Luyện nói tiếng Anh bằng Shadowing qua video: The Difference Between Happiness and Joy Explained | Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Barron
Chọn chế độ luyện tập
Mỗi chế độ mở một phòng luyện tập toàn màn hình.
935 câu
Nếu các câu quá ngắn hoặc quá dài, hãy bấm Edit để chỉnh sửa.
1
If Advent is the joyful and devout preparation for the celebration of Christmas, what is that?
Nếu mùa Vọng là sự chuẩn bị vui mừng và thành kính để cử hành lễ Giáng Sinh, thì đó là gì?
2
Here's Jesus who says, I came that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
Đây là Chúa Giê-su, Đấng đã phán: Ta đến để mà niềm vui của Ta ở trong các ngươi, và niềm vui của các ngươi được nên trọn vẹn.
3
What is he making complete?
Anh ấy đang hoàn thành cái gì vậy?
4
Okay, what is it?
Được rồi, có chuyện gì thế?
5
And then how do you find it?
Vậy thì bạn tìm thấy nó bằng cách nào?
6
Yeah.
Vâng.
7
So that's, you might say, is the central question of the Christian life.
Vì vậy, có thể nói đó là câu hỏi cốt lõi của đời sống Cơ đốc.
8
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz.
Chào các bạn, tôi là Cha Mike Schmitz.
9
In this series, we're talking with three special guests about the spiritual discipline of
Trong chuỗi bài này, chúng ta sẽ cùng trò chuyện với ba vị khách mời đặc biệt về lĩnh vực rèn luyện tinh thần là
10
Christian joy in preparation for the Advent series in the Ascension app, Joy to the World.
Niềm vui của người Cơ đốc trong quá trình chuẩn bị cho loạt bài về Mùa Vọng trên ứng dụng Ascension, mang tên Joy to the World.
11
And I'm releasing a new video on the Ascension app every day during
Và tôi sẽ phát hành một video mới trên ứng dụng Ascension mỗi ngày trong suốt
12
Advent with reflection on what it means to be joyful.
Mùa Vọng với sự chiêm nghiệm về ý nghĩa của niềm vui.
13
If you'd like to see more, be sure to download the Ascension app from the App Store on your smartphone or tablet,
Nếu bạn muốn xem thêm nội dung, hãy tải ứng dụng Ascension từ App Store về điện thoại thông minh hoặc máy tính bảng của bạn.
14
or you can visit ascensionpress .com slash fathermikeadvent.
hoặc bạn có thể truy cập vào trang ascensionpress.com/fathermikeadvent.
15
Today, first of our conversation, I'm joined by Bishop Robert Barron, Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester and Winona in the great state of Minnesota,
Hôm nay, mở đầu cuộc trò chuyện của chúng ta, tôi có sự tham gia của Giám mục Robert Barron, Giám mục của Giáo phận Rochester và Winona ở bang Minnesota vĩ đại.
16
also the founder of Word on Fire and the host of Catholicism Project, which how many years ago was Catholicism?
ông cũng là người sáng lập Word on Fire và là người dẫn chương trình Dự án Công Giáo, vậy bộ phim Công Giáo được thực hiện cách đây bao nhiêu năm?
17
It came out in 2011.
Nó ra mắt vào năm 2011.
18
That's incredible.
Thật đáng kinh ngạc.
19
Yeah, 15 years it's been.
Vâng, đã 15 năm trôi qua rồi.
20
And it's made such an impact in the world.
Và nó đã tạo ra một tác động lớn đến thế giới.
21
Yeah, thank God.
Vâng, tạ ơn Chúa.
22
I mean, as has
Ý tôi là, như đã từng
23
Word on Fire, as an entire company, it just brought the gospel to so many people.
Toàn bộ công ty Word on Fire đã mang Phúc Âm đến với rất nhiều người.
24
Appreciate that a lot.
Rất cảm ơn bạn.
25
We just had our 25th anniversary.
Chúng tôi vừa mới kỷ niệm 25 năm ngày thành lập.
26
We started really about the year 2000.
