We should always make a conscious effort to always be happy.
Sometimes we have this impression that being happy is just an emotion that pops
up unknowingly but it should not be so. According to Rev. Ronald Rolheiser. OMI
in his article in Tidings entitled, “Meaning and happiness”, these are not good
questions to ask ourselves? They're questions with which to torture ourselves.
When we face our lives honestly, this kind of question about happiness is more
likely to bring tears to our eyes than solace to our souls because, no matter
how well our lives are going, none of us live perfectly fulfilled lives. Always
there are unfulfilled dreams. Always there are areas of frustration. Always
there are tensions. Always there are deeper hungers that are being stifled. And
always, as Karl Rahner so poignantly puts it, we are suffering the torment of
the insufficiency of everything attainable as we are learning that, here in
this life, there is no finished symphony. Our lives are always lived in quiet
desperation. A lot of times it is not easy to feel happy.
But we are asking the wrong questions. The question should
not be: Am I happy? Rather the questions should be: Is my life meaningful? Is
there meaning in my life? Is there meaning in my marriage? Is there meaning in
my family? Is there meaning in my job? Is there meaning inside my church?
We need to ask the deep questions about our lives in terms
of meaning rather than in terms of happiness because, for the most part, we
have a false, over-idealized and unrealistic concept of happiness.
We tend to equate happiness with two things: pleasure and
lack of tension. Hence we fantasize that for us to be happy we would need to be
in a situation within which we would be free of all the tensions that normally
flood into our lives from: pressure, tiredness, interpersonal friction,
physical pain, financial worry, disappointment in our jobs, frustration with
our churches, frustration with our favorite sports teams, and every other
headache and heartache that can appear.
Many people, including Jesus, suffered great pain but lived
happy lives. Sadly, the reverse is also true. Happiness has a lot more to do
with meaning than with pleasure.
Happiness, as it is superficially conceived of, means
perfect health, perfectly fulfilled relationships, a perfect job, no anxiety or
tension in life, no disappointments, and the time and money to enjoy the good
life.
But that isn't what constitutes happiness. Meaning is what
constitutes happiness and meaning isn't contingent upon pain and tension being
absent from our lives. Imagine if
someone had come up to Jesus as he was dying on the cross and asked him the
question: Are you happy up there? His answer, I am sure, would have been
unequivocal: "No! And today in particular I am not happy!"
However, the perspective is quite different if, while on the
cross, Jesus would have been asked this question: "Is there meaning in
what you are doing up there?" There can be deep meaning in something even
if there isn't happiness in the way we superficially conceive of that.
We more easily grasp this when we reflect back on various
periods of our lives. Looking back from the perspective of where we are today,
we see that, sometimes, certain periods of our lives that were fraught with all
kinds of struggles (and within which we had to make do with very little) were
indeed very happy times. We look back on them now with fondness and warmth.
They were meaningful times and our present perspective washes back through time
and purges the pain and highlights the joy.
Conversely, we can also look back on certain periods of our
lives when there may have been pleasure in our lives, but that phase of our
lives now appears clearly as an unhappy time. We look back at it with a certain
heaviness and regret. What seemed like light then seems like a time of darkness
now.
C.S. Lewis taught that happiness and unhappiness color
backwards: If our lives end up happy, we realize that we have always been happy
even through the trying times, just as if our lives end up unhappy we realize
that we have always been unhappy, even during the pleasurable periods of our
lives. Where we end up ultimately in terms of meaning will determine whether
our lives have been happy or unhappy.
Many people, including Jesus, suffered great pain but lived
happy lives. Sadly, the reverse is also true. Happiness has a lot more to do
with meaning than with pleasure.
In his autobiography, “Surprised by Joy,” Lewis tells his
readers that his journey to Christianity was not an easy one. By his own
admission, he was "the most reluctant convert in the history of
Christendom." But one of the things that ultimately brought him around to
the Christianity was precisely the realization that meaning trumps our normal
conception of happiness. He came to understand, he writes, that the harshness
of God is kinder than the softness of man and God's compulsion is our
liberation.
