All of us are faced daily, even hourly, with Our Lord's call to us: "Where is your heart?" Are our hearts full to overflowing with the treasure, the joy of the Gospel? Are we at work daily sowing good seed? Or have we placed ourselves temporarily "out of commission" and chosen to sit on the sidelines?
Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation "The Joy of the Gospel" addresses ALL CHRISTIANS, and mentions temptations and challenges we all face.
1) HAVE WE "COOLED OFF"? Is our ministry to others a mere "add on" to our lives, that we can ignore if it interferes too much with our personal freedom? Or is our ministry as sowers of good seed part of our identity? Do we think it's enough to offer certain prayers as being our spiritual life, prayers that comfort us, or do we do the real work of truly trying to engage with others?
2) DO WE WANT TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE? The media and even the people we see daily can "do a number" on our faith. People who choose to live a counter-cultural lifestyle can be the butt of jokes. It's easy to become cynical or develop an inferiority complex. The Pope says that even if we pray, we need to be careful. We can "end up stifling the joy of mission with a kind of obsession about being like everyone else and possessing what everyone else possesses."
3) IS OUR LIFESTYLE GODLESS OR GOD-FILLED? There can be a Great Divide between what we believe and preach and how we live. A Godless lifestyle, the Pope says, "consists in acting as if God does not exist, making decisions as if the poor did not exist, setting goals as if others did not exist, working as if people who have not received the Gospel did not exist. It is striking that even some who clearly have solid doctrinal and spiritual convictions frequently fall into a lifestyle which leads to an attachment to financial security, or to a desire for power or human glory at all cost, rather than giving their lives to others in mission."
4) DO WE SEEK TO AVOID RESPONSIBILITY? Some people fear that they'll be asked to do church work which will take away from their free time, or they only want to do it as long as it's convenient, so they avoid commitment. The Pope observes "People feel an overbearing need to guard their personal freedom, as though the task of evangelization (spreading the Good News) was a dangerous poison rather than a joyful response to God's love which summons us to mission and makes us fulfilled and productive."
5) IS OUR ATTITUDE OUT OF WHACK? Have we undertaken projects for others for the wrong motivations? Have we thrown ourselves into unrealistic projects instead of being satisfied with what we can reasonably do? Are we too impatient to wait for our projects to succeed and grow? Or are we attached to a few projects or vain dreams of success? Have we depersonalized our work so much that we are more concerned with the road map or the journey? All of these wrong attitudes can result in tiredness, tension, feeling over-burdened, being depressed, or even growing ill.
All of these temptations and dangers can lead to a disillusionment with life, a melancholy, a loss of hope.
But -"The joy of the Gospel is such that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything." (John 16:22.) We can be distressed by the troubles in our lives, or the troubles in our age, yet being realistic should not dampen our fervor to sow the seed that will last and lead to an abundant harvest. Pope Francis warns us against a sense of "defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, 'sourpusses'... If we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle, and we bury our talents. While painfully aware of our own frailties, we have to march on without giving in, keeping in mind what the Lord said to St. Paul "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" (2 Cor. 12:9.)
Remember - "Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, carrying bundled sheaves." (Psalm 126: 5 and 6.)