Chúng tôi thực sự bắt đầu hoạt động vào khoảng năm 2000.
27
So last year we had our 25th anniversary.
Vậy là năm ngoái chúng tôi đã kỷ niệm 25 năm thành lập.
28
Based out of Chicago.
Có trụ sở tại Chicago.
29
Yeah, started in Chicago.
Vâng, bắt đầu từ Chicago.
30
And it's just on WGN radio at 5 .15 on Sunday morning.
Và chương trình đó chỉ được phát trên đài WGN vào lúc 5 giờ 15 phút sáng Chủ nhật.
31
I asked them, you know, how much would it cost to get a radio show?
Tôi đã hỏi họ, bạn biết đấy, là để có một chương trình phát thanh thì sẽ tốn bao nhiêu tiền.
32
And they said about $50 ,000.
Và họ nói khoảng 50.000 đô la.
33
And so I raised that money for my parish, and that's how we started.
Và thế là tôi đã quyên được số tiền đó cho giáo xứ của mình, và đó chính là cách chúng tôi bắt đầu.
34
Wow.
Ồ trời.
35
Yeah.
Vâng.
36
And it's become this.
Và nó đã trở thành thế này.
37
Yeah, thank God.
Vâng, tạ ơn Chúa.
38
And so many people have come to know the gospel.
Và rất nhiều người đã đến biết Phúc Âm.
39
And, you know, so I'm reflecting on this, reflecting on the fact that, you know, Pope Francis had talked about the joy of the gospel.
Và bạn biết đấy, tôi đang suy ngẫm về điều này, suy ngẫm về thực tế là Giáo hoàng Phanxicô đã từng nói về niềm vui của Phúc âm.
40
And here we are in preparation for Advent.
Và bây giờ chúng ta đang trong giai đoạn chuẩn bị cho mùa Vọng.
41
I came across something that said that
Tôi tình cờ thấy một điều gì đó đã nói rằng
42
Advent is described to Advent like this is that
Advent được mô tả với Advent như thế này là vậy đó
43
Advent is the joyful and devout preparation for the celebration of Christmas.
Mùa Vọng là thời gian chuẩn bị đầy niềm vui và lòng thành kính để cử hành lễ Giáng Sinh.
44
And one of the things that it did for me is that it kind of reminded me that,
Và một trong những điều mà nó mang lại cho tôi là nó phần nào nhắc nhở tôi rằng,
45
you know, as Christians, we're not waiting for Christmas to be joyful.
Bạn biết đấy, với tư cách là những người theo đạo Thiên Chúa, chúng ta không phải đợi đến lễ Giáng sinh mới có niềm vui.
46
Like, note that if Advent is the joyful and devout preparation for a celebration of Christmas,
Xin lưu ý rằng nếu Mùa Vọng là thời gian chuẩn bị vui mừng và thành kính cho lễ Giáng Sinh,
47
then joy gets to be part—joy is part of the process.
thì niềm vui sẽ trở thành một phần — niềm vui là một phần của quá trình đó.
48
Yeah, and also liturgically, we've heard to Lent as a joyful season.
Vâng, và về mặt phụng vụ, chúng ta cũng đã nghe nói rằng Mùa Chay là một mùa vui mừng.
49
Really?
Thật sao?
50
This joyful season of penitence.
Mùa sám hối đầy niềm vui này.
51
Yeah.
Vâng.
52
Which is a clue.
Đó chính là một manh mối.
53
See, that joy, as we're describing it today, doesn't have really to do with happy, clappy feelings, right?
Bạn thấy đấy, niềm vui mà chúng ta đang mô tả hôm nay không thực sự liên quan đến những cảm xúc vui vẻ, phấn khích bộc lộ ra bên ngoài, đúng không?
54
It's something else.
Thật là một thứ khác thường.
55
It's something deeper, more abiding.
Đó là một điều gì đó sâu sắc hơn, bền vững hơn.
56
So that's interesting how the prayer of the church signals this difference.
Thật thú vị khi thấy lời cầu nguyện của giáo hội thể hiện rõ sự khác biệt này.
