Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

REFLECTION:

Yesterday after Mass, an older gentleman came up to me, shook my hand, and said with a grin, “Father, I hope it’s not a sin to be a happy Catholic.” I looked at him a little confused and asked him to repeat what he said. Again, he smiled and said, “I hope it’s not a sin to be a happy Catholic.” I couldn’t help but laugh and told him, “It’s not a sin. We are called to be joyful in proclaiming Jesus. Our life as Catholics and Christians is meant to be lived joyfully so that we can share that joy with others.” His comment, though lighthearted, made me think deeply about what St. Paul tells us in today’s reading: “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.”



Sin, in its essence, is when we turn inward—when life becomes centered on the self and on pleasing the flesh. It’s when our choices are driven by comfort, control, or personal gain without concern for God or others. Sin isolates us and drains us of life. To “live according to the flesh” means to live selfishly—to make everything about “me.” When we live for our own sake, hoarding our time, talents, and treasures, we slowly die inside. Our joy fades because joy cannot survive in a selfish heart.

But St. Paul reminds us that to live by the Spirit is to live. Life in the Spirit is a life shared—a life moved by generosity, love, forgiveness, and compassion. It’s a life that mirrors the self-giving love of Christ. The Spirit frees us from fear and selfishness and fills us with a deep, enduring joy that comes from knowing we belong to God as His sons and daughters.

So yes, it is not a sin to be a happy Catholic. In fact, it is a sign of a heart alive in the Spirit. A happy Christian is someone who knows that joy comes from giving rather than grasping, from serving rather than being served. The happiest people on earth are those who give of themselves for the sake of others. To live as a joyful Catholic is to live as a person led by the Spirit—a life not hoarded, but shared; not self-centered, but God-centered. That’s the kind of life that never dies, the kind of joy that never fades.