Always be cheerful. Fight sadness energetically.
Delight your soul, comfort your heart, and distance yourself from sorrow, as sorrow has destroyed many, and brings no benefit. Sadness harms the soul greatly, as it is born from pride, while joy is a result of the love of God.
Sadness undermines the foundations of our inner life and indicates a lack of awareness of our divine relationship, a lack of trust in God, and a failure to surrender to His will. "Cast aside sadness. Do you not realize that it is worse than any other state of mind? It is the most discouraging and repels the Holy Spirit. A happy person acts well, enjoys good things, and pleases God. But a sad person always behaves badly."
Sadness is a strong ally of the enemy. A person who is sad is in a situation that could lead to sin. If this grave danger ever attacks our soul, we must examine ourselves, seek illumination, and identify the cause. Happiness is a consequence of surrendering oneself. It is reaffirmed every time we work hard through our daily routine.
Beneath sadness, we often find selfishness and self-centered concerns. "You are not happy because you make everything revolve around yourself, as if you were always the center: you have a stomachache, or you are tired, or they have said this or that..."
"Have you ever tried thinking about Him and, through Him, about others?"
If we are tempted to be sad, St. Josemaría advises us, “Pray.” "You ask me for a remedy for your sadness. I will give you advice from an expert, the Apostle St. James: Is any of you sad? Are you sad, my son? Pray! Try it and you will see."
Talking to God and listening to Him will revive our soul. With the supernatural perspective of faith, hope, love, and a desire for atonement, we will realize that we have every reason to be happy. We will resolve to remove the barriers that separate us from the Lord, the God of our joy. Once again, we will serve others happily. Our service must be carried out with joy. Wherever there is a child of God, there should be cheerfulness stemming from inner peace. Thus, we will joyfully perform all that we do.
Let us turn to our Lady, the Source of our joy, so that she may always keep alive in us this cheerful and optimistic spirit that characterizes God's children.
Torreciudad: The Carrying of the Cross. Fruit of the 4th Sorrowful Mystery: Atonement for our sins.
Video: