LIVING AS CHRISTIAN STEWARD CHARGED WITH
INTENSE JOY
My continued
reading of the Catholic Church’s Stewardship Letter from several decades ago,
is now at the section titled “The Christian Steward.” The insert says
“The life
of a Christian steward, lived in imitation of the life of Christ, is
challenging, even difficult in many ways; but both here and hereafter it is
charged with intense joy.”
This
statement spoke to me because we just celebrated the Third Sunday of Advent and
Joy. We are God’s co-workers; we must live for the Lord, not for ourselves.
As Christian
stewards, we are generous out of love as well as duty. We aren’t generous because
we want to check a checkmark on a list, but rather “If someone who has worldly
means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of
God remain in him?” (1 John 3:17)
Joy doesn’t
mean happiness. There are differences, such as:
·
Happiness is caused by luck, good fortune and
other worldly pleasures, whereas joy is caused by overall happiness and soul
satisfying incidents.
·
Happiness is more momentary, as it is a result
of short-term contentment, while joy is long lasting.
·
Happiness merely pleases a person, while joy
warms the person’s heart.
·
Happiness mostly comes from outside things, as
it is gained by observing or doing a particular thing. On the other hand, joy
lies within a person.
·
As an example: If a person wins a lottery, he
is happy, but if he raises that same amount by his hard work, he would feel
rejoiced.[1]
Last year,
during advent, I preached on Joy every week, from hopeful joy, to peaceful joy,
to joyful joy, and loving joy. Joy isn’t limited to just one Sunday of Advent.
Because Joy
lies within us and lies within our imitation of life of Christ, it must include
hope, peace and love as well.
[1] Difference
Between Joy and Happiness | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-joy-and-happiness/#ixzz6gclROXcJ
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