Your Grief Will Become Joy May 25

Prayer

Jesus, change me. Take this vessel that you have given to me and empty it of all desires except the desire for you. Then, take the empty vessel and fill it with love, enough love to give away to those we meet. Send us back into the world to proclaim the Good News through obedience and service, through faith that leads to good works. Then, the emptiness that we felt when we pursued material wealth will die. Our grief at that death will turn to joy as we ascend to the spiritual life dwelling through you, with you and in you. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/052506b.shtml

“Your grief will become joy.”

Jesus changes.
Jesus changes water into wine.
Jesus changes fishermen into disciples.
Jesus changes the sick into the healthy.
Jesus changes the blind into the visionary.
Jesus changes our grief into joy.
Jesus changes.

Jesus changes everything for its goodness. The contrast John offers in today’s readings gives us a glimpse of the opposite poles represented by the world and the disciples. When the world rejoices, the disciples weep. However, their weeping will turn to joy because of Jesus.

Just as opposite poles repel each other in magnetism, the world repelled the message Jesus sends. So Jesus descended into Hell to free is from sin. The one who descended then ascended. Jesus gave up his life so we might live ours more fully. But we don’t. We still want that big screen TV, those concert tickets, getting our name in lights. We want to be accepted and loved by all. We want to be the American Idol or at least vote for the winner.

But Jesus says otherwise. He says that we have to give up in order to live up and understand the joy of the resurrection. Who among us of us have not been failed by the things other than God – money, status, security, work? Life (the spiritual life) only begins when life (the material life) ends or ascends into a higher realm.

But we have to let God into our life – through Jesus and the Holy Spirit – in order to change. It won’t be easy. It will be hard, very hard. But when we do, our grief will become joy!

Action

What is your Rosebud? Remember Rosebud was the sled in the movie “Citizen Kane.” After a life of power, wealth and influence, all Charles Foster Kane wanted was the sled from his happy childhood days. But no one shared that with him. The sled ended up in the incinerator. Kane ended up dead like the rest of us will. Do you want to die clinging to a toy or clinging to Jesus?

What do you cling to and not want to let go of? No matter what money, status or fame we get in life, all else will fail us in the end. As we get ready for Memorial Day Weekend, the first weekend of summer, clean out the closets of your material life and give something of value away. Not just the junk you don’t use anymore but something of real value. Maybe those items remind you of some periods of temporary joy. Give it away and share that joy with someone else.