57
Kind of forms this for us.
Điều này phần nào tạo nên thứ đó cho chúng ta.
58
And so that's actually one of my first questions is, if Advent is the joyful and devout preparation for the celebration of Christmas, what is that?
Và thực ra đó là một trong những câu hỏi đầu tiên của tôi, nếu Mùa Vọng là sự chuẩn bị vui mừng và thành kính cho lễ Giáng Sinh, thì đó là gì?
59
What is joy?
Niềm vui là gì?
60
Yeah, I mean, it's a really interesting question.
Ừ, ý tôi là, đó là một câu hỏi thực sự thú vị.
61
And it's so central to our tradition.
Và nó là một phần cốt lõi trong truyền thống của chúng ta.
62
Yeah, we use the word all the time.
Vâng, chúng tôi dùng từ đó suốt.
63
Right.
Đúng vậy.
64
And the fact that Aquinas structures his whole moral theology not around law, I find it really interesting.
Và thực tế là Aquinas xây dựng toàn bộ nền thần học đạo đức của mình không xoay quanh luật pháp, tôi thấy điều đó thực sự thú vị.
65
If you look at the second part of the Summa where he talks about the moral life, right?
Nếu bạn xem phần thứ hai của bộ Summa, nơi ông ấy nói về đời sống đạo đức, đúng không?
66
Question 90, 9 -0, question 90 is when he first broaches the law.
Câu hỏi 90, 9-0, câu hỏi 90 là lúc anh ấy lần đầu tiên đề cập đến luật pháp.
67
A lot of people say, well, morality is all about law, isn't it?
Nhiều người nói rằng, đạo đức thì toàn là về luật pháp, phải không?
68
But the first question he raises is about the Attitude, happiness, the one thing we all want.
Nhưng câu hỏi đầu tiên ông đặt ra là về thái độ, về hạnh phúc — thứ mà tất cả chúng ta đều mong muốn.
69
And then he explores what it isn't.
Và sau đó anh ta khám phá những điều mà nó không phải là.
70
It's not this, not this, not this, not that.
Không phải cái này, không phải cái này, không phải cái này, cũng không phải cái kia.
71
It must be this, right?
Chắc là cái này rồi, đúng không?
72
And then from that starting point, you develop your moral theology.
Và sau đó, từ điểm xuất phát đó, bạn sẽ phát triển nền thần học đạo đức của mình.
73
This guy, Father Cervé Pincares, who was a great
Người đàn ông này, Cha Cervé Pincares, một vị linh mục tuyệt vời
74
Dominican moral theologian, he rediscovered that for our time.
Nhà thần học đạo đức người Dòng Đominica, ông đã khám phá lại điều đó cho thời đại của chúng ta.
75
This great book called The Sources of Catholic Ethics, I think, to my mind, the best book about moral theology since the Council.
Cuốn sách tuyệt vời này có tên là Nguồn Gốc của Đạo Đức Công Giáo, theo tôi, là cuốn sách hay nhất về thần học đạo đức kể từ sau Công Đồng.
76
He was very influential on John Paul II.
Ông ấy có ảnh hưởng rất lớn đến Giáo hoàng John Paul II.
77
But he insisted upon that.
Nhưng anh ấy đã khăng khăng đòi điều đó.
78
You don't start moral theology with the law.
Bạn không bắt đầu thần học đạo đức bằng luật pháp.
79
You start it with happiness.
Bạn bắt đầu nó bằng niềm hạnh phúc.
80
What do we want?
Chúng ta muốn gì?
81
What is this elusive thing that we all want?
Thứ khó nắm bắt mà tất cả chúng ta đều mong muốn này là gì?
82
And once you identify it, now you know how to structure your life.
Và một khi bạn đã xác định được điều đó, bây giờ bạn sẽ biết cách sắp xếp cuộc sống của mình.
83
Like, what are you looking for?
84
What is it?
85
What are you looking for?
86
Well, we're all looking for happiness.
87
Everybody, from the saint to the worst sinner, is all looking for happiness.
88
Okay, what is it?
89
And then how do you find it?
