Joy and Sorrow
one
We were made for joy and not for sorrow.
Joy or Delight is the response to something experienced as good, and it invites us to rest in that good.
Joy is the emotion that prompts you to rest, to stop and sit down and delight in the magnificent 360-degree view once you’ve reached the summit of a mountain.
It says, “This is a good place to be. Let’s stay here.”
Sorrow is the response to something experienced as evil, and it clamors that somebody do something to fix the situation.
Joy – meaning – delighting in things that are good – prompts us to rest; sorrow prompts us to action and never lets us rest.
Our screens give us a constant reminder of all that is wrong in the world – prompting sorrow, destroying rest, creating anxiety and worry.
Furthermore, our screens constantly confront us with sorrows that are not our responsibility – things that are beyond our ability to fix.
As we continue to put all that is wrong in the world before our mind, sorrow continually tells us there is something to fix therefore, we can never rest.
And the cycle of watching a broken world, sorrow and anxiety continue.
Have you had enough already? Because you were made for joy not for sorrow.
two
Our screens tells us the evil in the world is insurmountable, that they will never be fixed and we will never have safety and rest.
If you insist on watching the news, then sorrow will eventually overtake your joy. So get off your screens.
Most of us however are addicted to our screens and addictions are very strong routines. You will need to break your routine to break your addictions. Personally, I am sick of the sadness, anger, hate and worry that come from my screen. So I have replaced the news and all social commentators and so called prophets with books. When I am tempted to read or listen to a source of sadness, instead I open up my Kindle App and read the collected writings of St Maximilian Kolbe and I rest in the good which is joy!
You will need your own strategy to break your routine.
I know, I know…you don’t have the same addiction as I do.
Addicts never think they are one…
three
Joy is the response to something experienced as good, and it invites us to rest in that good. So cultivate joy rather than sadness by experiencing good and resting in it.
Read or listen to a great book; even better, do it with family or friends, even better, then discuss it. Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, anything by David McCullough or Agatha Christi…Listen to beautiful music – Schubert or 21 Pilots
Walk among the trees. Walk during the 30 min from sunset to last light – spectacular – don’t be in a hurry – it is good to be here. Stay a while.
four
Why do we find it so hard to let go and stop watching the news or social media?
Because we think by knowing we have some control of the world.
We don’t.
God has placed us in charge of many good things we must promote and preserve. However, we must be clear on our scope of authority and responsibility.
Our 1st zone of authority is our own behavior.
The 2nd zone is our family and kids – the Domestic Church.
Our 3rd zone is our workplace and voting.
We spend an awful lot of emotional time and energy being angry, sad and fearful about zones that are not under our authority like Governing the country, the world or the Church.
If my wife tells me about something, I immediately think it’s because she wants me to fix it. I notice the same thing with news. If they tell me stuff it must be because they want my input, they want me to solve it, right? All these international and U.S. problems I now have to fix. They make me overwhelmed, angry, fearful…Wait a minute…this is not my zone of responsibility!
The Church is also not our zone. It is not our job to correct the Bishop or the priests. That is the job of the Pope and Bishops. And it is certainly not our job to constantly spread the dirty laundry about the Church or the Pope, this or that bishop or priest.
Finally, other people are not our zone of responsibility – but social media has convinced us its our job to know everything about everyone else.
But one of the main ways the devil keeps us from eliminating evils in our own life is by making us fixated on the evils of others.
five
Here is what we need to remember - No matter what happens; no matter who is in charge of the government, no matter what happens with the economy; no matter what happens in the world or our health or wealth or anything – God and Mary will work it all out for us.
Jesus said to St. Julian of Norwich All shall be well. And all shall be well. And all matter of things shall be well.
No matter what happens – God and Our Lady are guiding everything for those who love them.
You are safe. That is the only absolute certainty that exists.
I told you I am reading the writings of Kolbe. In a letter to a friend he writes: Do you have many worries? You know, I now worry less and less and I realize that the Immaculata is really much more involved. May she guide all things.