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Adventus Christi About Adventus Christi New Evangelization Ready to Assist You! 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Somewhat surprisingly, the dictionary explains the word “joy” in a rather shallow way. It says that joy is an emotion associated with success and material possessions. Then the dictionary goes on to speak of happiness as a deep and long-term experience of contentment and intense satisfaction in life. In my unworthy opinion, the dictionary has got it backwards. In my view, happiness is short-term, dependent on created things, and evaporates like water on a hot sidewalk. Joy is, in my view, long-term, oriented to things of heaven, and endures even through great sufferings and trials. So why do I think the way I do? I hold the experience of joy to be superior to that of happiness because I am a Christian. As a Christian, I find that Sacred Scripture shines with the brightest light on the subject. There are many other lights to be sure. The subject of joy has fascinated man as long as he has been civilized. But the light of human knowledge does not shine as wonderfully as divine revelation. Therefore, to know more about joy, we enter the school of God’s ideas and put on the mind of Christ. [cf. 1Cor 2:16] The words joy and happiness are rather like windows that provide a beautiful view. Happiness is a window that opens to this world, the window of human eyesight. Our world is beautiful, and human beings are meant to use and appreciate it. If human beings didn’t have a soul, this window would be all that anyone would need. The “natural man” (supposing that men didn’t have eternal souls) would need only a natural window to look out on the natural world. The natural man would need only the happiness of mortal creatures. Happiness in this world would be enough, do you see, if there’s nothing for man beyond the experience of death. But as it is, creaturely human beings do have spiritual souls. Man is a creature with an eternal spirit. Therefore, happiness will never be enough. It will never satisfy all his needs. It will never satisfy his desire for immortality, for ultimate fulfillment, or even the profound peace that comes from being reconciled—with all men, with nature, and with God. No matter how beautiul the view, happiness remains a closed window. We accept the task today to contemplate on the meaning of joy. We will try to understand it using the Bible to provide some key insights. We’ll will try to understand joy as an open window, the window of the soul through which we may gaze upon the surpassing loveliness of God, the beauty of his heaven, and the riches of his Kingdom. It is my hope that you’ll appreciate joy as the sign of the living communion of the believer with the Spirit of God. Moreover, I pray that you will realize that the Holy Spirit of God is supernatural joy itself! Even the open window through which we are led to behold the glory of God! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TODAY’S LESSON: Our program for today is called SOLOMON’S RING. I began by saying that there’s a great difference between happiness and joy. Everyone knows this, but not everyone can explain the difference. We must do this so we can appreciate the true meaning of joy as Christians know it. Happiness is the human delight that comes from created things. Now created things can be jobs, homes, cars, possessions, vacations, prizes, acceptance, success, winning, power, college degrees, money and the like—all material things. But when we say “created things”, we are quite right to include people; after all, human beings are creatures, and creatures are created like all things other than God who is, himself, uncreated—who is, was, and ever shall be. People in your life can bring you happiness. But people, like all material things—jobs, or success, or money etc.—can disappoint and even betray you. The happiness they bring to you is the very same happiness they can take away or even steal from you. We can understand happiness better by referring to our Bibles. The story of manna and the Children of Israel will help us to understand the limitations of happiness. I will give you a hint. As I read the story of the heavenly manna from the Book of Exodus, keep in mind that happiness is very much like the manna of old. AND WHEN the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. 15. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. THIS IS what the Lord has commanded: 'Gather of it, every man of you, as much as he can eat; you shall take an omer apiece, according to the number of the persons whom each of you has in his tent.'" 17. And the people of Israel did so; they gathered, some more, some less. 18. But when they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to what he could eat. AND MOSES said to them, "Let no man leave any of it till the morning." 