Phil 2:1-4 / Lk 14:12-14
How and where we find our joys evolves rather radically with the passage of years. When we’re very, very little, with a short attention span, our fondest dream and greatest joy at some moments may be nothing more than an ice cream cone. With the passage of time and under the influence of peers and TV advertising, our joys may come to be defined in somewhat grander terms. But usually the bottom line is still the same: We will be happy if we can find a way to GET something.
Many people never outgrow that pattern of thinking and living, and end up wasting years and years of life being dissatisfied, jealous, and resentful. Life doesn’t have to be that way even for those with the most limited financial resources.
In today’s epistle, St. Paul offers us a different model of living that is guaranteed to bring joy instead of sadness into the life of everyone who tries it, whether rich or poor. The secret of joy is to invest your heart in others and to derive joy from watching them prosper and, wherever possible, from helping them prosper.
It’s what Jesus did his whole life; and even in the saddest of times he was the happiest man on this earth. Why not join him?!
