Every living person faces the same basic problem: What can I do with my desire for complete perfect joy, peace, love and happiness that lives within me? How can I keep this desire in hand and not let it lead me into a fruitless and frustrating search for complete pleasure and comfort? This problem about what to do with our basic desire has been with men and women since the beginning of the human race. And many answers have been tried, and are still being pursued in some manner or other.

There are two extreme positions that we can adopt as we try to deal with this problem of facing life the way it is. The first position is to harden ourselves to suffering and pain so that gradually we are not affected by it. We try to de-sensitize ourselves so that we can look at other people's pain, and our own pain, and yet not be affected by it. If we can only harden our hearts, then we won't be disturbed when we face the harshness of life. On the other hand, we can try to fix all

that is wrong with the world, spending all of our
energy in an attempt to eliminate suffering. Unfortunately, neither of these solutions works.

St. Paul says that he has learned the secret of living - he can be well fed or hungry, rich or poor, but whatever his situation, he trusts that God is his strength and will give him what he truly needs. Our human longing and desire for what is complete, and perfect, and unending, is something with which we have to live. On the one hand, it will do no good to try to kill our feelings so that nothing bothers us. But on the other hand, we can't be continually agonizing over everything that is not right. We need to see reality for what it is, do what we can to help, and leave the rest to God. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
          Peace,   Fr. John