An ordinary language about extraordinary Christianity. Is joy wonderful and is pleasure despicable?
One of the most absurd myths about Christianity is that it is a religion of suffering that forbids - or at least prevents - a person from enjoying mortal life. The most extreme version of this myth is that it is God who sends us crosses and sufferings. Quite often I meet people who talk about their grief to God for the fact that, in their opinion, it was God who sent them various crosses that they did not deserve, such as the death of a loved one, an incurable illness, a tragic accident or other misfortunes.
The above myth is absurd for the obvious reason because Christianity is a religion of joy. The Son of God came to us not to make our cross heavier, but so that his joy might be in us and that our joy might be complete (cf. Jn 15:11). Christianity proclaims to the world that God is not only love, but that God is also joy. And to be joy is infinitely more than just experiencing joy. God's joy is not a momentary mood, but a way of existing for those who abide in love. God brings us joy precisely because He brings us love, which is the only source of joy.
Christianity reminds the world that God is not a cross. The cross was invented by people who had power, and it was those people who considered themselves civilized. God, who is love and joy, surprised us completely, because he loved us to such an extent that he not only took on a human body, but also a human cross: a symbol of crime, shame and cruelty. He allowed himself to be nailed to the cross, not because he wanted to suffer, but only because he wanted to teach us to love. God knows very well that whoever loves has a joy that this world can neither give nor take away. It is not God who sends crosses and sufferings to man, but it is man who condemns God to the cross!
In light of this fact, it is doubly erroneous to say "piously" that whomever God loves, he sends crosses to him. This short saying contains two heresies, or two statements contrary to Sacred Scripture: that God does not love all people and that He sends suffering to those He loves. Meanwhile, Christianity proclaims with unshakable certainty the truth that God loves everyone and that He does not send suffering to anyone, either culpable or innocent. The only thing that God sends us is His Son, that is, the full Truth and irrevocable Love.
Many people, even among Christians, ask the following question: if it is not God who sends crosses to people, why do we suffer and where does innocent suffering come from? This question is quite legitimate, and it bothers people of all times and generations. The answer that Christianity gives to this question is concrete and unequivocal: the main source of suffering on Earth is man. Our suffering is, first of all, a price for love: for conjugal, parental and priestly love, for the love of a responsible educator and faithful friend, for the love of a patriot and a just man, for the love of a man who brings peace, who forgives, who loves even his enemies, who becomes for other people a gratuitous gift of himself, who loves as Christ first loved us. In each of these cases, suffering is the price of following Christ, and even when he leads us to the Way of the Cross, our life does not cease to be a path of blessing. The price of love can be especially painful when we love those who do not love us and who find it difficult to love.
Secondly, suffering can be the price for sin. This was the case with the prodigal son in Jesus' parable. This son sent suffering to himself as an inevitable result of his mistakes. The suffering we experience because of the evil we commit is necessary for us to reflect and change our way of life. Unfortunately, not everyone learns from the suffering they inflict on themselves. Then the suffering begins to be dramatically painful, as in the case of alcoholism, drug addiction, crime, marital infidelity, divorce, killing of the unborn or genocide.
Thirdly, suffering is sometimes the price of our naivety. This happens when we allow ourselves to be harmed by other people. When we suffer because we love, it is worth paying such a price, because the joy is greater. When we suffer because we err, this suffering gives us a chance for reflection, mobilization and conversion. When, on the other hand, we suffer because we allow ourselves to be harmed, such suffering does not help us in any way and should motivate us to overcome our own naivety or our own sense of helplessness towards our abuser.
Fourthly, it happens that we suffer completely without a fault of our own, for example, as a result of some incurable illness or as a result of some cataclysm of nature, and even because of a flood that destroys all our possessions. In this case, suffering remains a mystery, but even then, we can be absolutely sure that it was not God who sent us such an experience and that it is not He who is to blame for our suffering. Usually, behind the innocent suffering of one man lies the fault of another man. In such cases, we are most often aware of this, yet we prefer to attack an innocent God rather than our actual wrongdoer. For we know in our hearts that God will not harm us, and that the wrongdoer can hurt us again when we tell him/her about the evil that has done to us, or when we ask for reparation.
In the context of innocent suffering, there is a serious doubt: if God does not protect us from innocent suffering, he either does not love us or is not omnipotent. Christianity responds firmly to this problem: God loves us and is omnipotent, but he uses his omnipotence only in a way of love. This means that he does not "manually" control our fate in a benevolent way, or as a dictator. Of course, God could use His omnipotence to prevent someone from attacking us, or to prevent a drunk driver from running over us with a car. If God did this, then He would control the world in such a way that we would become just puppets in His hands. He would have to take away freedom not only from other people, but also from us, because it happens to us, consciously or unintentionally, that we inflict suffering on other innocent people. And most often to those we love the most.
God does not control the world manually, but He is also not indifferent to our suffering. He does everything to avoid suffering. He gives us commandments that protect us from harm and suffering. He shows us the optimal way of life, that is, a life of love and truth, precisely so that here on earth we may live happily ever after. But He can no longer do more if He is truly respectful of our freedom and our dignity as persons.
