To Be Happy
Baba Jude

Everyone wants to be happy, but so few of us are. If it were not so, why are best seller lists always heavy with self-help, self-discover, self-love, yadda yadda yadda books

A few years back, a handful of our Diocesan Clergy gathered together for a Lenten retreat lead by a Franciscan monk by the name of Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Fr. Benedict is a simple man dedicated to his mission of working with the poor of society while also responding to numerous requests to lecture, write books, serve on various commissions of the Roman Catholic Church, and so on. The theme of the retreat was about happiness. He offered a number of points that made a lot of sense.

The other night, remote firmly in hand, changing the stations with the precision of a violinist, I found Fr. Benedict on the Eternal Word Channel speaking on many of the same issues he spoke to us during that retreat about happiness. Looking through some files, I found some of the notes that I had written.

- Happiness is being generous. Like love, you have to give it away in order to really understand and appreciate it.

- Happiness is holding the truth of God in balance. Much unhappiness comes from good religious people trying to follow one direction. There is more to Christianity that building a structure system on one Bible passage. The truth of God must be held in balance to create the right end product; a Christian who has joy and peace in his life.

- Happiness is encouraging ourselves to read the Bible through the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us eyes to see and ears to hear.

- Happiness is remembering that people are different, each created in the image and likeness of God. Our part is to love, to encourage and pray for one another, hoping with fervent hope our friends are doing the same for us.

- Happiness is being thankful.

- Happiness is understanding that the whole world is out of joint, including ourselves. We have an adversary. His name is Satan, and he hates God's people, and he particularly hates to see us happy. He is happy when he sees us choose false ways to be happy - sinful ways.

- Happiness is understanding you are not going to be happy all the time. Life is made up of interruptions, big and small, and making new beginnings.

- Happiness is "going on" in spite of . . .

- You have to snatch at happiness. Don't wait until you graduate from college, have a day off, hit the lottery, get married, retire, or whatever. Make up you mind to find some small thing (or large) to be happy about today! Everyone's life has a clutter of menial tasks, even kings and queens. Learning to be a "happy servant" is a great secret.

Our retreat leader also told us one other thing. He said, "Don't leave this world without being holy." When you think about it, they do go hand in hand. Picture Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, the early Christian Witnesses. Now picture yourself.

During the Christmas season, many often complicate the simple things that prevent them from that joy, that happiness, that wholeness and holiness Christ offers.

Everyone wants to be happy, but so few of us are. So read the list again and see what happens.

Church

The Season of Advent
by Baba Jude

Advent is the season to celebrate the coming of the Lord.

Traditionally it serves to remind us of the last days when Jesus is to return for his Second Coming. But for most Christians, its deepest significance lies in the fact that it is a time to anticipate the incarnation and to make room for his coming among us.

One thing is for sure: whether we view advent in terms of God becoming man or in terms of the time when he is to come again, those views scarcely represent the current attitudes around us. By the time December25 or January 6 arrives, children are so over-stimulated by the thoughts of Christmas presents and Santa, adults are so overwhelmed by the endless trips to the malls, which parties to attend, writing the Christmas cards, NO ONE is in a mood to understand how silently, how mysteriously the wondrous gift of Christmas is given.

Why is it that as each year goes by, it becomes harder and harder to hear the voice of God in our Christmas celebrations? Maybe we need to slow down a bit and catch our breath?

The best of the best comes from a woman who when asked if she was to attend Christmas Eve services said "I'm too busy getting ready for Christmas to go to services. I need the time to get things ready." For so many, Christmas comes at wrong time of year, during holidays when we're all so busy. What does her response coupled with our attitudes tell us about Christmas and maybe about ourselves.

One of the Gospel passages read during Advent is about the Rich Fool - (read Luke 12.16-21).

His attitude is what we call the great American work ethic - work hard, rise to great affluence, through good management and wise investments retire, enjoy the rest of life in leisure, pleasure and ease.

We see how this individual is thinking only of self, loving self, closed to love of God and of others. The good life for him was to be indolent ease - eating, drinking and merrymaking.

But God does not call him by name, but calls him a fool, for he deemed a life of secure and abundant earthly enjoyment the summit of human bliss.

He flatters himself into thinking that he had a long lease of such enjoyment, a guarantee, for he had "made it" and now it's payback time. But his folly four fold ­

- He forgets God, the giver, provider of his wealth.

- He appropriates all he receives for himself.

- He counts his treasures as the food of his soul.

- He does not think of the daily possibility of death.

The evil of this Parable is not in the treasure, nor in laying up treasure, but in laying up treasures only for oneself. The true nature of sin is the devotion of oneself to oneself and not to God. (Again read the parable).

During advent we need prepare to do a house cleaning of the soul. We can take the four points of the fool's failure and change them into a learning, after all that's the reason we have parables:

- Remember God as the foundation of all. All we have is from the Creator of all in heaven and on earth. Pray to God acknowledging and thanking him

- Check out your treasures. Learn how to become a steward of God, to appropriate a share of your treasures with the poor, your church, with strangers. Learn what it is you need, and re-evaluate what you do and can do with the rest.

- When you say "peace on earth," find it within yourself, your neighbor, all that surrounds you. Realize that the food for your soul - your treasures in heaven - will come by your acts of kindness to others, your ability to forgive, your ability to love, your daily actions. Where your heart is there will be also your treasure be.

-Wake up & live each day to the fullest. When it is time, pray you will be called by name, not remain a nameless fool as the character in the Parable?

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this advent, take the time to do a moral inventory and spiritual housecleaning. New birth is new life, a new beginning for us all. Let us arrive together with our hearts open to Jesus Christ, waiting for him to enter into our lives as he entered the world of man 2000 years ago.

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