Joy And Sorrow And "fun" Series

Joy, Sorrow and “Fun”

Some time ago, I listened to a sermon by the local pastor. He told us that the Ten Commandments were given to us by God so that we could all “enjoy” life. I’m sure there are many, even Christians, who would question that. After all, the Commandments are largely a list of commands not to do certain behavior. And human beings first object to being ordered around, and second they object to restrictions on what they may do. In words that have recently gained in popularity as they did in the last century, that all sounds kind of “fascist.” “Don’t boss me around; don’t tell me what I may do and not do.”

But in thinking about the pastor’s words, I recalled what a priest told me two decades ago. He was my immediate superior, and the president of the school I ran. He said he wished he could expunge the word “fun” from our students’ working vocabulary. Now knowing what students at our all-boy high school could do outside supervision, I tended to agree. The boys, if say their parents left town for a few days, might call all their friends over and without any chaperones, tap a keg and make lots of noise, and that’s just the starting point of a night of “fun.” They might pay for that mistake for a long, long time.

Think about the things that bring you a feeling of joy. I remembered the joy of leaving a church with my new bride, the joy of holding our firstborn daughter, the joy of seeing each of our children make their first communion, or themselves leave church with a new spouse. There was a real kind of joy seeing the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, or riding in a hot air balloon. That’s a joy that focuses on the wonders of creation, of material things put in place by God.

But beyond that, there are what we might call transcendental joys. Confessing long-held sins and knowing I’ve been forgiven. Praying in the Church of the Pater Noster in the Holy Land. Proclaiming the Gospel of Gabriel appearing to Mary at the Annunciation, right in the place where it all happened. All these were kinds of joy that are inexplicable in material terms. And each of them, even more so than material joys, make “fun” look like a total waste of time. No comparison.

Jesus suffered in the Garden, before Pilate, and horribly on Calvary. That was not in any way fun. But He suffered knowing that He was giving Himself over to pain and death so that we could be united with Him and not know eternal death, rather joining with Him in eternal life and joy. All of us, corresponding with Him and loving God and neighbor through our lives, can look forward to the Father telling us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Oh, there is a place for true fun, particularly the kinds of fun that are not harmful, and even build up our human relationships and community. And some, like cooking dinner for one you love, is a kind of fun that can lead to experiences of joy. But we need always to distinguish one from another, and remember that true joy always requires self-discipline, like obeying the commandments of God.