DAILY DEVOTIONS

'Want to Find Happiness?'

St. Lawrence

Whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

- John 12:25

SURVEYS MEASURING personal "happiness" consistently show that those who dedicate themselves to serving others, especially those who do so out of faith, are often the happiest of people. This seems contradictory because such people are usually poorly paid and spend their days seeking the good of others.

Jesus told us that in order to find one's true self, one must paradoxically die to self. It has been said that our society is becoming more self-focused and narcissistic, seeking after its own pleasure. It is no wonder then that national surveys are reporting a general decline in personal happiness.

Would you like to be happier? Do good things for others. Volunteer to help those less fortunate. Say a kind word to a coworker today. When we give joy to others, the joy returns to us as well.

- Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti