Jeremiah tells us how to be unhappy. Cursed is actually the word he uses. “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” Cursed why? Because those things just aren’t going to work. They aren’t enough! God made creatures in His own image and likeness, He made them for Himself, and our hearts will never find rest in anything less. Your soul is made for God, and whatever you try to substitute is not going to make you happy. Even the very best things in life… if you try to substitute them for God, even the best things in life become a curse. One more dissatisfaction, one more frustration, never enough.
Or to use Jeremiah’s incredibly vivid imagery: “He is like a barren bush in the desert, that enjoys no
change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth.” Barren, because you’re spending your life doing nothing fruitful and lasting. Enjoying no change of seasons, why? Because the variety, the richness, the spice drains out of life. It becomes stagnant and unchanging. You might be bouncing around with all kinds of crazy experimentation, but the whole reason you’re doing that is because no matter how extreme you get, you’re still bored with life. And the world becomes for you a lava waste, a salt and empty earth… externally, you’re living in the same world as the happy and joyful Saints, but internally, you’ve made it a hell.
Now maybe you wouldn’t say that describes your life as a whole, but maybe there are ways it’s true. Maybe there are pieces of your life, pieces of your heart, that don’t belong to God. Can any of us say that isn’t true? So we’d better perk up and pay attention when Jeremiah tells us how to be happy, and even more when Jesus Himself tells us!
Jeremiah continues: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.” Jeremiah doesn’t promise an easy trouble-free life; his own life was very difficult. He promises endurance and fruitfulness through whatever trials we face, if we set our hearts on God.
So there’s how not to be happy: in a word, idolatry — looking somewhere other than God for what only God can give. But to hope in the Lord, to be that tree planted by flowing streams with roots tapped into the source of life, what does that look like? How exactly do we do that? How can we be happy?
Before I mostly quit social media I saw something posted by a priest friend up in Chicago. He prompted, “Complete this sentence: ‘I will be happy when…’” It was a really interesting exercise! The first response was “I will be happy when our parochial school stays open.” One woman said “I will be happy when I retire.” Another, “I will be happy when I’m with the Lord.” A few said “I will be happy when the world is at peace.” Only two answers out of nineteen said they were currently happy. Of those two, one said her happiness came from knowing Jesus.
And these were answers from Catholics. So maybe we haven’t learned the Beatitudes so well. This is Luke’s version, less well known than Matthew’s, but the substance is the same. Jesus tells us to be happy, and it starts with with being poor.
I remember one elderly woman told a priest friend of mine after a sermon about poverty, “nice sermon, Father, but I’ve been poor for a long time and I think it’s overrated.” It was funny but also contains a good insight: Jesus isn’t simply glorifying poverty. Remember, He commanded us to help the poor so they don’t have to be poor anymore. So no, Jesus does not teach that wealth is evil... but he does teach that it can capture our heart and become an obstacle between us and God. So whether you have any money or not, blessed are you if you are poor in spirit. Why? Jesus says, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.
Let’s pause to head off a common misunderstanding. Jesus is not saying that the job of His disciple is to be miserable in this life for the sake of being happy in the next life. If that were the deal, hey, I’d take it. Eternity is long, this life is short. But He’s not even asking us to wait that way. He doesn’t day “Blessed are the poor, for theirs will be the Kingdom of Heaven.” He says, “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Right now.
Did you come here poor? Did you walk in here this morning with a deep sense of need, of lack, of inadequacy? Blessed are you! And woe to those who came here rich and satisfied. What a tragedy, what a sad missed opportunity. Because Jesus wants to give you His Kingdom, and you’re content with stupid worldly substitutes. That’s a bad place to be. Jesus stands ready to help anyone who knows they need Him, ready to fill anyone who knows they are empty without Him. If you came here poor, happy are you!
The second blessing follows suit: “Blessed are the hungry.” It’s a similar question. Did you come here hungry today? Are you hungry, aching, for holiness, for union with God? If so, blessed are you. Happy are you. And what you’ll find, as you progress as a disciple, is that the closer you get to God, the more hungry you will be. The Saints longed for union with God so much it was practically unbearable… it’s all over their writings. But it’s a good and blessed hunger. It’s God’s way of carving us out so that we can hold more of Him. If you came here tonight feeling pretty satisfied and full, I’m sorry for you. That’s sad because you’re missing out on everything most beautiful. If you came in here hungry, I’m so happy for you! Because you will be filled. You will receive the One who satisfies.
Blessed are those who weep. It’s a three-funeral week for me; I’ve been around a lot of weeping people. What’s blessed about them? They’ve loved. If you never want to weep, step one is to make sure you never love. Is there a greater misery than that? So, if you want to be happy, expect to weep a lot. Because you love a lot.
But those aren’t the only kind of tears. What about repentance? Is there some sin in your past or your present that you should weep over? Yes. I know that about myself and everyone here. Are you actually weeping over it? That’s up to you. But if you are, if you approach Jesus with true repentance, He will heal you. Blessed is anyone who knows they need that healing. If you came in here repentant, I’m so happy for you, because an ocean of mercy is flooding into your heart through this Mass. If you think you’re fine just the way you are… wow, how sad.
And, finally, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven..” As he will say elsewhere, “if the world hates you, remember it hated me first.” Here Christ is calling us away from perhaps the greatest temptation of all: wanting to be liked more than we want to be faithful. I want people to like me, and I think we all do. I want everybody to be happy when they see me coming, to be comfortable around me, to say nice things about me when I’m not around. Well, that isn’t always going to happen if I’m following Christ. Not always.
