1 Cor 7:25-31 / Luke 6:20-26
The word "happy" has as its root word "hap" which is defined as turning out well or favoured by fortune.
So
it means that when things turn out well or when one is favoured by
fortune, then one is happy. But if it is otherwise then one will be
unhappy.
So
it seems that happiness is very much subjected to what happens around
us. And what happens around us will determine whether we are happy or
not.
Maybe that might be the reason why people search in vain for happiness, since it seems to be so subjective and relative.
The
1st reading may sound rather stoic, or at least it seems to tell us to
try to be indifferent and to be unaffected by whatever that is happening
around us.
Yet
the heart of the matter is that St. Paul was telling the Corinthians
not to look for lasting happiness in this passing world. Yes, this world
as we know is passing away.
There
is an eternal "happiness" that will not be subjected by the rise or
fall of fortunes or whether things turn out well or not.
Hence the word "happy" in the gospel passage has to be understood as "blessing" and it is a blessing which comes from God.
God's blessing does not depend on His mood or how He feels about us. God will always bless us because He loves us.
Yes,
God loves us with an everlasting love and our eternal "happiness" is
already assured if we keep on faithfully loving God and others. Any
other means of achieving happiness is not going to last.