more than the minimum: if we meditate on His word throughout the week to put it into practice. How do you avoid evil during the week? How do you remember His word throughout the week? How do you find happiness in the Lord? 3. “We are the most pitiable people of all.” St. Paul draws out the logical conclusions if Jesus has not been raised from the dead. Our obedience to the Gospel – with the radical sacrifices it entails – is in vain. Even more, we are pitiable, for we place our hope in something that is not even true. Yet, it is also true that sometimes we pity ourselves, wondering why our lives do not prosper like that of others. We desire to have it all already in this life, forgetting that true life is found not here but in the resurrection in the life to come. Even more, proof of the resurrection is that we bear fruit in drought, that our leaves never fade even in distress. Our response to adversity manifests to us the strength of our belief that He is raised from the dead and comes to us with His risen life in Holy Communion. When do you fall into self-pity? How do you react to adversity? How strong is your belief in the Risen Lord? After Holy Communion 1. “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!” If we were to ponder what would bring us enough joy to make us leap, we would probably consider such things as winning the lottery or being freed from some heavy burden in life. Yet, Jesus’ reasons for such rejoicing and leaping are baffling: being poor, hungry, hated by others, and weeping. His definition of happiness – and where to find it – is the opposite of what we would naturally imagine. In fact, we ought to attempt to eliminate poverty, hunger, hatred, and depression. Yet, Jesus reminds us that these situations are blessed – fortunate, happy – because of what they bring about in our hearts. Being deprived of the happiness we desire on earth, we are forced to look elsewhere. How often people are brought to their knees before God to beg His help and mercy when they reach “rock bottom.” Those situations are blessed, for they restore His blessing upon us and open our hearts to the true happiness that comes from Him. What would happiness look like for you? How do you typically react to hunger, poverty, hatred, and sadness? How can you turn to the Lord for happiness? 2. “Your reward will be great in heaven.” Sometimes, the idea of expecting a reward is belittled, as if it were tantamount to selfishness. However, hope for heaven and its reward of unending happiness is necessary to undergird the painful suffering of this life. Jesus could not require radical selfrenunciation – even to carrying the cross unto death – without a counterweight that would
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