I want to talk about an important word for Catholics.
Some may consider it a dirty little word.
Nevertheless, if you want to be holy, you’ll have to understand it and embrace it.
It’s been a big part of Catholic spirituality since the beginning.
That word is discipline. And, it’s tied to a not so dirty word–happiness.
Why is discipline so important and how can it make you holy…and happy?
It’s all about attitude.
Martial arts is not fun
I started my kids in martial arts lessons recently. They’re enthusiastic but a little on the fence about it.
My younger son, who’s 7 year’s old, told me the other day he liked it, but it wasn’t fun. I asked him what he meant.
He said, “Nintendo DS is fun. This is work…kind of like math.” Then he asked, “Why do we do this anyway?”
I told him martial arts was not fun like video games. It was a different kind of fun. I also explained how it’s important to stretch yourself and try hard things. It gives you confidence and a certain kind of strength.
Martial arts is really hard and it’s a little scary, but when you master something that’s difficult like that it makes you feel great about yourself. It makes you feel happy.
Happiness is…
In the early Church, the number one question of the spiritual life was happiness. What should I do and how should I live in order to be happy.
But it’s a different kind of happy than we normally think. Our concept of happiness is based on pleasure. I’ll call it “Nintendo happiness.”
Now this is not a bad thing, until it becomes the basis of your whole life. Then, it becomes a problem because it’s fleeting. It doesn’t last. Once the Nintendo, or any other thing that’s making you happy, stops…so does the happiness.
The early Church fathers had a different concept of happiness. It’s based in joy.
Joy is what you get from doing something excellent, the satisfaction of completing a difficult task. It’s what comes with discipline.
Got Joy? Ask Rocky!
If you want to understand how discipline leads to joy, think about Rocky.
In the beginning of the movie, Rocky is taking the easy way out. He’s not training seriously as a boxer. He makes his living as an enforcer for a local loan shark.
He’s comfortable but he hates himself and what he’s become. He wants more. When he gets his shot he doesn’t waste it!
This movie is so great because of the turnaround in Rocky. He begins anew. He starts training again. It’s hard at first and he endures a lot of pain. However, he becomes disciplined and that enables him to realize his dream.
In the end, he’s bloody, bruised, and battered but he triumphed! He’s happy in the classical sense. He has joy!
Joy-based happiness lasts. It doesn’t depend on how good you feel or if things are going your way. Look at Rocky!
Catechetical takeaway
The measure of happiness is how well you can weather the downturns in life. It’s not how happy you are when things are going your way.
Discipline is important in the spiritual life because it gives you the ability to take action. When the opportunity comes, you’ll be ready to give of yourself…even if it’s painful or there’s nothing in it for you.
Developing spiritual discipline trains you, stretches you to master hard things. Fasting, quietly enduring trials, accepting suffering with courage, these things give you confidence and strength to love God even when it’s tough.
The Catholic Faith provides perfect the foundation for a joy-based, happy life. And, when your chance comes, you’ll be ready to fight and to win!
Great post, Marc! This is something I really needed to read this morning!
Hey thanks Bryan! Glad you liked it.
Such a great post!
And I love this: “Discipline is important in the spiritual life because it gives you the ability to take action. When the opportunity comes, you’ll be ready to give of yourself…even if it’s painful or there’s nothing in it for you.” It reminds me of what Edith Stein said about how taking full advantage of the Sacraments when we have them is essential for forming us to survive in the times when we do not have access to them.
That is an awesome quote from Edith Stein and so appropriate! That is exactly it, and she is one who surely would know about that.
It’s my contention that you have to prepare yourself to suffer well because when it hits, you won’t be in the frame of mind to start figuring things out. You have to train a positive attitude into your daily life while the problems are only small so that when they’re big you can handle them. I’m still working on it myself. 🙂
Thanks for this post. I’ll take “joy based happiness” over “Nintendo happiness” any day.
I agree! I think embracing “joy based happiness” is a recipe for success in life on both the spiritual and temporal level. I’ve been thinking a lot about this the last couple of days and I want to renew my efforts to become more disciplined. There’s always room for improvement right?
Thanks Bert!