Homily Notes: 12-12-21 - Gaudete Sunday

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December 12th, 2021. 
Gaudete Sunday 

 
 

    What is joy?  Joy is achieving what is good. 


    Winning a race you trained hard for.  Getting a job you worked hard to get.  Joy is the attainment of a good thing, something that you worked hard to achieve. This is different from mere sensory pleasure, which is gratification of the senses and faculties. 

    What leads to joy? — virtue. 


    Virtue is necessary for the pursuit of happiness:  

 

    1. Modesty. — An absolutely essential virtue to being happy because modesty moderates the senses.  Paul says to us today, “let your modesty be known.” Through modesty, we mortify the senses by controlling them. If we constantly gratify our senses, letting them have whatever they want, then we are seeking pleasure as an end in itself.  Moderation says no, "I cannot seek this pleasure because it is outside God’s law." It forces us to moderate our pleasure-seeking.  
    2. Humility. — John’s answer to the question in today's Gospel is humility.  Humility is an admission of the truth.  He tells them, “I am not the Christ.” He doesn’t seek self-gratification. In order to follow Christ, you must humble yourself.  In order to repent of your sins, you must humble yourself.  Humility asks the question: who am I really? What was I made for? What is my purpose? How can I achieve the attainment of my purpose? 

    3. Prayer -- Prayer is lifting up the heart and mind to God, uniting our will and intellect with God.  God is everything, we can’t be happy without His constant presence.  We are told to “Pray always” — you are capable of uniting your heart and mind to God always. 

    Seek joy — joy is the virtuous balance of seeking proper gratification by denying what is not good for us.  Pleasure-seeking is a dangerous trap.  Rushes of pleasure don’t leave us happy. We are left wanting more. 

 
 

    Ask yourself: Where am I seeking pleasure? Where am I seeking excessive gratification? Do I try to mortify myself at all in this world where am I constantly overloaded with sensory stimulation? 

    What things am I too attached to? What am I not willing to give up? What am I doing to break these bad attachments and grow in virtue? 

 

    Mortification & penance will foster a spirit of detachment.  Make sacrifices now to obtain eternal happiness later. 

 

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