Laugh with the sinners or cry with the saints?
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.” So sang Billy Joel in the 1977 hit “Only the Good Die Young.” (You can thank me later for getting that earworm stuck in your head for the day…) The line worked because there was a general perception (still is in many ways) that being a “good Christian” meant being miserable, unhappy and fun-less.
While Jesus made no bones about the fact that there would be struggles for any who follow Him, we should never lose sight of the fact that the purpose was always joy. Any athlete who strives for the “thrill of victory” knows that there is a lot more time spent struggling than on the podium.
In the Gospel lesson for Sunday, Jesus tells the disciples “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11, click here to read the full passage)
Commandments are not to make us miserable. They are to bring us JOY! And Jesus did not simply mean for us to laugh all the time. When he speaks of joy, he means that deep rooted satisfaction in life that we all desire and that, sadly, eludes so many.
As we approach Mother’s Day, I am reminded that the discipline of a loving mother is never intended to make us unhappy, though as a child I often thought so. Mothers strive to discipline us in a way that makes a joyful life possible!
I know it sounds trite to say, “just turn to Jesus,” especially in a world filled with so many competing promises for happiness. Certainly some have used it as a simplistic answer to every situation. But I am convinced that to profoundly follow the way of Jesus, to obey his commends and trust his Holy Spirit to work in our lives is, in fact, the only road to lasting and dependable joy.
It is not a promise of constant laughter or a life without challenges, loss and disappointment. But it is a promise of a life of joy beyond the pain! If I may adopt another image from motherhood, many women have told me that the pain and struggle of childbirth just washes away when that newborn is placed on their chest. So it will be for all of us!
This column appeared in the May 9, 2021 edition of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.
If you are reading this at a different time, you may click here for the current eNews.
