Can Fame or Fortune Bring Happiness?

I was watching the biography of Errol Flynn last weekend. This famous actor had everything: looks, fame, fortune, & women. Unfortunately, he discovered the hard way that these don’t make him immune from other problems, such as frivolous lawsuits & dishonest accountants. He became despondent, and abused alcohol and drugs. He developed liver problems and, in his 50’s, died of a heart attack. He’s not alone. Other celebrities had it all, such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, etc. But they all died due to substance abuse. So everyone is asking, “Why could people, who have it all, be so unhappy?” That’s because everybody assumed that fame or fortune can bring happiness. That’s what the media wants you and I to believe. Apparently this isn’t true. So what is the true source of happiness? I won’t attempt to answer that for you. Each of you will need to seek & discover that answer for yourselves.

How I Came to Believe in the Real Presence

I said I believed the Eucharist is Jesus. I didn't believe it at first. One day, my mom was taken to the hospital. She was seriously ill & her condition was worsening. At a retreat, I asked a priest why God allowed it. He said, "Ask our Lord in the Tabernacle." So I did & I asked for her cure. I got a Bible & chanced upon John 4:47-54, about the cure of an official's son. This occurred on Saturday. When I came home, I called the hospital & found out that mom was better. I asked her when her condition turned around. She said, "On Saturday." Coincidence? On Monday, a Protestant asked me why I visited the church on weekdays. I told her what the priest told me, "to visit our Lord in the Tabernacle." So I invited her to church. Later, she told me, "I found what I'm looking for." So she became a Catholic. I asked myself, "Can bread bring about conversion?" Another person told me he had a problem & had been praying for weeks for a solution. When he asked me what to do, I said, "Pray to our Lord in the Tabernacle." So I invited him to church on Friday. On Monday morning, he told me his problem was solved. These could not be just coincidences. So from that day onward, I was convinced that the Eucharist was truly our Lord Jesus, and not just a piece of bread.

Is Hunger Due to Scarcity or Waste?

I hear people say that we need population control since there's not enough food to feed people. Oh really? One day, in our office cafeteria, I saw a customer grab a sandwich wrapped in plastic. When she found out from the cashier that it had mustard in it, she didn't want it anymore. So the cashier threw it in the garbage can. I was stunned by this waste. It also reminded me of my college days, when I worked in a buffet restaurant at night. When dinner was over, any remaining food from the buffet was simply thrown out. All of this food could have been donated instead to food banks to feed the needy. This made me wonder, "Is the problem of hunger due to the scarcity of food, or is it simply due to the waste of food?"

Marriages Don't Always Have to End in Divorce

The news this morning mentioned an ad by divorce lawyers that said, "Life's too short. Get divorced." I guess this reflects today's mentality: if there's a problem, get a divorce rather than work things out. This reminds me of a story a friend told me. He knew this couple where the husband was cheating on his wife. Then the guy developed cancer. Amazingly, his wife took care of him & stayed with him. This made him finally realize how much his wife really loved him. He ended his adulterous affair and reconciled with his wife. This shows that there is hope even for difficult marriages. Since, not everyone has marital problems this grave, wouldn't it be great if couples tried to reconcile rather than give up on the relationship? It won't be easy. But nothing worthwhile, such as a marriage, is ever going to be easy.

Joy in Adversity

Most of us have difficulty experiencing joy especially when faced with problems. I'm no exception. But a few years ago, I ran into an old classmate from 20 years ago. She immediately recognized me, but I couldn't recognize her. She walked with a cane and looked frail and old. It turns out she had multiple and rare incurable illnesses. One of them looked similar to leprosy, since she had lost some of her fingers already. Though I felt sorry for her, I was stunned by her joyfulness. She was not depressed nor sorry for herself. And her joy was sincere. She even tried to cheer me up. I wondered to myself that day, since our problems pale by comparison to hers, what reason do we have to despair? We could learn a lot about the true meaning of joy from her example.