Higher Happiness

Allowing the angel in us to tame the animal in us

05/18/2017

John 15:9-11 

Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete."

         The best definition of a man (or woman) I ever heard was given by Fr. George Tribou, principal of Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock. He often told us boys, “a man is he who controls the animal within which he lives.” That definition is based on an assumption that every human being is composed of two things: of soul and body, or put another way, of angel and animal. If the angel does not tame the animal side of us, then the animal side will kill the angel in us. The animal side pursues pleasures like money, sex and power, or more colloquially, “sex, drugs and rock and roll.” If you pay close attention to advertising, you’ll notice how advertisers always appeal to the animal side of us. The first rule of advertising today is, “sex sells.”

         On the other hand, the angel in us can get the upper hand and tame the animal, and we become real men or real women, “controlling the animal within which we live.” The angel in us aims at a higher happiness, like honesty, hard-work, humility, holiness. I remember in philosophy, they taught us an ancient aphorism: “it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than to be a pig satisfied.” In other words, it is better to be a happy person (like Socrates) than a happy pig. (Obviously, I did not study philosophy at the University of Arkansas, where everyone wants to be a happy pig.) Nevertheless, the answer should be self-evident; we should seek the higher happiness.

         In the gospel today, Jesus agrees with Fr. Tribou’s definition of a man, and adds that it is in him – and only in him – that we find that higher happiness. Our Lord says, “Remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy might be in you, and your joy complete.” That is, when the angel tames the animal, when you “control the animal within which you live,” you experience Jesus’ own joy, which “completes” our own joy. I once heard Bishop Robert Barron say that we live “at a higher pitch of creation,” when we are united with Jesus. Think of a musical score, Beethoven’s 9th symphony for instance, written and performed at a higher octave, a higher pitch. Our happiness is higher, our satisfaction is deeper, our love is more intense, our purpose is more defined, our sacrifices seem smaller. We are no longer a happy pig, but a happy person.

          Folks, let me suggest three ways you can “control the animal within which you live,” and help the angel to tame the animal side of you. First, take time to pray every day. My favorite form of personal prayer is the rosary. I sometimes walk through the church offices praying the rosary. It keeps me calm in the middle of a stressful day, and when the staff see me praying the rosary, it calms them down, too. Prayer helps me hit that higher happiness, and touch the joy of Jesus. Second, do some daily penance by making small sacrifices each day. Don’t put sugar in your coffee, don’t listen to the radio while driving, come five minutes earlier to Mass, stay five minutes later after Mass. These things allow your angel to tame the animal in you, who seeks the passing pleasures of this world. Instead, sacrifice helps you reach that higher happiness. And third, help the poor. Sometimes, we think we should help the poor as an “addendum” to living our faith - we give them the “leftovers” - but Pope Francis says the poor should come first in living our faith. The poor and marginalized always come first to the Holy Father; the pope jumps out of bed every morning to help the poor. That’s how he acts more like an angel and less like an animal.

          By the way, I do want to apologize for this homily to all my friends at P.E.T.A. – people for the ethical treatment of animals. I want to assure everyone that no actual animals were harmed in the making of his homily.

Praised be Jesus Christ!