90
So that's, you might say, is the central question of the Christian life.
91
Well, when you say that he goes through, Thomas Aquinas goes through, here's what it's not.
92
Right.
93
So what is that for us?
94
Because we can conflate happiness and joy, but also we can say, like, well, I want that, whatever that is.
95
But we pursue happiness or pursue joy, beatitude, we think, but we're pursuing the wrong thing.
96
What is it not?
97
Yeah, well, I find that text super clarifying.
98
I've been teaching on it for years, where Thomas says, Wealth, pleasure, honor, and power are the four things that we typically seek.
99
We think, that'll make me happy, right?
100
And talk to most people.
101
What do you want?
102
You say to a young person in college, well, I want to be wealthy if I can.
103
I can be powerful.
104
I want to be famous.
105
Wasn't there a survey a couple years ago talking to young people?
106
What they most wanted, it wasn't wealth so much, or power.
107
It was to be famous on the Internet, right?
108
That I'm an influencer.
109
Well, famous for what?
110
I don't really care.
111
It's fun to be famous.
112
It doesn't matter, yeah.
113
So wealth, pleasure, power, honor.
114
Pleasure.
115
Look, just give me enough pleasure of the senses or of sex or of booze or drugs or whatever it is.
116
I'll be happy.
117
Now, see, what happens, and Aquinas saw this, we're wired for God.
118
That's what we really want, right?
119
The heart's restless to the rest of God.
120
So we really want God.
121
So anything less than God will leave us empty and dissatisfied and eventually addicted because I'm going to keep wanting it,
122
wanting it, wanting it, wanting it, and it won't satisfy me.
123
I'll get more and more frustrated.
124
And like Chesterton says, I'll be like this little train just circling obsessively around, right?
125
Yeah.
126
That's the problem.
127
See, Aquinas saw that very clearly.
128
And you know this.
129
I mean, pastorally, a lot of our work is that, is helping people see, you know, you've tried this path, that's not it.
130
I remember dealing, when I was in the parish, with, you know, this middle -aged guy, 45 or 50.
131
And the opening line, he said to me, was, Father, all my dreams have come true, and I'm miserable.
132
Really?
133
Yeah, and it was beautiful, self -diagnosis.
134
Right, exactly.
135
Like, all my dreams, I've attained everything I ever wanted, and I'm miserable.
136
In other words, I didn't find beatitudo, right?
137
And so then I tried to kind of, okay, well, this is why.
138
You're not meant for those things.
139
But see, getting clarity on that is so important.
140
And authentic joy or happiness, whatever you want to call it, authentic beatitudo has to do with that.
141
Right.
142
It's the right orientation of your life.
143
So it doesn't involve power, pleasure, fame, or...
144
Well, here's the trick.
145
See, it's very interesting.
146
The trick is, once I am rightly aligned toward the will of God, that's what I want.
147
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and the rest will be given to you.
148
Meaning, I think, then if you get wealth, you'll know what to do with it, and it won't wreck you.
149
If you get pleasure, you'll know how to handle it, and it won't wreck you.
150
If you get honored—so Thomas says honor is the flag of virtue.
151
It's a cool description.
152
It's a way of saying, hey, look at that guy.
153
Look at her.
154
She's really good.
155
Honor is just the flag.
156
Don't get addicted to the stupid flag.
157
Oh, I want more flags, more flags. So stupid.
158
That's honor.
159
If I'm rightly aligned, then I can handle wealth, pleasure, power, honor.
160
In fact, I can use them for God's purposes.
161
That's the trick.
162
But see, what happens is everyone gets addicted to these lesser goods, and they turn on you.
163
See, they'll devour you.
164
Anyone involved in pastoral ministry, we all know that, right?
165
People get devoured by their addictions.
166
It's for freedom that
167
Christ has set you free, says Paul, to be free from those addictions.
168
And now I'm ordered to God, and now I'm free to live the way God wants me to, and I can use whatever comes my way.
169
Those things or anything else, like even sickness, even suffering, right?
170
I know how to use it for the sake of God's purpose.
