Sep212025
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Tranquil and Calm.

One of my confreres asked me, “Why do you like to run?” I said, “Who said I like to run. I do not look forward to running because I have to get up early while everyone else is sleeping, and go out into the dark and the cold. Running is not enjoyable because it involves hard work, pain, and suffering. And after the run, I am sore.” “Then if you do not like running, why run?” I replied, “I am happy to tell you why? I step outside and see that the Red Sox fans the night before thought that my nice church lawn was a giant dumpster. So, I have to pick up all of the trash, uggg. Then I leave by car for my class to teach, and there is road construction, so no one moves when the light turns green, ugg. Naturally, I arrive five minutes late for class, and I see sad students who were hoping to get the morning off. Ugh. Then I am informed that the whiteboard is not working, so I cannot use my PowerPoint, ugg. After a three-hour class without my PowerPoint, I got back in the car only to stare at a sea of red brake lights, ugg. When I finally got home, I put on my running shoes, hit the road, and an amazing thing happened to me. All the “uggs” that I collected in my body disappear. I find inner peace and happiness again. That is why I run.

You do not have to run to keep the “uggs” from controlling you. One time, a woman wanted me to give her lots of cash. She was lecturing me not to be derelict of my duty as a Christian. Of course, I did not have what she wanted. As she was yelling at me, “You bad priest,” you would think that you could have opened my soul at that moment and see storm clouds of anger forming, winds freshening, lightning bolts flashing, but no. If you looked into my soul at that very moment, you would have seen sunshine and happiness in my heart because I was thinking about the gourmet dinner I was going to prepare and eat with my friends.

Paul tells us that God loves a soul that is tranquil and quiet. Why? Because we are happy. God does not want to look down and see a bunch of sad sacks.

Yesterday was a great day. I had a wedding, and the bride was half an hour late. So I sat down and listened to the string quartet till she arrived. I got a free concert and a front row seat. Yesterday marked the end of training, what marathoners refer to as ‘hell week’. I finished the week with an 18-mile run, and I am happy that I am still alive.

My point is that there are many reasons to be disappointed and sad, and God knows that. He promised the cross, hardships, persecutions, and disappointments. We just have to know how to keep the “uggs” from getting inside of us. That is why God is pleased when we are tranquil, calm, and always happy.

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