Joyfully Sustained

A Reflection on the Second Reading for October 25th, 2020:
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Thessalonians
1.5-10

Brothers and sisters: You know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

​At times, it can seem like parts of our culture are obsessed with happiness. Happiness has become a goal we are constantly told we should be working towards. The self-help and wellness industry makes lots of money telling us that we can always be better, we can fix whatever is troubling us, and we can find happiness. We just have to read this book or buy this product and then all our problems will disappear. 
 
This reading has me thinking about the difference between what we think of as happiness, and joy. Of course, the words are used somewhat interchangeably, but I think there is a distinction. Perhaps what we think of as happiness comes from outside of us – a positive emotion brought on by other people, things, places, and experiences. Maybe that’s part of what makes it so fleeting and elusive. And maybe it's also what drives the self help and wellness industry to keep churning out more tools (and generating more revenue) in our ongiong search for happiness. Unlike happiness, which is triggered by external factors, joy is a state of well-being that persists despite external circumstances.

In this passage, Saint Paul talks about joy inspired by the Holy Spirit. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit and so it comes from knowing who we are in God. As Christians, this state of well-being comes from knowing the God who loves first. He’s the God who pursues humanity relentlessly with His unconditional love. He’s the God who sees us exactly as we are, who says that we are good, and loves us no matter what.
 
We are not promised never-ending happiness nor the fulfillment of all our dreams in this life. We are promised that we are known and we are loved and we are held. Joy comes from resting in this knowledge. It doesn’t seem like it should be enough to sustain us in the face of life’s incredible tragedy and pain.  

And yet somehow, it is.
 
Praise God. Thanks be to God.




Morgan M.

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