Money can't buy happiness. It can buy pleasure, but, as life
itself eventually teaches us, pleasure is not necessarily happiness. –end of
article- As we ponder on the deeper meaning of happiness may we find in our
hearts a reason to always rejoice. Amen. Hallelujah!
Zechariah 9:9-109 Thus says the Lord: Rejoice heartily, O
daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king
shall come to you;...
There is really none like our God. We can have all the
things that this world can offer but in the end we will still be wanting and
not satisfied if we do not have God in the center of our life. The Lord has
always been faithful and not a single moment would He ever not be. We should
have the confidence always of a beloved child of God and the honor of being on
top of God's creation. The Lord is always ready to extend His help and shower
His blessings on us, His people. The question is, are we willing to accept His
help and stay within the circle of His blessings? This question is very
critical and sometimes left unanswered, neglected and taken for granted. When
we choose to continue in the path that does not lead us closer to God the
answer is clear, it is a no. When we direct our actions in things that draw us
closer to God then it is a yes. If this is so true for us then we ought to do
as the psalm reading today tells us. All our thoughts, words and actions should
reflect how great our God is. As humans we tend to downplay God's role in our
life because we subject our experiences to human terms and conditions. We are
still bound by the limitations of this world we are in and we can't help it. We
sometimes just go with the flow and get carried away by the pressures imposed
to us by our present and existing situations. Our study of World History tells
us of the different and various kinds of kingdoms and dynasties which ruled
throughout the length of time. None of the most famous and powerful of these
kingdoms still stand today and remain as influential to the entire world as it
used to be. This tells us one thing that earthly kingdoms will eventually cease
to exist. Only God's Kingdom prevails for eternity. Sometimes we might even
have to come to a point when we look and sound strange for others or even suffer the ridicule of not
just others but the very people who comprise our circle of close family,
relatives and friends. What matters most is that we ought to give God what He
rightly deserves, to be extolled and praised forever. Today's psalm tells us
that we owe God more than just plain courtesy for His goodness. Whenever we
watch box office hit super hero movies, news about it spread like wildfire and
the promotion for it is international that almost everybody around the globe
gets to know about it and watch it. If only we can devote that same fervor and
enthusiasm in spreading word about the greatest Super Hero of all times, Jesus
and make a decision to watch His life unfold and be part of our own, then we
can someday be a part of God's great Kingdom in Heaven. If we truly desire this
then we should always be mindful of the words of God written in the bible since
it is indeed what its acronym stands for which is B - basic I-instructions
B-before L-leaving E-earth. It is very important that we have read and
understood well what is written in the bible before we exit this world. This reminds
me of the video games that my sons used to play. When they finish one level
they have to enter into the next level which is more difficult and so on and so
forth until they reach the ultimate task and win the final battle. It was like
they needed to be well prepared and more skillful for each level. This somehow
reminds us of how we should approach our final day here on earth. The gate of
heaven has been opened and made accessible for us, there is no question about
it but the question is, "Are we ready and able to go through it?" As
in Eph. 6:13, "Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil
day and, having done everything, to hold your ground." Another thing is we
have no idea when will that day come because we really do not know the time or
the hour. One thing for sure, the only way to go through it is by being well
prepared for it. Thus I wanted to share this story which I got from an email.
Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.
He loved the 4th wife the most and adored her with rich
robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the
best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing
her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would
leave him for another.
He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was
always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a
problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the
difficult times.
The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made
great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not
love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of
her!
One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short.
He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me,
but when I die, I'll be all alone.'
Thus, he asked the 4th wife , 'I loved you the most, endowed
you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm
dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'No way!', replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without
another word.
Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.
The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, 'I loved you all my
life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'No!', replied the 3rd wife. 'Life is too good! When you
die, I'm going to remarry!'
His heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, 'I have always turned to you for
help and you've always been there for me.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the
2nd wife. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'
Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King
was devastated.
Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you
no matter where you go.'
The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was
very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.
