N
nuntym
Guest
+JMJ+
You know, I always am surprised by the “coincidences” that keep on happening to me when learning of something new from our Faith. Recently I came upon a digitized pamphlet, On Being Cheerful (pdf file), that has helped me tremendously in my life. I then encounter this recent homily of our beloved Pope, that talks about the same thing, seemingly affirming by Providence my journey into being more cheerful.
Now what I love about all this is that while the Pope’s message showed that being joyful, being cheerful, is what being a Christian is all about, it is the pamphlet that showed me how to be joyful and cheerful.
The pamphlet gave the most succinct definition of cheerfulness I have ever encountered: “To be cheerful means to make little of these hardships we encounter.” That, there and then, gave me the meaning of that passage that has always puzzled me: I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Of course there are two ways of doing this: the world’s way and the Christian’s way. The world’s way is plain optimism, to look at the world with rosy glasses and look at the positives while ignoring or poo-pooing the negatives. For me, that is quite silly and realistic.
And then there is the Christian’s way, which is prayer: “Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray” (James 5:13). And so I made a standard prayer that I would always utter when I needed to be cheerful:
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, make my troubles little.
Originally I was a bit appalled by this prayer: more often than not, after uttering it, my problems just got more numerous!
Yet if you note the prayer, it does not ask for fewer troubles, but to make the troubles more little. In this regard, I would say that this prayer is the most efficacious I have ever prayed, because the troubles do become more little, but in a strange way. The troubles, the problems, the trials, the temptations, the sufferings, the sadness…all of them remain the same and even become more numerous, but they do not affect me as much anymore. In all honesty, they look smaller and more manageable because somehow my soul, my spirit, my heart became bigger. Bigger in that God was now there, and I am not just me anymore. The trials cease being roadblocks and instead become stepping stones to becoming stronger, more joyful, more peaceful.
What struck me here, even before I read the Pope’s homily, is what “big or great soul” means in Latin: magnanimitas or magnanimity, the virtue that “makes a man deem himself worthy of great things in consideration of the gifts he holds from God.”
Another thing that surprised me was how I was more able to interact with people. It just became much easier to talk to people at work and play; I became more spontaneous, as if I just became freer to love them.
Finally, it made discerning God’s will much easier. Without all that worry and anxiety clouding my mind, it became much easier to see what God wants me to do.
So now I invite you all to try making a short prayer to ask the Lord to make your hardships more little, and to try to keep that attitude of cheerfulness always.
You know, I always am surprised by the “coincidences” that keep on happening to me when learning of something new from our Faith. Recently I came upon a digitized pamphlet, On Being Cheerful (pdf file), that has helped me tremendously in my life. I then encounter this recent homily of our beloved Pope, that talks about the same thing, seemingly affirming by Providence my journey into being more cheerful.
Now what I love about all this is that while the Pope’s message showed that being joyful, being cheerful, is what being a Christian is all about, it is the pamphlet that showed me how to be joyful and cheerful.
The pamphlet gave the most succinct definition of cheerfulness I have ever encountered: “To be cheerful means to make little of these hardships we encounter.” That, there and then, gave me the meaning of that passage that has always puzzled me: I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Of course there are two ways of doing this: the world’s way and the Christian’s way. The world’s way is plain optimism, to look at the world with rosy glasses and look at the positives while ignoring or poo-pooing the negatives. For me, that is quite silly and realistic.
And then there is the Christian’s way, which is prayer: “Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray” (James 5:13). And so I made a standard prayer that I would always utter when I needed to be cheerful:
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, make my troubles little.
Originally I was a bit appalled by this prayer: more often than not, after uttering it, my problems just got more numerous!
Yet if you note the prayer, it does not ask for fewer troubles, but to make the troubles more little. In this regard, I would say that this prayer is the most efficacious I have ever prayed, because the troubles do become more little, but in a strange way. The troubles, the problems, the trials, the temptations, the sufferings, the sadness…all of them remain the same and even become more numerous, but they do not affect me as much anymore. In all honesty, they look smaller and more manageable because somehow my soul, my spirit, my heart became bigger. Bigger in that God was now there, and I am not just me anymore. The trials cease being roadblocks and instead become stepping stones to becoming stronger, more joyful, more peaceful.
What struck me here, even before I read the Pope’s homily, is what “big or great soul” means in Latin: magnanimitas or magnanimity, the virtue that “makes a man deem himself worthy of great things in consideration of the gifts he holds from God.”
Another thing that surprised me was how I was more able to interact with people. It just became much easier to talk to people at work and play; I became more spontaneous, as if I just became freer to love them.
Finally, it made discerning God’s will much easier. Without all that worry and anxiety clouding my mind, it became much easier to see what God wants me to do.
So now I invite you all to try making a short prayer to ask the Lord to make your hardships more little, and to try to keep that attitude of cheerfulness always.
