Happy Hour
The first reading tells us that we receive whatever we ask of God. His commandment is to love Him and our neighbor. The gospel continues the good news of people being cured, healed, and forgiven. I can only imagine how happy people must have been to be cured of lameness, illnesses, and other infirmities. I can only imagine the impact of hearing His words in person. They would be filled with so much promise and love. Especially coming to understand that God loves you. All of this would have filled people’s hearts with great joy and happiness.
But we are told we need to test the spirits. How do we do this? The simplest way – trust God. Everyday issues are placed in front of us. Many times, we do not think of checking in with God. A short prayer: “God, is this what you want me to do?” -or- “How should I handle this Lord.” You might end up answering yourself: “I’m not sure, but after some thought, I will do this with your help, Lord. If it is not what you want guide to Your Will.” Putting your trust in God in this way is testing the spirits. You will be much happier knowing God has got your back.
By the way, kind of tongue in cheek, this is where I got the title for this reflection. Spirits and happy. Restaurants and bars have happy hours. We Catholics have happy hours, too.
We call it Mass.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen