Joy

Dear sisters & brothers in Christ,

As always, I pray that you are blessed. I want to first of all thank everyone who has been praying for my family as we grieve the loss of my aunt Lucille Venverloh. She was married to my mother’s older brother and they were very close. Lucille was full of life and joy. Growing up I was always intrigued and puzzled about the living room in their house because no one was allowed to live in it. They, of course, had a family room where they spent their time. But the living room was all white from floor to ceiling. As we came in for a visit we would always steal a look. It was like looking at a department store display window. Lately she had been slipping into dementia and, to be honest, it was hard to imagine her simply sitting in a room staring at the walls. But in spite of that, it is still hard to say goodbye. She will certainly be missed.

While the loss of a loved one is always a sad event no matter what the circumstances, it simply doesn’t matter what their age was, how sick they were, or whatever. The loss is still painful. Our love for them feels their absence, and just as nature abhors a vacuum, our hearts grieve over the void that is left in our lives. While this sadness is natural and part of the human condition, our faith tells us something completely different. Our faith tells us more than our eyes can see, and even more than our hearts can sometimes feel.

The really sad part is that even at times when we have no reason to be sad, we are. Our God has done so many wonderful and amazing things for us. How can we not be joyful? Why are we not dancing in praise of our Creator and Savior? Our Psalm today says, “We are FILLED with joy!” In our first reading our Lord tells us to “SHOUT for joy!” We have been forgiven our sins. We have been saved and redeemed. We are not only loved by our God, but we have been adopted as sons and daughters. How can that not fill you with joy? And yet, we walk around all gloomy and depressed. Rather than rejoicing, we fill ourselves with dread. Rather than being confident of God’s love and mercy, we spend so much of our time worrying about condemnation that it seems we don’t believe it.

We are not doubters or skeptics. We don’t have to wonder about our God, nor daydream about what God has in store for us. Our faith tells us of the depth and breadth of God’s love. We know the great length our Lord went took to save us from our sins. To think that we are not saved... that our sins are not forgiven... is to deny the cross. It is to count our Redeemers sacrifice as nothing.

So my sisters and brothers, REJOICE!!! It’s not a sin to be HAPPY! Shout with joy! Live your life with a smile on your face, a skip in your step, a song in your heart. Our God has done and continues to do great and wonderful things for us. So, be glad about it. There are plenty of things in this life to make us sad. Our faith should not be one of them. So do as the Lord says and “SHOUT FOR JOY!!!”

In the Redeemer,

Fr. Rick

P.S. Since next weekend is Halloween, we are inviting the young and not so young to wear costumes. If you’re not sure what to dress up as, then let us suggest your favorite Saint.