# 12/14 (장림 제3주일) 필벤 신부님 강론

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Dear faithful,

This Sunday is dedicated to joy: “Rejoice in the Lord always,” St. Paul tells us in the epistle and the introit. What is this joy? Of course, it is the joy of the approaching Christmas celebration: “The Lord is near,” the joy of impatient children who can no longer count the days until an important event like Christmas.

But it is not only the joy caused by the approaching Christmas holiday. St. Paul speaks to us of the joy that must dwell in every Christian life. For the closeness of the Lord is the very heart of Christian life: the Lord is near through the sacraments, especially the Blessed Sacrament in our tabernacles; God dwells in the souls of the baptized who are in a state of grace. We Catholics can constantly say “the Lord is near,” and not only as Christmas approaches.

In this sermon, I want to explain what Christian joy is and detail the two ways to obtain it.

 

I/ Joy based on goodness.

First, we must make a fundamental distinction, which is very simple but necessary: joy is not pleasure.

Pleasure is a relaxation of the body or mind that makes us forget our worries. The pleasure of eating well, for example, the pleasure of reading a thrilling novel, watching a good movie, etc. Pleasure is linked to relaxation of the body or mind. God has associated certain bodily acts, acts that are vital for the life of the species, such as eating, reproduction, or rest, with a certain pleasure. This ensures that these acts will be performed and thus preserves the life of the species. Pleasure is not bad, but if it is sought for its own sake, then it becomes bad, diverted from its purpose.

 

Joy is something quite different; joy is always linked to goodness: I am happy when I do something good, for example, a morally good deed, or something that develops my nature. Take the example of a child who manages to walk for the first time. The child is very happy, very proud of himself, looks at his parents and seems to say to them, “Look what I can do!” Indeed, he has developed an ability that is a good thing in human nature. It is a joy of this kind that we experience when we develop our abilities, learn a new art, a new technique, or develop a particular skill. Pleasure is always linked to good. As a result, there can be evil and perverse pleasures, and unfortunately there are many, but there can be no evil joy. One could even say that the demons in hell experience a certain perverse pleasure in torturing the damned, but they do not and will never have any joy because they have definitively renounced goodness by turning their backs on God forever.

 

Therefore, Christian life can include pleasures, but it is not centered on them. Christian joy comes from goodness. When St. Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” he is telling us to “seek goodness always.” Since Christian joy is based on goodness and not on pleasure, it may be useful to ask ourselves whether, in our lives, we are not too focused on seeking simple pleasures and neglecting goodness.

Christian joy is based on the practice of goodness. But how can we find it?

 

II/ Moderation

The first means given by St. Paul for acquiring this joy is moderation: “Let your moderation be known to all men: the Lord is near” (v5). The term translated as “moderation” is a Greek word that is difficult to translate: epieikes. It originally referred to the application of the law: one should not be too harsh in applying the law, for laws aim at good and punish evil, but there are always exceptions, since no legislator can foresee every case, and therefore laws should not be applied without moderation. But St. Paul's recommendation goes further than moderation in the application of the law; it is moderation in the use of the goods of this world. This moderation is what distinguishes Christians from pagans: “Let your moderation be known to all men.” Indeed, pagans take advantage of everything to which they are entitled. This is the maxim of modern man: “I have the right to do whatever I want as long as I do not infringe on the freedom of others; as long as it is not forbidden, I can do it.”

A Christian takes from the world what he needs for a good life and to fulfill his duty. This does not mean that all Christians must be poor, but that we take from the world's riches only what we need to carry out the missions God gives us: for example, someone who has a family to support and a job to do will need to acquire and possess the riches necessary for that state of life. But Christians do not seek these things for their own sake; they seek eternal life. They make use of this passing world and the good things that can be found in it, but their goal is heaven.

The first condition for Christian joy is a moderate attitude toward worldly goods. This freedom brings true joy because it allows us to devote ourselves to doing good. Conversely, an immoderate attitude toward the use of worldly goods causes anxiety and fear of deprivation. Unfortunately, the pagan behavior of finding joy solely in worldly riches is a temptation that also lurks for Christians. We are sometimes caught up in frenzied shopping behavior: buying seems to make us happy, it calms our anxieties and stress. We must therefore be careful never to forget Christian moderation.

 

III/ Thanksgiving

Finally, St. Paul adds a second element that leads to Christian joy: “In every situation, present your requests to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” (v. 6). A Christian asks God, presents his requests to Him, but always does so with thanksgiving, that is, in an attitude of filial gratitude toward God. He always thanks God, even before being heard, because God always gives what is good for our salvation, even if it is not necessarily what we want at first glance. This is the theological virtue of hope: we know that God wants our eternal happiness and that he gives us what is necessary to achieve it; it is up to us not to refuse his graces.

God never ceases to give us many graces to bring about our salvation: good ideas, good desires, good encounters, etc. No one is deprived of these graces. Those who condemn themselves do so through their own fault, their own refusal of God's grace, but never through God's fault.

For this reason, we must always thank God in advance; our requests must always contain an element of thanksgiving. This certainty is the foundation of Christian joy: God is good, I know that he wants my good, and I strive to give him thanks. Where the various difficulties of life cause pagans to worry and fear, these difficulties must be viewed by Christians with the virtue of hope: God is near and God is good, which leads to thanksgiving. Do we live this thanksgiving with enough fervor? When we ask God for something, do we do so with an element of thanksgiving?

 

Dear faithful, there is a specifically Christian joy that is linked to goodness and not primarily to pleasure, even though the latter is also part of life in this world. This joy is obtained in two main ways: moderation and an attitude of thanksgiving. As Christmas approaches, St. Paul calls us to examine our consciences: is this Christian joy truly present in our lives? Do we truly seek to acquire it by practicing the virtue of moderation and an attitude of gratitude?

 

fr. Fillebeen