there are four things that make us happy: faith, family, community and work.
As members of a community at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, we know the value of community and we recognize that such a community makes it possible for us to be caring about the larger community of the City of Grand Rapids around us. Knowing that we do what we can for our community – visiting the sick, making the Cathedral available to civic organizations like the Grand Rapids Symphony, being sure that we take care of the rent of those who cannot afford it or the prescriptions that help them feel better – all that is part of community and a major contributor to our happiness.
Faith – we have that in large measure because of our belief in Jesus and in the Church. That faith is made easier by Pope Francis who is helping all of the world and we who know him to be our leader in faith, recognize that the Church has amazing power to do good. So faith is part of our life.
Here each Sunday, we are indeed aware of the happiness that comes to us within our families. It is not always so – some people find themselves estranged from their family. But for the most part, most of us find great joy in our families.
Work – whoever thought that work would be one of the important items in making someone happy. The opposite maybe – but work? Yes, work. A person who has a good job and does it well will almost always be happy. If you’re in a job you don’t like that’s a different story. But if you get the combinations right, then work will help you to achieve happiness. According to the New York Times, more than 50 percent of Americans say they are “completely satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their work. This rises to over 80 percent when we include “fairly satisfied.” This finding generally holds across income and education levels.”
So, happiness is something we can all find and live in our lives. Therefore, when you say “Happy New Year” this week, know that it’s not just an empty greeting, but a prayer for the person to whom you say it, for them to live in happiness.