By virtue of being Christians we are called to be optimistic!
When someone leaves you it does not always mean sorrow and pain, but it can bring joy and hope.
A son or a daughter who is blessed by his parents for leaving home to join his beloved and build a new family, brings joy and hope to that family although he is also sad to separate himself from his parents.
A Son or a daughter who is leaving his Christian parents to join the religious life or to go to the missions is a separation of joy and hope although a streak of sadness remains.
However, this is a separation that brings joy and hope of new life.
So was the separation of Christ from his disciples.
While we are called to be the disciples of Christ, we are also left with the responsibility of passing this message of good news, hope and joy to others.
Often enough we feel inadequate to this task and might be discouraged to announce joy and hope in the midst of injustice, violence and addictions.
I suggest the humble Decalogue for Daily Living that Pope John XXIII wrote for himself, his own Commandments for daily life.
They reflect his depth, his simplicity, and his humility:
1 Only for today,
I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.
2 Only for today,
I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behaviour; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.
3 Only for today,
I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world buy also in this one.
4 Only for today,
I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.
5 Only for today,
I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.
6 Only for today,
I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.
7 Only for today,
I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.
8 Only for today,
I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.
9 Only for today,
I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.
10 Only for today,
I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours, I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it. |