Everyone seems to be searching for the key to lasting happiness in this life. We want to escape the intense amount of anxiety we feel on a daily basis and desperately want to be happy.
Often we will go to our "comforts" for happiness, whether it is scrolling on our phone or binging on the latest Netflix show.
Or we may seek out food or drinks that mask the feelings inside of us, giving us a momentary feeling of pleasure that fills in the hole of happiness in our heart for a little while.
However, ultimately these material things will not lead to lasting happiness, a reality that many of the saints understood.
True secret to happiness
For St. Josemaria Escriva, the "secret to happiness" is very simple and to the point.
Abandonment to the will of God is the secret of happiness on earth. Say, then: meus cibus est, ut faciam voluntatem ejus, my food is to do his will.
While St. Josemaria's secret may seem simplistic, it reminds us that our life should not be lived selfishly, but in union with God's design.
We often forget that God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He came down to earth in the person of Jesus to remind us of this simple fact and to show us what obedience to God entails.
Only when we start living for God will we be able to experience a lasting happiness that will endure every sort of trial we encounter.
If we want to be happy in this life, we need to abandon ourselves like Mary to God and his will for us.
When we starting living for God, we will finally discover a happiness that will last for all eternity.
