23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! 

When was the last time you threw a party? Perhaps it was when your child graduated from high school, at the birth of a new baby, or when a favorite cousin came to town. Those are all fine, positive reasons to celebrate.

When Jesus tells his disciples to celebrate being persecuted, however, he is inviting them—and us—to gain a new perspective on the negative as well as the positive things that happen to us. He is giving us a strategy to deal with not only persecution but all kinds of suffering or hardship. Because when we rejoice, it changes our perspective and gives us hope. It makes it possible for us to look at things in a new way.

How? Let’s consider what happened to six-year-old Timmy. The young boy was crestfallen when he went to the garage to get out his brand-new bicycle, only to realize it had been stolen. Furious, he went inside to share the bad news. His mother helped him acknowledge his feelings to God, but she also read today’s Gospel to him. She encouraged him to follow Jesus’ advice to rejoice. So they decided to throw a party. They got out Timmy’s favorite snack, and they thanked God for always being in charge. They prayed that God would bless whoever took that bike, whether or not that meant Timmy would get the bike back.

Finally, they asked God to let them see one good thing he would bring about as a result of Timmy’s stolen bicycle. Sure enough, because Timmy had to walk to school the following day, he wound up making a new friend—someone he never would have met if he had been riding his new bike.

Now, our challenges are usually more significant than a six-year-old losing a bike. Regardless, when we find the strength to praise the Lord when things are difficult, it changes our perspective. Lifting our hearts to him can make us open to opportunities that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. So let’s get into the habit of praising God even when our circumstances don’t make us want to throw a party, and see what just might come of it.

“Jesus, help me to rejoice in you even when I suffer hardship or persecution.”

1 Corinthians 7:25-31
Psalm 45:11-12, 14-17
Luke 6:20-26