Moment With Betty

 There are things that whenever we remember them, we become very excited. It could be a gift. Sometimes, it is the position we occupy, and sometimes, it is the success we have achieved.  

Some people become extremely happy when they remember their bank account, while some feel joy when they have connections at high places etc. Some also are happy when they think that they have something that makes them special or unique.

 The question l ask today is, as a child of God, what essentially gives you joy? Is it how hard you pray? What is the thing that gives you joy? So, how do we measure it, do we measure our joy based on how holy we think we are or is it how powerful we think we are? Or is it how much we speak in tongues? What truly gives us joy?

 Luke, chapter 10:17, tells us that the disciples of Jesus returned from their missionary journey with joy and said” Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name”.  So, imagine doing what you have never done before. They were surprised that they could do what their master had been doing. But Jesus said to them” Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven”. Therefore, working and making efforts for the salvation of our souls and participating in God’s work that brings souls back to God, should be the cause of our joy. These efforts help to bring us closer and connected to God.  I remember asking a brother of mine what gives him joy and he said that working for God and bringing souls to Him, gives him great joy.  Oh!  how blessed we are to be instruments of the Lord. Let us understand that each step we take on earth brings us closer to Jesus Christ and gives us true happiness because there is no lasting happiness apart from God. While the disciples continued in their excitement, Jesus joined in their delight and said “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven but He warns the disciples: “Behold, l have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven”. (Luke 10: 17- 24).  This means that the power they worked with was given to them by the Lord. Consequently, the power to be a true child of God and conquer spiritual battles can only come from the Lord. This is why the disciples attributed everything they achieved to the name of Jesus. And Jesus Himself raised His face up in thanksgiving and glorified His Father.  He continued to thank His Father God for the glorious work and for revealing Himself among the little ones, the disciples.  Despite our achievements or how successful we are; all are to the glory of God. Therefore, the secret of our success in any apostolate comes from the Lord and not from our power. The Lord is the source of everything we have or are and only He should be the source of our joy.

Joy, according to (Saint Thomas) is the fruit of love. Thus; l ask, is the thing that gives you joy, for the salvation of souls or is it for your salvation? It is also said that the greater our love, the greater will be our joy. So, are we always happy because of the love of others and closeness with God, or is it because of the things we think that we have that others do not have? Our joy should not be measured by how much we acquire on earth, how many gifts we have, and how many people fall when we raise our hands during prayers. Rather, our joy should be in how close we are to God and how many souls we can win for Him.

  Everything we have belongs to God, every other thing comes and goes but God remains everlasting. So, be happy that you are on good terms with God. Be happy that despite every trial and unhappiness you may have encountered in life, you are back to Him.  We should be happy because we are children of God because we deal with Him because we struggle to become better for Him.