Written by: Jeanne Frantik, parishioner
Columba Marmion defines ‘Joy’ as ‘the echo of God’s life within us’. Understanding that Joy is not about happiness, on the contrary, it is usually most appreciated during or after great times of sorrow… like a rainbow after a storm.
‘The echo of God’s life within us’ is not just made for times of happiness. It is a gift to be carried throughout our journey in life… just like the Lord. I used to go to church, check it off my ‘to do’ list and then move on with my week. Living a relatively Christian life, but was I walking every step intentionally with the Lord? Not so much.
‘Joy’ is about sticking and staying, through the hardships of life. Sometimes holding onto nothing but the faith that ‘Joy still comes in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5).
To me, baseball is a truly religious experience, especially as a Cubs fan. Most Cub fans had lived their whole lives without seeing a World Championship. And then, on a cold November evening in Cleveland, after a blown lead in an extra inning game and a 17 minute rain delay… they did it! THE CHICAGO CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES! To this day, whenever I see the last out, Bryant throws, with his amazing smiles, as his foot slips in the wet grass and Rizzo catches the ball outreached over his head… I SCREAM “THE CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES” and giggle like it was the first time I had seen this happen.
This is how we should feel everyday walking with the Lord.
To experience this event was not about the 24 men on the field, but the millions of faithful around the world. It was about generations gathering in a living room experiencing every pitch together in hope and wonder. It was about sobbing on the phone with the dad who brought you to Wrigley as a child. It was about remembering those who lived 102 years and never saw this day and raising a glass to them. It was JOY in the purest truest sense, because it was about LOVE… for a common team, but even more for those with whom you walked through life.
It was a common love. At that moment, we gathered in a common place to celebrate something that had transcended time.
Sound familiar? Being a Cubs fan is not just a part of your life, it is woven into your life. Now we just have to understand, that is how Jesus wants to be present in our life. He doesn’t want to be just a piece of our life, but intertwined within our life.
When we are able to bring Jesus into every part of our life, Joy (‘the echo of God’s life within us’) is also intertwined. Paul tells the Thessalonians to ‘pray without ceasing’. If prayer is our relationship with God, and we weave God within every part of our life, we ARE praying unceasingly. It is not about being on your knees all day every day, it is allowing him a place to walk with you on your daily path. We begin to see and look for Christ in the eyes of everyone we come in contact with and hopefully they see Christ in us as well.
The more we take in Christ through the Eucharist and at adoration, the calmer our spirit is, the more attracted others become to His light in us and the more opportunities we have to introduce Christ to others, even if it only through our actions.
Recently, I had the opportunity to help a friend prepare to sell her home before entering assisted living. We needed to go through all of her most precious possessions, and there was little family to support. Someone had told me what a gift I was to my friend, and I accepted that as a compliment. Later, Christ humbled me by seeing Him in her eyes as she frailly gazed up at me. It was a moment of revelation. She was allowing me to be Christ to her, and I was privileged enough to be able to serve Christ through her.
These kinds of things happen every day, however, we need to be walking with Christ in order to see him, to feel him, to serve him and to know the truest, purest JOY of ‘the echo of God’s life within us’.