Greatly grieved, the King said, 'I should have taken much
better care of you when I had the chance!'
In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:
Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort
we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we
die, it will all go to others.
Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much
they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the
grave.
And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of
wealth, power and pleasures of the world.
However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us
wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only
part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us
throughout Eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 145 : 1-2 , 8-9, 10-11, 13-14R: I will praise your
name for ever, my king and my God.
10 Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your
faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and
speak of your might. (R) 12 Making known to men your might and the glorious
splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your
dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works. 14 The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises
up all who are bowed down. (R)
The 2nd reading for today clearly speaks of God's
tremendous power manifested in the Spirit that dwells in us. Wow, we are heirs
of God, it makes me think of rich families who leave vast properties to their
heirs and people will always say how fortunate those people are being left with
such an inheritance. In the same way we should realize the inheritance being
handed over to us by God our Father. Every inheritance has its conditions and
with God's we are all invited to live a life worthy of this inheritance. Everything
comes with a choice, we have the power to choose and it all lies in our hands.
No one can be held responsible for our actions other than ourselves. We should
always take charge and be accountable and responsible for we have the power to
live our lives in the way we want and choose it. We associate a lot of things
to places where we live. How about associating things to ourselves by examining
closely who lives in us. We are without a trace of any doubt as proclaimed in
today's 2nd reading a dwelling place of God. Just like any other places where
we can live, if the conditions are no longer favorable, or we are forced to
relocate due to work reasons, buy a new house and move to a place where we can
call our own and other reasons we can all think about when transferring to a
new place to live. Sometimes we can use this analogy to ourselves as God's
dwelling place. Are we trying our best to make feel God at home in our lives or
are we driving Him away from us? For God is always the perfect gentleman and
would never force Himself if we do not welcome Him the way we should. Let us be
careful just as what sometimes happen when we may not be aware of it but we are
already kicking Jesus out of our lives. He patiently waits for us to open the
doors of our hearts. We prevent God's
miracles in our lives when we suppress it by our wrongdoings. Why not allow the
Spirit of the Lord that dwells in us triumph, unchain the spirit and unleash
its power to work in us. The 2nd reading assures the Christian community of a
future of unending glory for all who have been loyal to God. The assurance of
resurrection is nothing less than the spirit dwelling in us. We are released
from the graves that we create for ourselves. The resurrection is the ground of
our faith and basis for our hope. Let us be conscious and truly nurture God's
spirit in us.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 8:9, 11-13
Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the
contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the
Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who
raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through
his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to
the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the
flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the
body, you will live...
As we continue the process of
living, dying and the hope of resurrecting, we the church of God,
the triumphant (angels and saints in heaven), militant (the living) and
suffering (souls in purgatory) join forces in prayer in the hope that we will
all someday be together in heaven. We can not deny the fact that we live in an
imperfect world but in it also came forth a glorious array of men and women,
the saints. I do believe that we can look after the example they left behind
and ask at the same time their intercession in order for us to truly live the
life of Jesus the way they did. The life of the Blessed Mother and the saints
although they generally represent a life of sacrifice and sorrow from the
world's point of view is in truth victorious and triumphant. You know why? I
believe that they have learned the secret enclosed in today's gospel. By this
time we may have experienced and witnessed a lot in life already to know that
today's gospel is the best thing we ought to do. No one in this world can get
away from problems and sorrow in life. Life here on earth is as imperfect as it
is. We can not expect to live a life of perfect peace and happiness here on
