Sad Souls

Looking around the meeting room, it was amazing to see such an array of facial expressions.  Faces can tell the stories of our lives....from brief synopses to epic chapters.  Even though it takes less effort and energy to smile and express happiness, the majority of faces in the meeting told stories of sadness or unhappiness.  Why?......Now, my own life has its tales of sadness and sources of unhappiness, but I had a WOW! moment while observing the sadness in front of me. Is there really that much sadness and unhappiness in this world?  Has it been this way since the beginning of time, or is this epidemic due to our current social issues? What is God thinking about the state of our souls?  He is probably thinking that we are a sorry bunch of bananas with our dejected, somber, doleful, woebegone, desolate brown spots of melancholy, sorrow, gloom, regret, forlornness, loneliness, and misery.

St. Pio, a mystic priest, once stated that we should not allow any sadness to dwell in our souls for sadness prevents the Holy Spirit from acting freely. The sadness becomes a cork which blocks the sweetness of God's love to pour forth, and seals our hearts away from the swirling Holy Spirit's healing effects.  I think St. Pio is saying that it is one thing to acknowledge and feel a wound of sadness, but the sadness should not take up residence in our hearts. We should be hospitable to sadness for a brief period of time, and then, we should send the overwhelming emotion to a hotel where it can take advantage of the free breakfast service instead of taking advantage of our generous natures....sucking our souls dry of all joy.  

Sadness is not a healing emotion.  It is more like a "service engine light" that won't turn off even after the car has been fixed.  Joy is a healing emotion......so we need to give sadness....that perpetuating unhappiness the boot....and invite joy to visit our hearts for a long while.  Joy is the matrix of the Holy Spirit's healing power for our souls. 

Let the Holy Spirit guide you.  Pray and implore God for help. Put a smile on your face even if the sadness feels like a ton.  Do an act of kindness.  Get the focus off of the sad circumstances.  Share some happiness with a neighbor or stranger, and joy will find its way back into your heart. Your soul will be uplifted.  Remember that a smile takes less energy and effort than a sad expression.  Smiles are also contagious, so share a smile and the world will smile back.

God desires for us to experience the joy of His love.  "He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone." - Revelations 21.

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