So what would it take to make you happy?
Heard an outrageous telephone conversation on the radio last week! In the la la- land of “sports talk radio,” this is the time of the year when extremely talented already rich baseball players are courted by extremely rich baseball teams (of which, sadly, the team I support is NOT ), and these “free agent” players are offered obscene amounts of money over a span of years that (in the real world) could infuse the economies of several countries.
So I am working on a sermon but, in the background, am listening to a caller who (I thought quite reasonably) had proposed that a certain pitcher whom the rich spoiled New York team was trying to sign might be offered a contract of $50,000,000.00 per year for three (3) years. Can we agree that $150 million dollars (total) is nothing to sneeze at? The already rich player gets more money than he could spend in his lifetime. The even richer owner doesn’t have to worry about a long term contract of 7 – 10 years when there is a likelihood that the player might be injured or his skills would diminish with age. It’s a win/ win – right?
Silly me. The caller was mocked by the host. No player “would be happy” with that kind of contract. Nor would the players union “be happy” if he accepted such a contract. I won’t get into the reasons – they would only make you as angry as I am.
But as this is a time of the year when we often wish one another the JOY of this season – even to unbelievers I extend a Merry Christmas and the peace that Christ truly brings as I actually do wish this for them even if they do not understand, appreciate or feel they need it. I truly pray for folks to be happy in their lives. In a world filled with anger, terrorism, political machinations, road rage, violence, unfulfilling jobs, strained relationships with family members or work associates or lack friends – heck the list can go on and on - can’t we find any way to be happy?
At first I was outraged at the reasoning why any person (even a very talented athlete) could not be happy being compensated with $150 million dollars. But for some, no amount of money will ever be enough. And, in my years of speaking with folks in the stores, on the streets, in the office and even pastoral counseling, if I am being completely honest, some of us are just never happy, never pleased, never generous, never kind, never see the good in others and always ready to criticize. It’s so easy to mock the ball player, but sadly he is only a symptom of the self-absorption of our time. In a world when you can offend anyone at any moment by anything you might think or say, there is little hope for us to be at peace with each other. And if it is true (and it is): “no justice, no peace,” then it is also true: “no peace, no happiness.”
If my horizon is marked only by what I “need” (often mistaking “want” for true “need”), then again my life is going to be dark and joyless because no amount of money, adulation, work, degrees, or significant others will ever make me truly happy.
Francis of Assisi taught that it is “in giving that we receive.” Funny! Giving does tend to make me receive – joy! In spite of what I give, I always end up receiving even more! I wonder if this would work for anyone else. I wonder if we’d all be happier if we extended ourselves more for others.
Ironic isn’t it. Secular culture demands the removal of God from the public sphere. And the more we do this, the less happy, as a culture, we seem to be.
Fr. Joe