earth but we can surely make the best out of what we've got right here and now
if we are to follow these words below in the gospel. There is really nowhere
and no one else to go to but the Lord. We should have realized this by now if
we have learned our lessons well. In times past when we have forgotten to
surrender to God and depended more on our strength, skill and intelligence, we
have seen the difference and the worst in the outcome of our actions. In
whatever we do, for as long as we are not violating God's commands we must not
forget to lift up everything to God in prayer and He will clearly show us the
way. Why, because God said, come to me who you labor and heavily burdened… Our
Lord looked at the people around fighting heavy battles, losing, carrying great
burden and running out of strength. Sometimes life gets us down and causes us a
tiredness of body and weariness of soul that no amount of sleep can rectify. On
such occasions we hear Him say “Come to me let me help you carry your burden. Of
course the problem with us is that we’re carrying burdens that we were never
intended to carry. The burdens and the problems belong to Him. He is in charge
of the world, not us. We can not solve problems on our own. We must realize
that He alone can solve problems we could never solve. When Moses met God in
the burning bush, Moses asked God “What is your name and whom shall I say sent
me?” He said My name is “I am” not I was nor I will be but I am. God lives in
the eternal now where it is neither past nor future. If we are going to realize
that at this very moment God sees us not only at this lovely day He created but
He sees us already dead, buried, judged and safely home with Him forever for
the ecstasy that He has planned for us. He sees us now as we are worrying and
fretting about a future that may never come. Moses told the Lord, who am I to
go to pharaoh. But God was with Moses as He is with us. He said I shall be with
you and He was with Moses, as He is with us, too. In the Angelus we say behold
the handmaid of the Lord… These are the words of our Lady which she said and
meant. Though, she has no idea what the Lord has in store for her, she allowed
God to do what He has in store for her. Can we also say the same and mean it?
God has a plan for us and that plan is filled with love. The Lord said I am
meek and humble of heart. He has no ego problems like we have. We must realize
that the most difficult problem is preoccupation with self. When we go into a
room and try to impress everybody we come out and think how we fair in
ourselves. We just have to let go. He wants us to work with Him in helping
other human beings. The yoke is the 2 metal piece ring that links 2
animals. It’s what happens to us when we
give our help to the Lord, not what happens to whom we have helped. If we are
blinded with selfishness we fail to accept the plan God has for us. Our desire
to thank God is our gift and adds nothing to His greatness. Did we ever stop to
think that the only thing that our Lord asks of us is humility. He said, learn
of me for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your soul.
But we listen so easily to the father of lies. We imagine to find joy in what
we pray in flattery, in the applause of the crowd and in riches. But what is
humility? What is this vague, ethereal, intangible, supernatural virtue? It is
simply the truth. The truth shall set us free.
And the truth about us is that apart from God we are nothing. We have
nothing, we can do nothing. We have a body but we can not control it. We do not
know when it will die. We have a mind but the bursting of a tiny blood vessel
will make us imbeciles forever. We have a heart that can love but at times we
have no control over it. It is hard, cold and unresponsive to the needs of
others. But there is a positive side about this which is beautifully described
by Father Faber, in Frederick William the English poet who became a Catholic
after Cardinal Newman. He said, “There are some thoughts which however old they
are, are always new. Either because they are so broad that they are never
thoroughly learned or because they are so intensely practical that their
interest is always absorbing. And such thoughts are for the most part very
common thoughts. They require no peculiar keenness of vision for no one can
fail to perceive them. They are like the huge mountains visible to everybody on
the plain below. Now among such thoughts we may reckon that thought which every
child would know that God loves each one of us with a special love. This is one
of the most common thoughts in our religion and yet when we come to look
steadily at it we find it very hard to believe. God does look at us in the mass
and the multitude as though we stand single and alone before His judgment seat
one day but before the eye of His boundless love. This is our faith. This is the faith in which we must live and
die. St. Paul
tells us in his letter to the Philippians that this mind be in us which was in
Christ Jesus who although he is God emptied Himself taking the form of a
servant (Philippians 2,6-11). Christ divested Himself of His dazzling beauty
and glory and he was lost in the crowd and he was thought to be Mary’s boy and
Joseph’s son. We are asked to empty ourselves of all that is false of all that
is ignoble, all that is unreal so that we may become filled with Christ.
