As you enter
the doors of our church, you see the Latin phrase "Introibo ad altare
Dei" which translates "I will
go unto the altar of God".
Certainly, as we celebrate mass, we are at the altar of God, especially
during the consecration. The rest of that
phrase is: "to God who gives joy to my youth." Are we feeling joy right now as we sit before
the altar of God? And, if we are not
feeling joy, why aren't we? What keeps
us from experiencing joy?
Spiritual
joy is different from the conventional concept of happiness. Happiness depends on what happens in our
lives, as well as those circumstances, people, and events over which we often
have little control. It is fleeting and usually short term in
nature. Real joy, however, is that
constant, abiding, and personal relationship with God that we experience when
we do His will as loving servants. This
joy may often be expressed through our enthusiastic demeanor, laughter, humor, or
cheerful attitude.
Most of us
are pursuing happiness instead of joy. We
yearn to satisfy the deep longing of our hearts but frequently confuse joy and
happiness.
Joy is a
loving, warm sense of an intimate relationship with God. Authentic joy is a spiritual and biblical
concept. Joy is the second of the twelve
fruits of the Holy Spirit. Love is the
first fruit of the Holy Spirit. We
cannot have joy without love.
Happiness,
on the other hand, lasts a short time. We
tend to pursue happiness and avoid pain.
PBS conducted a survey a while back asking people what was their
greatest desire. Almost ninety percent
answered: "I want to be happy."
Like most people, I also want to be happy. I love it when the Reds or Bengals win, when
my children and grandchildren do well, and when my arthritis isn't bothering me
too much. Unfortunately, that happiness
doesn't last.
In today's
Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples: "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon."
True joy comes
from serving God. If we serve mammon, that is money and possessions,
we will be disappointed and frustrated by our constant search for happiness.
In 2004,
over 1000 priests were surveyed. The main
question asked was : "How happy are you in your priesthood?" Over
90% of the priests responded that they were very happy. In 2009, another survey of over 2000 priests
was conducted and again over 90% agreed that they were happy. When the priests were asked the source of
their happiness, they answered that that their spiritual life was the cause of
their inner peace, well-being, and personal joy.
How can we
increase and maintain our joy? Since joy
is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, we should receive it gratefully, accept it
humbly, and then share our joy with others.
We can
increase our joy in several ways.
Receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass is the most intimate way to
experience a joyful relationship with Christ.
If possible, we should attend daily mass so that we can experience this
spiritual joy every day.
The
anticipation of eternal life in heaven is another way that we experience joy. Whenever we have doubts about our faith, our
family, or our nation, we can take great consolation in the promise of Christ
that we are destined to live forever with Him.
Trusting God
is another important element in our spiritual joy. Jesus tells us in today's Gospel: "Do
not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what
you will wear. Can any of you by
worrying add a single moment to your life span?" We would all be much more joyful if we could
take these words to heart and stop worrying.
And finally,
prayer and meditation leads us to spiritual joy. in his first letter to the Thessalonians, St
Paul tells us: "Rejoice always, pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
The key to
finding spiritual joy is knowing God's will for us and then surrendering to His
will. This can be a difficult challenge,
especially for us men, since we reject the idea of surrender. We pride ourselves on being self-sufficient,
self-reliant and totally independent.
Pride is what prevents us from completely abandoning ourselves to God's
will, but when we do, God will reward us with peace and joy.
"O Lord, give me the wisdom to know your
will, the courage to accept it, and the strength to do it. Amen.
