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domingo, 15 febrero 2004 |
This is a Jubilee year, a year of happiness and joy. This is a year of happiness, especially those of us involved with the Camino. No anxiety over the large number of pilgrims that are expected. Moreover, if the Camino is an opportunity for pilgrims to joyfully encounter themselves and God, this year will provide an even greater opportunity to do so.
Praying about happiness is to assume that, “happiness is a necessary consequence of divine relationship, to know that we are loved with special understanding by our Father, who welcomes us, helps us, and forgives us.” (Jose Maria Escriba). The natural and regular state of a Christian, a child of God, is that of joy and an optimistic view of life. This view is maintained despite the pain, the difficulties, and the sorrow that life brings. “God did not come to earth to take away pain, nor even to explain it, rather he came to fill it with His presence.” (Paul Claudel).
Sometimes we have too negative a perception of the world and of the Church. What is in the past always seems better to us, the looking back that we mentioned earlier. We have to look at life with joy and hope to discover the many hopeful signs deep in our human experience, beginning with our ability to improve ourselves. And to look toward the future with hope. If our errors and defects do not matter to God, why should they matter to us?
Happiness also as a task. God gives happiness to the world through us. It is not enough to wish for happiness for others if we are not willing to take what we have in our hands to make that happiness a reality. We are called to make our lives an ongoing harvest of peace and happiness for those around us.
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