20. But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. [Exo 16:14-21] Now, I’m not saying that the manna in the desert was literally “happiness” for the Hebrews. The Bible is very clear that the manna of the Hebrew people was “like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey”. [Exo 16:31] But I am saying that happiness for us, the human happiness for which we search, that which we gather, that which we try to hold on to at the end of the day, is precisely manna. Many persons accumulate everything they can get their hands on. They pile possessions on top of possessions. Yet, it’s ironic isn’t it, that no matter how much of the world’s created things you can acquire, you can’t hoard happiness. It’s impossible to store it up, even overnight. A person may lay hands on a mountain of happiness in the noonday sun; at night it dissolves, it evaporates, it erodes—here today, the saying goes, and gone tomorrow. As scripture says, When the sun grows hot, manna melts. [cf. Exo 16:21] Thus each and every morning heralds a new search, a new quest, and in many sad cases, a person’s desperate efforts to equal or surpass the previous day’s success. The words of the Bible are totally appropriate for the person whose search for happiness in the material things of this world becomes disordered and addictive: It breeds worms and becomes foul. [cf. Exo 16:20] When a person wakes up, the happiness of yesterday is gone. When it comes to the search for happiness, modern man will always remain a hunter-gatherer. Literally, speaking, happiness is where you find it. Happiness isn’t when you can’t hold on to it. Yes, there’s a great deal of difference between happiness and joy. Without a moment’s delay, I affirm that joy is, in my view, long-term, oriented to things of heaven, and endures even through great sufferings and trials. Joy is the enduring human delight that comes from heavenly things, for example, the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of our God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit”. [SACRAMENTARY Entrance Rites] The things of heaven, though vast in number and infinite in being, must include the virtues of faith, hope and love, eternal life, divine mercy, the divine revelation of truth, the divine plan of salvation, the heavenly city Jeruselam, the nuptial banquet of Christ and his bride the Church, and (let’s not overlook) miracles! We could go on indefinitely, for example, the maternal love of Mary, the angels and saints and so forth. We may say that happiness and joy is analogous to the cultivated beauty of nature. Happiness is like the butterfly, on the one hand. You can never be sure when a butterfly will appear, how long it will hover near you, or where it will go. Enjoy the happy moments while you can. They are not guaranteed to anyone. On the other hand, joy is like a cultivated garden. Think of joy as the cultivated garden of God’s eternity, the vineyard of the Lord with its rich and luxurious vines, God’s fertile field “already white for harvest”. [Jn 4:35] Think of joy as God’s Kingdom, and it’s no accident that Sacred Scripture compares God’s Kingdom to “treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up”. [Mt 13:44] The things of heaven, the spiritual and eternal things of heaven are a treasure. Now what does the man in the parable experience in his heart when he discovers the hidden treasure of heavenly things? He experiences joy! “In his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field”. [Mt 13:44] Now you can understand clearly that happiness, like the butterfly, is where you find it. But joy is like the cultivated garden; it’s what you make of it. You have to grow it, you have to plant and cultivate the seed in good ground. Do you want a harvest of joy? Then do as John’s gospel advises: “Lift up your eyes” [Jn 4:35] to behold, grasp and receive the things of heaven. You can name the eternal, spiritual things of heaven—seeds, seedlings, grafts, whatever—but they are to be planted “in good soil”, that is to say, “in an honest and good heart” according to God’s Word. Then, “bring forth fruit with patience”. [Lk 8:15] Thus, we say of happiness: It’s where you find it. Of joy, we are bound to say, It’s what you make of it. Now the word eucharist is Greek for “thanksgiving”. When speaking of the Eucharist, we are referring to the Mass. When we feast at the table of God’s Word, we give thanks. As well, we give thanks when we feast at the table of the Lord’s Supper. The two tables are actually united in every Mass as one; in proper terms, every celebration of the Mass includes both the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word is like John the Baptizer. The Word prepares the way for the Lord Jesus Christ whose Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is made truly present in every celebration of the Eucharist. Recall that the ancient Hebrews ate the blessed manna and drank the blessed water from the rock, but nevertheless perished in the desert. [cf. 1Cor 10:1-5] How much more perfectly blessed—even to eternity—are those who “eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood” because the Lord lives in them! [Jn 6:53] Therefore, I am confident in sharing with you what the Lord Jesus Christ gave to his Church, namely the good news of the greatest joy that any human being on earth may know: HE WHO eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (says the Lord). 55. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57. AS THE living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever. [Jn 6:54-58] If you truly know Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, you have found contentment in this world. If you truly know Christ in the Eucharist, you are conscious of the enduring well-being of your life and your immortal soul. If you know Our Lord in the fullness of his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you have the habit of intense and sustained delight in being human. You are at peace with all men. You are being perfected for the day you meet God face-to-face. If you are all these things, then you know the Eucharist. If you are not, then you need to know the Eucharist. Contentment, well-being, human delight, peace and righteousness are the things of heaven. For having these, you know joy. You are a person of joy. In Christ you become God’s precious lamp, the sacred vessel enthroned “on a stand that those who enter may see the light” [Lk 8:16] As God’s luminary, you experience joy. As God’s luminary, others behold you, and they see the glory of God: THEN THE disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11. And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to (others) it has not been given…. 