If Christianity is a religion of joy, and if God does everything to make our joy complete, then why is the cross, a symbol of terrible suffering, so important in Christianity? Well, the symbol of Christianity is not any cross, but only the cross of Christ, because this cross – and only this one! — became a place of special revelation of God's irrevocable love for man. Salvation did not come through the cross. Sometimes we use this phrase in Christianity, but it is only a mental shortcut. Salvation came not through the cross, but through the love of the innocent God-Man whom sinful man nailed to the cross.
Henceforth, the cross is an expression of a mystery that is greater than the cross itself. At the same time, it remains a worrying sign, because it is ambivalent for us. After all, the Cross of Christ is not the same as the cross of the thieves who were crucified with Him. St. Paul was aware that crucified Christ would be considered a foolishness by some people and a scandal by others. The Cross of Christ scandalizes those who dream of the power of love, that is, of the victory of good over evil at the expense of human freedom and dignity. This way a “loving” God would never allow Himself to be crucified. But he would not be a God who is love either. In turn, the cross of Christ is considered foolish by those who disregard God's love for man. They mock the Crucified One because they are followers of a much lesser "love." They preach a "love" according to their own heart and their own aspirations, and therefore an unfaithful and comfortable "love" that is actually their disguised egoism.
Christianity is a religion of hard realism. It does not hide from the followers of Christ that in the realities of mortality none of us will escape suffering. At the same time, Christianity reminds us that suffering can never be the goal or the meaning of our lives. It can only be the price for something greater than suffering. This truth is illustrated by the situation of an athlete who makes a great physical effort and imposes an iron discipline on himself. However, he does not do this because he longs for suffering, but only because he hopes to win the competition. Overcoming pain and fatigue, already during exhausting training he enjoys the prospect of future victory over himself and over his own limitations. In the runner who runs first to the finish line, the grimace of pain turns into a smile of victory.
Is joy wonderful and is pleasure despicable?
Christianity does not only explain to us the mystery of suffering in a realistic way. In an equally realistic way, it shows us the way to lasting and unfailing joy. Each of us dreams of remaining in joy, because living in sorrow and suffering becomes a painful burden. We also have a second dream: we want to achieve joy in an easy way. This second dream is dangerous because it can lead us to confuse joy with pleasure, and this will distance us from happiness. We also have a third desire: we want to guarantee ourselves joy by our own power, just as we can secure, for example, an education or a pension.
Christianity is the way to unfailing joy and therefore teaches us to distinguish between joy and pleasure. For whoever confuses joy with pleasure makes such a great mistake as if she/he were confusing life with death. Pleasure is attainable for all people, and joy is attainable only for some. To experience a moment of pleasure, it is enough to eat, sleep or satisfy an urge. Every human being is capable of such behavior. Pleasure is therefore common, and joy is aristocratic. The second difference is that pleasure can be achieved directly. It is enough to reach for a tasty dish or be hugged by someone who loves us, to immediately experience a moment of pleasure.
Meanwhile, joy is not attainable directly. It is a consequence of a noble life based on love, truth and responsibility. It is for this reason that someone who seeks joy will not find it, because then she/he focuses on her/his own needs, and thus becomes incapable of loving and of making high demands for herself or himself. On the other hand, a person who demands noble conduct from himself discovers, to his surprise, that he experiences more and more joy.
The third difference is that the pleasure is short-lived, such as feeling full after a meal. What is more, seeking pleasure at all costs leads to unpleasant sensations and even life tragedies. An example is people who, for a moment of sexual pleasure, betray their spouse and break their own oath and catch some deadly disease. Similarly, those who abuse alcohol or use a drug for a moment of pleasure suffer dramatically and enter the path of gradual agony. Meanwhile, the joy of life is permanent. It does not abandon us even when we experience difficulties, anxieties or painful moods.
The fourth difference comes from the fact that in seeking pleasure, we narrow our desires and aspirations, while the joyful man is able to protect in himself the most beautiful aspirations, desires and ideals. Christianity reminds us that people who seek nothing more in life but only pleasure are in a desperate situation. After all, it is an expression of despair that a person has no greater aspirations than satisfying bodily needs or satisfying his/her libido. Initially, such a man or women is not aware of his/her own situation and his/her own despair. However, every day he/she becomes more and more superficial, selfish and enslaved. He/she can no longer think wisely or love maturely. He/she experiences more and more bitterness and, instead of joy, feels an increasingly acute emptiness.
In the Christian perspective, the only way to joy is to do what is valuable, not what is pleasant. Joy is reserved for those who are guided by love and responsibility, that is, who forget about themselves in order to become a gift to others. For the only source of joy is love. The greatest joy is experienced by those who love the most. That is why joy does not come when we seek it, but when we seek God who loves and who teaches us to love. Christianity does not promise us an easy joy, but a true joy. That is why Christianity is truly a religion of joy.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george