Citizen Columns
Question
How important is "being
happy" in your theology? How is it different from joy?
Answer
"Being happy" is at the heart of God's plan for the universe. This is the
meaning of the Garden of Eden story, where a full and happy life is the
enjoyment of everlasting blessings in communion with God, with each other,
with the whole creation. St Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879), one of the first
Orthodox saints of North America, said, "Every individual instinctively
strives for happiness. This desire has been implanted in our nature by the
Creator Himself."
But we human beings always have a better idea. The flip side of the Eden
story is that we thought we could strike out on our own and find other paths
to happiness without God or anybody else. The wreckage of our collective
mistakes is everywhere around us. Even religion can be twisted to our own
selfish ends and be used as a drug of choice in that pursuit of an elusive
happiness.
Once we get tired of trying to find our own ways to happiness, perhaps we'll
try God's way. We sometimes think of happiness as the product of luck or
"happenstance." But happiness can be learned. This was the message of the
Old Testament, that following God's commandments is the way that leads to a
blessed and happy life. The Christian claim is that the ultimate way to
happiness is the path shown by Jesus. The more we pattern our lives on his
example and teaching, the more we will discover the true meaning of
happiness. "I have learned," says St Paul, "in whatever state I am to be
content...I can do all things in him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:11,12).
Happiness can be learned, but joy is an unexpected gift. It is often
paradoxical, coming as a sudden ray of light in the midst of darkness and
sorrows. But it's a gift that seems to come more often to those who are
already seeking to follow God's divine plan for being happy.
Postscript: This weekend, marking the mid-point of Lent, is devoted to
veneration of the Cross. It may seem strange to juxtapose the Cross with
this question about happiness and joy, but the great paradox of Christianity
is that "through the Cross joy has come into the world". At moments of
distress, pain and suffering, the Cross is a permanent reminder that God is
with us especially at those times. The Cross the source of a hope and joy
that cannot be taken away.
Father John Jillions
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