171
Well, so then, and then, so I really appreciate that because we, like you said, we look for happiness,
172
we look for joy in all those places.
173
But if we're saying, okay, but here's what we're really made for.
174
Yeah.
175
And not just in the sense of we're made for the Lord.
176
I mean, St. Augustine talks about this, our hearts are restless until they rest in you, oh Lord.
177
Yeah.
178
But there's that, what's promised there is a place of rest.
179
Is that what joy is?
180
Is joy a place of, is it peace? is joy, ecstasy, is joy, happiness.
181
Yeah.
182
Well, there's a couple ways to look at it.
183
I love the word, you know, shalom, which runs through the Bible.
184
And of course, the risen Jesus, that's what he says to his disciples, shalom.
185
Peace is a good way to name it.
186
Because peace is not the same as, again, happy, clappy feelings or feeling good.
187
And again, I'm not against feeling good.
188
You know, I'm a Catholic.
189
I'm not playing either or games.
190
Feeling good is great.
191
Like the other a night, I get here in Nashville, and I had this filet mignon, and it was just great.
192
And I mean, the filet mignon, that's a great sensual pleasure.
193
Nothing in the world wrong with that.
194
Wherever the Catholic sun does shine, there's music and laughter and good red wine.
195
Great.
196
But that's not the same as Beatitudo.
197
That's a good thing.
198
It's a blessing.
199
But Beatitudo is something stranger and rarer and deeper.
200
And Shalom kind of names it at peace, at the depth of your life.
201
Only in God is my soul at rest.
202
And the rest thing is interesting.
203
It doesn't mean like I'm in a hammock.
204
I'm just resting.
205
It means something like savoring, I think.
206
So like Aquinas says, there are two moves of the will, to seek the absent good, but then to savor the present good.
207
It's like right now, there's something good, our conversation.
208
We're both resting in it.
209
You know, we're just, all right, I'm savoring this moment.
210
Good, good.
211
What God wants for all of us is to savor him, ultimately, to rest in him.
212
So when someone's dying, we say, you know, may he rest in peace.
213
It doesn't mean may he be in a hammock for all eternity.
214
Take a nap.
215
Right, take a nap.
216
It means savor now the good that you've been seeking, and now you're in the presence of it.
217
That's getting closer to beatitudo, joy, shalom, peace.
218
That's what it's about.
219
Now, at least in this life, good feeling and shalom don't always come together.
220
Right.
221
The hope is, this is heaven.
222
The hope is, yes, that those will come together in this perfect harmony.
223
Here below, shoot for shalom, shoot for beatitudo, and then you'll know what to do with good feeling and bad feeling.
224
It's part of that.
225
I've heard you say before, and it actually reframed a lot of the ways that I look at the first commandment about having no other gods.
226
And I thought, okay, we've gots first.
227
But you had framed it in such a way, I don't know if you do it regularly or if it's something I came across,
228
and I was like, oh, my gosh, this has revolutionized how I approach it.
229
But that sense of, is God the spiritual center of gravity in my life?
230
That sense of, is he not just first in a line of things that are important, but he's the spiritual central.
231
And it seems like that kind of joy would be this, I'm abiding in that place where the spiritual center of gravity is the center,
232
as opposed to like wobbly.
233
Yes.
234
And see, now I'll go back to people like Ignacio Viola.
235
If I'm detached from the finite goods of the world, he can say, whether I have a long life or short life, I don't care.
236
Whether I'm famous or not, I don't care.
237
Whether I'm wealthy or poor, whether I'm healthy or sick.
238
So that's in this life, I'm living in the center,
239
and I can look at my ever -changing fortunes with a kind of detachment because I'm seeking first the will of God.
240
That's what I want.
241
And in light of that desire, I can situate and organize all the other interests, happenings, events of my life um
242
that's the in some ways the central challenge of the spiritual life
243
i think how do i handle everything
244
now in light of this i like the center of gravity language that's that's right
245
or like the sun around which the planets revolve so
246
because we there's a sun in all of our lives there's something some great center of gravity around
247
which things revolve what happens to us sinners a lot is God becomes like a little planet that's revolving around.
