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“Joy is not ours to command. We watch for it, make room for it, and feel gratitude when it arrives - a heart-opening presence, a gift from God. It can color the world like the sky at sunrise, or condense to the flame of a single candle that sees us through the night. Joy can feel like the most natural thing in the world, or the most elusive. Its light shines out in a shared laugh or a thoughtful gesture. We know joy in the experience of beauty, or when we offer our best and find that it pulls us into the flow of life.” - Susan Christerson Brown
The messages our screens seem to suggest is that joy comes through the numbing of pain or the purchase of things. Not really a new concept, although perhaps a more prominent one in today’s world. There’s something about numbing ourselves and our feelings that promises us a sense of security - “if I don’t have to feel everything, then perhaps I’ll feel better.” That same false sense of security is given to us through buying things, too. Is it numbness that creates joy? Is it the act of getting new things that does the trick?
The human experience tells us no, even if the brain is duped into telling us yes. The human experience tells us something different; it tells us the truth. Namely, that joy comes when we are connected with others, when we have something to look forward to.
Joy is discovered in coming to know the face of your neighbor, your friend, a stranger, and so, God. It is there that we discover that we are not simply forms of life, walking numb through the world, but human beings who can feel and love and embrace. Joy is finding that the simplicity of an interaction can make a profound impact on our day, our mood, our life. Something I think the Persian poet, Hafiz, said well when he wrote, “God and I have become like two giant people living together in a tiny boat. We keep bumping into each other and laughing.”
Our joy is discoverable now. It isn’t found in tomorrow. Tomorrow doesn’t exist yet. It isn’t found in yesterday, even if yesterday offers us something to smile about. Joy is now - here. In our classes, our late-night Taco Bell visits, our triumphs on the court, our knowing smiles on the sidewalk. It is found in the lives we share together and the grace we offer to one another.
St. Ambrose University extends a special invitation to students, faculty and staff to join us this spring for a 3-day event celebrating 10 years of Pope Francis!
A leader from and for the margins, this humble servant of God has captured the imagination of people across the globe. Attendees will hear from experts from around the world as they examine Pope Francis, including his theology, his ministry, and the future directions he has set for the Church and Christianity. Presentation topics will range from environmental concerns, economics and justice to a church on the margins, world religions, evangelization and inclusion.
We are honored to share that the event's closing mass will be hosted by the Papal Nuncio to the United States, His Excellency Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Titular Archbishop of Gunela.
Students, Faculty, and Staff are invited to attend any of the keynote or concurrent sessions Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 without charge by registering for the conference and using the promo code PAPAL23.
Those who would like to attend the dinner Thursday night and/or the lunches Friday and Saturday, are asked to pay $40 and register using the promo code HUNGRYBEE.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
