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Reflecting on the remarkable readings we just heard brings a couple questions to mind: Does God care if we are happy or not? Does God WANT us to be happy?
Poor Jeremiah is hurting in the first reading! He was asked to be a prophet during the reign of King Josiah, who was a righteous, kind, God-fearing man. He supported Jeremiah and embodied the holiness Jeremiah called the people to live. It was like working alongside the best boss you could imagine. Then, not long after Jeremiah agreed to be God’s prophet, Josiah was betrayed and killed on the battlefield and everything changed for the worse. Quickly, the people forgot the ways of God and tried to find worldly solutions for their problems. They grew weary of the prophet’s calls to repentance and his predictions of doom and gloom for their sinful living. Instead of being respected and listened to, Jeremiah was imprisoned, mocked, physically beaten, and publicly scorned. That is the heartbreak behind his words today as he cries out, “You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped”. In other words, when you asked me to be your prophet, everything was good and the job was sweet. And then the rug was pulled out from underneath me! Have you ever felt the same as Jeremiah? Do you think God wanted him to be happy? O was he just tricking Jeremiah with an illusion of happiness to get him to do what he wanted?
In the second reading, St. Paul is begging with the Romans to offer themselves as a living sacrifice to God. That doesn’t sound very enjoyable! What is behind his plea? The gentile Romans had been gloating that they had accepted the gospel of Jesus while so many of the Chosen People had rejected it. They weren’t just rejoicing in their salvation, they were thumbing their nose at the many who had not converted to Christianity. It was like they were spiritually taunting those who had rejected Christ. St. Paul is calling them to task and telling them to knock it off. How can they be happy when others are rejecting Jesus’ message of salvation? How can they rejoice in the spiritual downfall of others? St. Paul wants them to rejoice in the salvation they have received but express it by joyfully offering themselves as a sacrifice so that others will join them in professing Jesus Christ. In short, their personal happiness is not the most important thing; what it most important is that everyone know and believe in Jesus.
In the gospel, Peter is on top of the world! He, a lowly fisherman from Galilee, has been appointed prime minister of God’s Church on earth! What an honor! Who could have seen that coming? Immediately after this incredible appointment, Jesus informs him that the way the Messiah will triumph is by suffering the most humiliating and painful death possible for the sins of humanity. Peter can’t believe it and tries to talk some “sense” into Jesus. We can almost hear him say, “Jesus, can’t you let me enjoy this moment?! What is all this talk about suffering, death, and the cross? Don’t you want me to be happy?
In each of these readings, we might wonder what is the harm of letting each of the characters enjoy a little victory lap. Why can’t Jeremiah have some time to enjoy some popularity and the consolation of having the people respond joyfully to his message? Can’t the Romans have a some time to relish the irony that the pagans were among the first to accept the salvation of Jesus instead of the Chosen People who had been preparing for centuries?
And why can’t Jesus just keep his unsettling news about his passion and death to himself for a little longer? Let Peter soak in the glory of the honor he has received as the rock of the new church. Doesn’t God want them to be happy? Doesn’t he care about them and the joy in their heart? The answer to both questions is YES! God wants us to be happy. But he wants that joy to last forever. God is not interested in placating us with superficial pleasures. The fruit of our joy can never be rejoicing in the downfall of another person. We cannot work for the type of joy that comes at the cost of speaking the truth and continuing to grow in our relationship with God. Otherwise, our quest for happiness becomes a form of idolatry.
God does not promise us unlimited peace, joy, and acceptance during our life on earth; in fact he predicts the exact opposite. Jesus wants us to be happy more than we want it for ourselves but he also has the Divine Knowledge to see what it's going to take to get it. One of the ironies of Christianity is that you save your life by laying it down, you become rich by letting go of what you have, and you find happiness by living not for your own desires but for the good of others. It seems counter intuitive but how true it really is! Imagine an athlete wanting to be a champion without enduring any of the hardship, pain, and discipline of training? Or a student who wants to be top of the class without ever rejecting distractions and embracing the self-denial of study? True greatness, real growth, and lasting joy come at a cost. Most often we have to let go of the immediate good and comfort that lies in front of us and look down the road to a greater goal that can only be reached by sacrifice.
If these ironies and seeming contradictions are true for worldly ambitions and situations, they are even more relevant when it comes to spiritual matters. God wants you to be completely happy. But he also wants the same for each and every person in the world. Your happiness and mine cannot come at the expense of others. In our sinful selfishness, we often prioritize our happiness regardless of how it hurts others. What is the solution? Strangely, it is what we see in our readings today. Embrace the cross, offer yourself to God as a spiritual sacrifice, be willing to let go of what you want and give away what you have. Don’t seek fame, acceptance, or popularity. Don’t allow your joy to rest on success. Instead, follow Him. Take up your cross daily, invite others to join you in living the way of Jesus, the way of Salvation. And then you will have eternal life, everlasting riches, deep joy, and unending happiness.
One last nugget for you to chew on. Each of the three folks in our readings today died as martyrs in the service of God. In worldly terms, they had lousy lives filled with pain, difficulty, and failure. They did not see the fulfillment and fruit of their sacrifices during their earthly life. They had to walk in faith that God would make it all mean something. With the gift of thousands of years, we see that all three are in heaven now. All three have been vindicated and will never be forgotten. How much joy they must experience as they sit with God, with the angels and saints, and rejoice in the wisdom of God which involved a relatively short time of suffering and is now replaced with everlasting joy, peace, and happiness. God wants exactly the same for you and me. Believe it. Remember it will only come with sacrifice. But that suffering is short compared to eternity. So tell God you trust him. Tell him you are ready to carry your cross!