Because nature abhors a vacuum and so does grace. We must be filled with
something. Tragically we are filled with all kinds of desire, we want to be
applauded, be promoted, we want to be consulted and we want to be loved. We
want to be preferred to others. Look at all the fears that fill us that stifle
us and paralyze us. We are afraid of sickness, growing old and of death. We are
afraid of the thought of what comes after death. Don’t we remember Shakespeare,
“To sleep for a chance to dream, what dreams may come when we have shuffled off
this mortal coil must give us pause to that undiscovered land from whose no
traveler returned…” John the Baptist gave us our ideal, I must decrease and He
must increase (John 3:30). All the foolishness, unreality, intolerance, the
selfishness and all the sin that is in us must decrease so that we must fill
the vacuum with our Lord who wants to share our life. He wants to be part of
the trivia that make up our waking hours. Whatever happens to us happens to Him
and He wants us to let Him share because only then will we find the rest that
we pray. Things, places, circumstances and people are really interwoven by God
in our lives in a very special way as if creating a wonderful picture and scenario.
Like an intricate and beautiful artwork that is embroidered or woven into the
fabric of our lives for us to witness, appreciate, get a message and draw
inspiration and strength from. A long time ago St. Francis cried out loud, “He
comes to His own today and receives Him not.” And so we live lives that are
restless, confused, frustrated and unfulfilled because we do not share our
lonely life with Him. So the prayer we learn as children that is said all over
the world among Christians should be our prayer now, Oh Jesus meek and humble
of heart make our hearts like unto Thine. Matters of the faith are very
difficult to accept and understand for some people for they will always
question and rationalize things. There are some things that can not be explained
and we simply have to pray to God to reveal them in our hearts. This is why
Jesus in today's gospel emphasized the importance of being like the little
children. We, grown ups are always caught up in the cares and concerns of this
world that we sometimes forget who
really is in charge of everything and tend to overpower God. The same way a
child entrusts everything to his/her parents we, too should learn to trust that
God our Father will take care of us. We can learn a lot from the children who
are full of trust and confidence in their parents. If we will only learn the
secret of the childlike then we can surely acquire the wisdom of God. If we
always maintain in us a high level of confidence in God who is our loving
Father then we are never far from achieving it. May we acquire the trusting
attitude of the children and continue to discover the wonders of God’s love. As
Catholics we have this great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which
symbolizes the great love of God. Our Catholic practices can be found in the
bible. God has made a covenant with His people and has been fathering us in
order to bring us together into His loved flock in heaven. The devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus is widespread all throughout the world. We are body and
soul and need the external festivities. We have to remember that it's one thing
to celebrate feasts and it's another to live His great love and make it alive
in our daily lives. It has to be more than a mere devotion and celebration. We
encounter people who have a condescending and sneering attitude towards popular
devotion of the Catholic Church and consider them as meaningless routines. We
are reminded through these devotions that there is no material or event in our
lives that can not be directed for the greater glory of God. Although sometimes
we come to a point when these practices and devotions that lift us up simply
become like magic and opium for our troubles and miseries. We fail to grasp the
essence of these devotions and treat them like the hypocrites in prayer and the
pagans with some superstitious beliefs. Some Catholics fall into the trap of
looking at these as a never fail prayer. Sometimes there is a magical or
manipulative misuse like an abracadabra. It should not predispose us to a
ritualistic behavior and must not lead us down to the path of nowhere. Although
the absence of it may appear as we are like those idealists that once saved we
are always saved so there is no need for such devotions. We may fall into the
dangerous scenario as if we are putting God to the test. These devotions should
be a means of communication between God and His people. God is not telling us
to do away with these things but rather do it with a sincere and repentant
heart. It should blossom into a relationship that is pictured in today's
gospel. God is continuously searching for us and wants to bring us together in
a family of love. Our devotions should develop in us a confidence to draw near
to God as He invites us in today’s gospel. We have only one Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
It will save us great pain and suffering if we follow and obey Him. There is no
other way, truth and life but Him. It's inevitable that we travel through life
and take the journey but to choose to travel with or without Him makes all the
difference. It is the wisest thing to do if we choose to be with Him
althroughout for His burden is easy and yoke is light. Be wise. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Matthew 11:25-30
25 At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike... Come
to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you
will find rest for yourselves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
