-Last week's homily is available by email
-The Scriptures for this week are available at USCCB.org
-I am preaching at 4:00, 9:30am at St. Albert and 12:15 at the cathedral
You have to be Free to have Joy
Our hearts must be free in order to rejoice. The biblical witness of the prophet Isaiah is that of returning exiles. The effect of the prophecy is liberation. One cannot truly rejoice when he or she is captive. This is true of our Christian hearts and spirituality as well. Joy requires freedom from selfish pursuits.
We must be liberated from self in order to cling to God and God's will. There is no true happiness outside of God's will. In our world and culture this is strange proposal indeed. Those who rejoice in the Lord are exiles in the foreign land of our self-satisfying cultures.
To what is your heart enslaved that is stifling your joy? Does your joy make you feel like you are a prisoner in a foreign land? Wadayathink?
3 comments:
When I hear these words, “We must be liberated from self in order to cling to God and God’s will,” I am reminded of Jesus and the way he lived His life on earth. He was all about the Father’s will – steadfast in that pursuit, even at the most difficult times. Or, as the psalm reminds us, it was Mary’s focus too – again, despite hardships. From my own life I know that in those times I have turned away from God, when I have not pursued His will, there was emptiness in my life – certainly not times of joy. The passing fancies of this world are not joy-producing – but rather are simply alluring and seductive enticements. We have to be aware of the trickster’s ploy – and see the difference between grounded/heavenly, holy joy – and fleeting happiness. They are not the same, but this world is frequently confused by their difference.
It is a constant effort to try to keep ourselves at peace and with a sense of freedom, when we seek goals that give us frustration, anger, fear, pride and more of this "stuff."
Not until we are able to dismantle our false-self ( a self distant from God)little by little,and continue with our own personal purifying process of those emotions
learned since we were born, just to make us comfortable, we will continue being captive in our own missery. As we progress in our spiritual journey our energies can be used for better purposes in our lifes, giving hope, love and compassion to others.
And this is a great effort Matador. Your comments are very much welcome to me at this time, and I thank you.
Gitana
I was at daily Mass & the Priest asked the people the fruits of the Holy Spirit... no one -- NO ONE --knew all of them! If we don't have THAT idea in our mind of how to see God in ourselves, how can we truly rejoice in anything?
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