Baby Jesus wants me to go to Malta…

… He doesn’t want me to be contented with just looking at pictures on the inter webs. He wants me to be happy and have my heart’s desire.

Doesn’t that sounds silly, as silly as prosperity theology. Yet there seems to exist the same pervasiveness of thought among charismatics in regards to emotions… a sort of emotional prosperity gospel if you will. The idea that God wants be in state of constant emotional giddiness and always feel good.

I heard a homily recently that I has me pondering this very subject; that God does not want us to surround ourselves with those who are sad and wants us to be in a state of constant joy; emotionally comfortable, if you will. I know this wasn’t the sole message the priest was trying to convey but it could be misconstrued and give the false impression to those who might be looking for the perfect opportunity to condone their willingness to embrace an emotionally unbalanced way of worship… The unchallengeable kind of worship where you strive to be only happy and toss aside the rest of those emotions that are a source of uncomfortableness. I find uncomfortable emotions to be nothing more than a solid conscience at work.

What I love about Catholicism is her wide range of sentiments. Everything from her joviality in the celebrations through out the liturgical year, to the the intellectual wit of the saints seen in their writings, as well as the ecstatic revelations of her mystics, or the contrite mourning of a repentant sinner and a longing to imitate Christ… those emotionally demanding and rigorous dynamics of the Church that command us to look beyond and outside ourselves.

Of course I know Christ doesn’t want us to be Emo and locked in our rooms listening to Morrissey all night but also He doesn’t want us to push away from our social circles our friends when they are in need of comfort.

I just want this unstable notion that we deserve to be happy all the time to dissipate with the rest of the spiritually damning frivolity that has come out of the Church these past few decades.

Discuss.