These words were subversive and revolutionary when Jesus first spoke them, and they are subversive and revolutionary today. Happiness is to take up your Cross and follow Him. And if your life looks like His — Cross included — that, Christians, is happiness. Now and forever. I hope you came here hungry. I hope you’ve come with passionate, tearful, hungry poverty to Jesus Christ. Because what you’ll get is Him, Himself, right now. The Kingdom of Heaven is yours.
Or to use Jeremiah’s incredibly vivid imagery: “He is like a barren bush in the desert, that enjoys no
change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth.” Barren, because you’re spending your life doing nothing fruitful and lasting. Enjoying no change of seasons, why? Because the variety, the richness, the spice drains out of life. It becomes stagnant and unchanging. You might be bouncing around with all kinds of crazy experimentation, but the whole reason you’re doing that is because no matter how extreme you get, you’re still bored with life. And the world becomes for you a lava waste, a salt and empty earth… externally, you’re living in the same world as the happy and joyful Saints, but internally, you’ve made it a hell.
Now maybe you wouldn’t say that describes your life as a whole, but maybe there are ways it’s true. Maybe there are pieces of your life, pieces of your heart, that don’t belong to God. Can any of us say that isn’t true? So we’d better perk up and pay attention when Jeremiah tells us how to be happy, and even more when Jesus Himself tells us!
Jeremiah continues: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.” Jeremiah doesn’t promise an easy trouble-free life; his own life was very difficult. He promises endurance and fruitfulness through whatever trials we face, if we set our hearts on God.
So there’s how not to be happy: in a word, idolatry — looking somewhere other than God for what only God can give. But to hope in the Lord, to be that tree planted by flowing streams with roots tapped into the source of life, what does that look like? How exactly do we do that? How can we be happy?
Before I mostly quit social media I saw something posted by a priest friend up in Chicago. He prompted, “Complete this sentence: ‘I will be happy when…’” It was a really interesting exercise! The first response was “I will be happy when our parochial school stays open.” One woman said “I will be happy when I retire.” Another, “I will be happy when I’m with the Lord.” A few said “I will be happy when the world is at peace.” Only two answers out of nineteen said they were currently happy. Of those two, one said her happiness came from knowing Jesus.
And these were answers from Catholics. So maybe we haven’t learned the Beatitudes so well. This is Luke’s version, less well known than Matthew’s, but the substance is the same. Jesus tells us to be happy, and it starts with with being poor.
I remember one elderly woman told a priest friend of mine after a sermon about poverty, “nice sermon, Father, but I’ve been poor for a long time and I think it’s overrated.” It was funny but also contains a good insight: Jesus isn’t simply glorifying poverty. Remember, He commanded us to help the poor so they don’t have to be poor anymore. So no, Jesus does not teach that wealth is evil... but he does teach that it can capture our heart and become an obstacle between us and God. So whether you have any money or not, blessed are you if you are poor in spirit. Why? Jesus says, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.
Let’s pause to head off a common misunderstanding. Jesus is not saying that the job of His disciple is to be miserable in this life for the sake of being happy in the next life. If that were the deal, hey, I’d take it. Eternity is long, this life is short. But He’s not even asking us to wait that way. He doesn’t day “Blessed are the poor, for theirs will be the Kingdom of Heaven.” He says, “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Right now.
Did you come here poor? Did you walk in here this morning with a deep sense of need, of lack, of inadequacy? Blessed are you! And woe to those who came here rich and satisfied. What a tragedy, what a sad missed opportunity. Because Jesus wants to give you His Kingdom, and you’re content with stupid worldly substitutes. That’s a bad place to be. Jesus stands ready to help anyone who knows they need Him, ready to fill anyone who knows they are empty without Him. If you came here poor, happy are you!
The second blessing follows suit: “Blessed are the hungry.” It’s a similar question. Did you come here hungry today? Are you hungry, aching, for holiness, for union with God? If so, blessed are you. Happy are you. And what you’ll find, as you progress as a disciple, is that the closer you get to God, the more hungry you will be. The Saints longed for union with God so much it was practically unbearable… it’s all over their writings. But it’s a good and blessed hunger. It’s God’s way of carving us out so that we can hold more of Him. If you came here tonight feeling pretty satisfied and full, I’m sorry for you. That’s sad because you’re missing out on everything most beautiful. If you came in here hungry, I’m so happy for you! Because you will be filled. You will receive the One who satisfies.
Blessed are those who weep. It’s a three-funeral week for me; I’ve been around a lot of weeping people. What’s blessed about them? They’ve loved. If you never want to weep, step one is to make sure you never love. Is there a greater misery than that? So, if you want to be happy, expect to weep a lot. Because you love a lot.
But those aren’t the only kind of tears. What about repentance? Is there some sin in your past or your present that you should weep over? Yes. I know that about myself and everyone here. Are you actually weeping over it? That’s up to you. But if you are, if you approach Jesus with true repentance, He will heal you. Blessed is anyone who knows they need that healing. If you came in here repentant, I’m so happy for you, because an ocean of mercy is flooding into your heart through this Mass. If you think you’re fine just the way you are… wow, how sad.
And, finally, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven..” As he will say elsewhere, “if the world hates you, remember it hated me first.” Here Christ is calling us away from perhaps the greatest temptation of all: wanting to be liked more than we want to be faithful. I want people to like me, and I think we all do. I want everybody to be happy when they see me coming, to be comfortable around me, to say nice things about me when I’m not around. Well, that isn’t always going to happen if I’m following Christ. Not always.
These words were subversive and revolutionary when Jesus first spoke them, and they are subversive and revolutionary today. Happiness is to take up your Cross and follow Him. And if your life looks like His — Cross included — that, Christians, is happiness. Now and forever. I hope you came here hungry. I hope you’ve come with passionate, tearful, hungry poverty to Jesus Christ. Because what you’ll get is Him, Himself, right now. The Kingdom of Heaven is yours.
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