My dear friends,
A year ago, when the Dalai Lama visited Miami, tickets for his public appearance sold out in less than an hour. A similar thing happened when the Star Wars "pre-quels" opened. Hundreds of people lined up at movie theaters across the country, waiting overnight to buy advance tickets to the first showing.
What does this say about our society? On the one hand, we are attracted by the saintly serenity of the Dalai Lama, a religious leader who preaches peace and forgiveness despite suffering persecution and exile from his native Tibet.
On the other, we are equally drawn to a completely fantastic, thoroughly modern myth about a galaxy "far, far away" where Jedi knights uphold truth and justice and fight the "dark side" of an omnipresent, powerful Force.
The fact that one is real and the other a fable seems to make no difference. Indeed, some critics have commented on the religious parallels of the Star Wars saga — the fight between good and evil, the ultimate triumph of goodness and love over treachery and war — as feeding the spiritual hunger of a generation overwhelmed by technology.
Then, of course, there is the rise of the New Age movement, an amalgamation of ancient myth and modern religion that seeks God in the self and in nature; not to mention the newfound popularity of yoga and other forms of meditation.
What are we to make of this? People in this highly complex, technology-saturated, officially secular society are seeking solace in spirituality. They recognize holiness in the lives of the Pope, the Dalai Lama and the late Mother Theresa, and they flock to see, hear and touch them.
Why? Because, whether we admit it or not, our souls are restless, as St. Augustine said, and they will remain restless until they "rest in you, O Lord."
We may not recognize that yearning, at first. We may try to run from it or cover it up by filling our lives with activities and our homes with material possessions. But it will not go away.
There is much truth behind the old joke about people climbing the mountain to ask the guru about the "secret of life." That indeed is the abiding question deep in everyone's soul: Why is it that this person can live in such peace, harmony and tranquility, with everything in perfect balance, while I am stressed out and unhappy, my life mired in chaos?
The secret, of course, lies in our relationship with God. That is what characterized the lives of the saints throughout the centuries; what marks the life of Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama today. People sense that and are attracted by it.
It is precisely why the crowds flocked to hear Jesus 2000 years ago. His union with God the Father was more intimate and perfect than anyone who ever lived or will live. But he told us we could achieve it, too, if we followed him, "the way, the truth and the life."
All of us, by our very nature, are embarked upon that quest, that search for union with God. Our journey may take strange turns and wind up at dead ends. But whether we seek him in the holiness of modern-day religious leaders or in the idealism of a movie fable, our souls will never be satisfied, as St. Augustine said, until they rest in the embrace of the One, True God.
May all of us reach our destination, and find true peace in this life and everlasting happiness in the next.
