The Cheerful Christian

Dear Friends:

By this time I imagine that a lot of us have already made up our minds on what we will be doing for Lent. Last week I encouraged the prayerful reading of St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, but I’d like to suggest in addition the practice of cheerfulness. In a certain sense, it’s easy to do something “special” for Lent-it’s a lot harder to make a fundamental change in our outlook. There are a host of old habits and ways of doing things that need to be overcome and in doing so we are really conquering ourselves.

Bishop McGann’s motto was “Serve the Lord with gladness.” For him, it was not merely a slogan, but a way of life. People loved him because he communicated happiness and a profound interest in people. There is something vastly attractive about the happy person and something that makes us want to get away from the sad sack.

Cheerfulness in a person brings others to happiness-sadness in a person causes others to be gloomy and dispirited. Very few are ever led to God by unhappy Christians—they seem, to be a walking advertisement for everything Christianity shouldn’t be. St. Philip Neri was an apostle of joy and people ran after him so that they might share his contagious happiness and enthusiasm.

Some people are naturally cheerful and nothing at all seems to bother them-they are perpetually optimistic. Others have a difficult time and look at the darker aspects of life.

Lent provides us with the opportunity to practice cheerfulness-that tremendously adult virtue. To be cheerful we need to be people who are quite able to triumph over our emotions and our own tendencies to pettiness. When we do this, we try to put on the new man and become more like Christ. We get over ourselves and avoid giving in to our emotions.

St. Josemaria Escriva gives marvelous advice: “The cheerfulness of a man or woman of God, has to overflow: it has to be calm, contagious, attractive ...; in a few words it has to be so supernatural, and natural, so infectious that it may bring others to follow Christian ways.” (The Furrow)

Cheerfulness is a reflection of Christ and His love and concern when that cheerfulness is based on a resolution to carry Christ to the world. This kind of cheerfulness makes us approachable and makes others feel at ease with us.

Recently I went into a store and asked a young woman for some help in finding an insignificant item. I was amazed when she answered me pleasantly and walked me right to the spot. I don’t know whether she was a Christian or not. I do know that she possessed a very Christian attitude.

St. Paul told the Philippians that their attitude should be that of Christ: “In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus...” (Phil 2:5)

The young woman was practicing Christian virtues whether she knew it or not.

She was on the right track. We all should be on that track!

St. Josemaria says this: ...the children of God should always be sowers of peace and joy. He’s absolutely right!

In Jesus and Mary

Monsignor James M. McDonald

Monsignor McDonald is the pastor of St. Matthew R.C. Church in Dix Hills, Long Island.

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