“St. Teresa of Avila once
said, ‘God save us from
gloomy saints!’”
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Speech
Jesus tells us in Luke 6:45, “From
the fullness of the heart, the mouth
speaks.” If our hearts are filled with joy,
we will speak differently from those
whose hearts are embittered, cynical,
or burdened with sadness. Our speech
will be more alive, more truthful, more
charitable, and less prone to sarcasm,
gossip, detraction, cynical pessimism,
or melancholy.
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Laughter
A well-known song by the musician
Billy Joel features the lyric, “I’d rather
laugh with the sinners than cry with the
saints. The sinners are much more fun.”
With all due respect to Mr. Joel, this
lyric expresses a popular misconception
regarding which experiences in life
are more enjoyable: those spent doing
virtuous activities with virtuous people
(who, nevertheless, are also sinners), or
doing whatever one pleases with those
who are not interested in virtue.
Saints do not spend their days in
tears, though life contains its share of
sorrow. Saints, rather, know how to
laugh because in good times and bad
they know the joy of being God’s sons
and daughters and of the Spirit dwelling
within. They know how to laugh
at what is truly humorous without
becoming superficial jokesters who
trivialize life.
One mark of the saints is they know
how to laugh at themselves, rejoicing
in the blessed irony that God loves and
saves us even though we are so weak
and, sometimes, foolish.
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Attraction
While it is true, as Blessed Teresa of
Calcutta has said, that our mission is to
be faithful rather than successful, it is
also true that “God wills everyone to be
saved”(1 Tm 2:4) and that Jesus sends
his disciples out to “make disciples of all
nations” (Mt 28:19). If I find I am not
attracting anyone else to share our life
in Christ, then perhaps it is because I do
not have the joy of the gospel.
People find joy attractive. They want
to spend their time with joyful people.
They often will imitate those who are
joyful, so they can share in that joy.
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Gratitude
While I’m quoting from popular
music, here is the lyric from a song
made famous by Louis Armstrong:
“When you’re smilin’. . . the whole
world smiles with you.” It is great to
have joy within us, but it will be of
much greater benefit to others if we
communicate joy to them.
St. Teresa of Avila, perhaps in a
moment of exasperation at having seen
too little joy on the faces of her fellow
Christians, once said, “God save us from
gloomy saints!” Something as simple as
a smile can give witness to the goodness
of God and his gifts to us. A smile can
help others to smile at what God has
done for them.
“I realize of course that joy is not
expressed the same way at all times
in life, especially at moments of great
difficulty,” Pope Francis writes (EN, no.
6). The Holy Father offers us a realistic
sense about what joy should “look like,”
but the key is that we do in fact hold
fast to the joy God has given us in all of
life’s seasons.
Knowing the joy of the gospel,
remaining grateful at all times for the
gifts God has given to us, and embracing
the crosses that lie in our path, we learn
to trust God’s plan for our lives. In good
times and bad, we praise and thank our
heavenly Father for his goodness and
for the gift of his Son Jesus, who tells
us he came “so that your joy may be
complete” (Jn 15:11). U
Smiling
Fr. Charles Fox serves on the formation faculty of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Spring 2014 n Sacred Heart Major Seminary
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