Enjoy Life...In the Right Sense

Two of my favorite Biblical passages come from the Gospel of John. In John 10:10b, Jesus says: "I came that you may have life and may have it abundantly." In John 15:11, Jesus declares, "I have said these things to you, so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." Abundant life and complete joy, this is what Jesus wants for each one of us. It inspires me to catch people having fun with life. But, my heart aches to see people giving up and losing hope. There are those who allow themselves to be defeated by the damaging events, negative people and enormous problems. In the midst of all these, I am still hopeful, optimistic and fascinated with life. Life, as we know, is a series of joy-sorrow continuum because it is dynamic. We walk and pass over from delight to mourning. This is humanity's paschal mystery. Every moment of our lives here on earth is a succession of enthralling surprises. Our body, emotions, thoughts, behavior, and relationships are greatly affected by life's vitality. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) tells us that negative emotions and thoughts weaken our immune system whereas positive feelings and mental attitude strengthen our whole being. When we smile, laugh, guffaw and pray, positive hormones like beta-endorphin and serotonin are secreted making us stronger and happier people. Truly, laughter and prayer are still the best medicine. I personally experience life's grief and rapture. As a religious-missionary-priest of the Society of the Divine Word, I have witnessed how people from all walks of life grapple with human existence. I could resonate with them because I have my own joys, sorrows, ecstasies and light.