It is amazing how much of ourselves that we unintentionally reveal in the course of ordinary conversation. Most of us don’t have to talk very long before those who are listening have a fairly good fix on who we are and what we really value, even if our words themselves are intended to convey the exact opposite! Try listening to yourself some time. It can be both delightful and disconcerting.
St. John the Apostle is a case in point. In today’s first reading, he reveals what he’s really about when he explains that he’s writing to his friends about Jesus so that “our own joy may be complete.” In a word, John thinks of his own happiness as something that comes from sharing life and giving it away, not just from grabbing what he can get. And that explains the whole course of his very long life.
So where are you seeking your happiness? Are you finding it? Where have you invested your heart? Where do you invest most of your waking hours? Are you as happy as you’d like to be, or as you think you could be? What does that tell you about the course you’ve charted for yourself?
We’re on the edge of a new year. It’s a good time to ponder our priorities and set them right.
-Monsignor Dennis Clark
