“Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.” 

- Teilhard de Chardin

Cheerfulness and optimism is a choice. When we choose to trust God for everything, we can rest in His promises to take care of us the way He sees fit. Trusting God brings joy. The key to being joyful is to keep life simple.  Mother Teresa said: "Do small things with great love." St. David whose feast day we celebrate today said: "Do ye the little things in life."  Joy comes from staying connected to God and then doing small things with love. A smile, a helping hand, a kind word make those the essential things each day, and joy will find you.

 If you have tried everything else, why not try God?  

Right?

Identify someone close to you who has tried everything else, 

and pray that this person will try God.

"The two most important days in your life 

are the day you are born 

and the day you find out why." 

– attributed to Mark Twain

What is your "Why"?  

Saint Paul realized that he was chasing the wrong "why." In a life-changing moment, when Paul heard the voice of God, he completely redirected his life.  In a letter to the Christians in the city of Colossae, he shares this "why" with them,    

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 

To his friends in Corinth, he said, "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  

Paul found his "why" when he met Jesus. Telling others about Jesus was how Saint Paul lived out his "why."  I believe we who discover Jesus in our lives all have the same "why."  And that is to share the joy and the love we have experienced with others.  The world desperately needs to hear Good News.  Those of us who know the love of the Lord, need to make sharing that love - that good news - our "why."

This story touched me ...

One day, while on the bus, I encountered a man and his two young daughters.
The young girls immediately gravitated towards me, and we chatted the whole ride. Several minutes later, my stop arrived. As I was getting off the bus, I noticed that the shoelaces of the youngest were undone. “Oh sweetie,” I called over, “I wish I had seen that your laces are undone. I would have tied them for you!” “Tie my shoelaces now!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Fortunately, it seemed this was their stop as well, since the father and his daughters exited the bus. I asked her father permission to tie the girl’s shoelaces, and he gave it. I tied her laces. Soon, the older daughter was also exclaiming, “One of my laces is undone too!” I didn't want her to feel left out or ignored, so I simply tied her shoes. I thanked the gentleman for allowing me to help his daughters. He thanked me back, explaining, “Myself, I cannot help them. I only have use of one hand.”
 
In parting, I recalled the words of my father so many years ago:
 

“Do you know what it is to be Christian?” my father asked. “Yes,” I replied, “we go to church.” “It is much more than that,” he instructed. If you are somewhere in society and see someone struggling, you need to walk over to them and help. That is being Christian.”

So simple ... but so true!  

 “You can’t go back and change the beginning, 

but you can start where you are and change the ending.” 

– C.S. Lewis

The Lent of Love.

Lent is different this year.  This past year, we have been living a life where sacrifice is the new normal. For our good, and the good of our neighbor, we have abstained from social events and strapped on masks for any and every outing. We have skipped vacations.  We have endured mental, emotional, and spiritual fatigue that comes with months of uncertainty and anxiety. Emotionally, the pandemic has taken a toll on each one of us in ways we might not even realize. 

Lent this year is a time to reflect on how we responded to the challenges we faced throughout the year?  Do we need to ask anyone for forgiveness? Is there a change we need to make from what we learned about ourselves?

Maybe this year, Lent should be different. This year during Lent, let us all take time to think about how we should live as a community, protect each other from illness, finding new and better ways of taking care of each other in the years to come.  Rather than give something up this year, let's seek out neighbors or fellow parishioners who have genuinely suffered this past year and bring some love and joy to them.  This Lent, let us pray and fast, but let's also reach out and love someone.  Let's make this Lent a time of healing not only our bodies but also our souls.  This Lent let's find someone who needs our love, and love them back to health and hope.  

Let's make 2021 the Lent of Love.