15. FOR THIS people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.” [Mt 13:10-11,15] I said earlier that the Latin gaudete means “rejoice”. Certainly, we rejoice at receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We rejoice to live the holy way of life revealed to us by the “good news” of the Son of God. “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” writes St. Paul to the Romans. [Rom 10:15] I preach to you today the good news of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. [Rom 14:17] Have you heard the story of King Solomon’s ring? You remember Solomon, the son of King David and Bathsheba, who lived approximately a thousand years before Christ. As a young man, Solomon pleased the Lord by seeking the things of heaven. He asked for the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom, as you know, is a participation in God’s eternal truth which confers lasting peace on the human heart. Thus the young Solomon knew the joy of intimate communion with God. His empire grew, his power magnified, and the news of his profound knowledge and wisdom spread throughout the world. But the years passed, Solomon abandoned heavenly things in a headlong pursuit of human knowledge, material goods and unholy alliances with neighboring countries: “His heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father…Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”. [1Kgs 11:4-6] The king grew bitter and jaded; his soul was worn out by abuse and unholy work. One day, filled with the dread of the future, the unhappy Solomon turned again to the things of this world for consolation. He called in the royal goldsmith and commanded him to make a beautiful ring for his finger. It was to be unique, priceless and extraordinarily beautiful. Solomon ordered the jeweler to inscribe on his ring these words: “This, too, shall pass.” And so it did. Solomon’s joy changed to bitterness, his memory passed into oblivion, his palaces turned to dust. Perhaps St. Paul had this story in mind when he reflected on the things that endure to eternity: “For the form of this world,” wrote St. Paul to the Church in Corinth, “is passing away.” [1Cor 7:31] The Word of God is very clear in teaching, If you cling to the form of this world, you will be swept away with it. What is St. John telling us when he writes, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world”? [1Jn 2:16] He urges you not to treat your God-given humanity as the “form of this world”, as a created thing, as only “matter in motion”. Your humanity is destined for divinity: HUMBLE YOURSELVES therefore under the mighty hand of God,” writes St. Peter, “that in due time (God) may exalt you. 7. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. [1Pet 5:6-7] The poet Sara Teasdale wrote, “O better than the minting of a gold-crowned king, is the safe-kept memory of a lovely thing.” Better than Solomon’s morbid ring, therefore, is “the crown of righteousness”. [2Tim 4:8] Better than the world of material things is the treasure of heaven. Better than the happiness of the day is the joy of eternity. Though the world will pass away, “he who does the will of God abides for ever”. [1Jn 2:17] Therefore, the man who abides in joy is the sentinel of his city. His joy is the infallible sign that the love of Christ is regenerating our stricken world in its light. [cf. Mt 4:16-17] And what is the lovely city but the Church in whom St. Paul rejoices when he says: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20. For you are our glory and joy.” [1Thess 2:19] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECAP: The Body of Christ rejoices that salvation has come to us this day. God has renewed his people in his love. And so the inevitability of death and oblivion has been removed. Mankind’s partnership with sin is ended. Our Lord Jesus Christ shows us that joy is not merely an experience of human beings only. Joy is greater than humanity and the human heart. Joy is the experience of the life of Grace, the Truth that sets us free, and the Way that leads to God and eternal life. The heavenly host, the angels and archangels, the saints of heaven, and the Most Blessed Trinity itself experience the perfect and uninterrupted life of joy. Christ teaches us that: “...there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. [Lk 15:10] When something that was lost—a keepsake, a coin, a lamb—has been found, we feel happy. But when a human soul, lost to humanity, has been safely entrusted to God’s eternity, the mystical Body of Christ experiences and knows incomparable joy: “Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” [Psa 97:11-12] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++	Walking with the Word - Lessons A-M Walking with the Word - Lessons N-Z New Growth on an Old Vine New Wrinkle on an Old Story "One Degree of Glory to Another" Proof of Peace Reason & Acting Reasonably Solomon's Ring Standard of Dress for Mass Sword of Sorrow "Take Off Your Shoes" Take Up Your Cross - Part 1 Take Up Your Cross - Part 2 "Thou Little Tiny Child" True Food - Part 1 True Food - Part 2 Watch, Hat and Scissors Word of Justice, Word of Mercy