248
Usually, it's my own ego.
249
It's the center of gravity.
250
And so, wealth, pleasure, power, honor, God.
251
And they're all kind of revolving around.
252
Metanoia, conversion means, yeah, I'm changing that.
253
I'm rearranging that.
254
God is the...
255
So, my life is not about me.
256
That phrase I always liked, your life is not about this copernican revolution right in a way that's just like no here's god
257
and that's the center metanoia is a copernican revolution in your spiritual life
258
which is why it's so darn hard yeah that's why we resisted we sinners
259
because look my life's kind of in order i know i'm kind of unhappy a lot
260
but at least it's in order you know i always think of it it's a cure of ours
261
when he was asked what have you learned about human beings after all these years of hearing
262
you know thousands of confessions he said that people are much sadder than they seem which strikes me as dead right.
263
Most of us play kind of a game with ourselves and with each other about, oh, I'm doing fine.
264
But most of us are sadder than we seem because the spiritual equilibrium is off, and we don't have God in the center of our lives.
265
And the joyful person, the way you're pursuing it correctly, is that person that's made that Copernican revolution.
266
Wow, I need to sit with what
267
St. John Gandy said.
268
Yeah, yeah, yeah because it resonates in so many ways
269
and it's and it's not even necessarily just
270
that people are putting on a face as much as it is where i'm distracting myself right um
271
and so even as we enter into like you know advent into christmas there's
272
that that sense of i'm i'm i'm happier why well
273
because i'm full of distractions i'm feeling my life with nostalgia i'm feeling my life with things
274
that are memories of other times
275
when i was happy as opposed to entering into silence that
276
that season of advent being an opportunity where it's i can listen that's dead right
277
because that's pascal isn't it right
278
that most of our lives are he called them divertissement diversions i divert myself with
279
and in his case was gambling he was a gambler
280
so he played the great pascal one of the great minds of the western world
281
but he spent hours and hours at gambling tables right at least he got
282
that one analogy out of it the wager yeah yeah that's right no that's
283
Right, the Pascal's Wager is born from that thing.
284
But most of us sinners,
285
he said, spend most of our lives distracting ourselves from the central question of conversion and metanoia, following Christ.
286
We divert ourselves, and then we convince ourselves, well, I guess I'm doing okay.
287
I'm kind of basically happy.
288
He says, put down the diversions.
289
And actually, Advent and Lent, both, are great seasons for that.
290
Naming, what are my diversions?
291
We all have them.
292
We all have them.
293
Name them and set them aside.
294
Like one thing I did was it was last, no, two years ago for the first time.
295
I said during
296
Lent, one day I'm putting the phone away.
297
I'm going to put it in a drawer.
298
And I made it.
299
The whole day.
300
Yeah.
301
And I made a deal with my assistant.
302
I said, if she had to reach me for some reason, we had a way to do it.
303
But I just said, no, no, it's going to go in a drawer.
304
And I'll look at it again the end of the day, but the entire day.
305
And, you know, it was hard, but, man, it was liberating.
306
Yeah, I bet.
307
Because those stupid machines, they're a classic divertissement.
308
They're a great diversion.
309
They've been made that way.
310
You refresh, you refresh, and it's like gambling.
311
It's like the one -armed bandit.
312
They're designed to be addictive, and they work.
313
Like everyone, I'm addicted to it.
314
So you have to set it aside.
315
But name what your diversion is, and then try to at least set that aside.
316
Which is funny, because we think about diversions, that's what makes me happy.
317
What do you do to make you happy?
318
Well, I play this, I do that, I do these other things.
319
And so there's a connection, but at the same time, it's a false promise, right?
320
Yeah.
321
And here's Jesus who says, what is his promise?
322
He says, I came that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
323
And that sense of what is he making complete?
324
What is that thing?
325
He's making following the will of God because our joy now in this real sense, whatever term you want to use,
326
I'll say beatitudo, is to follow the will of God, is to align your will to the will of God.
327
God is love.
328
To love is to will the good of the other.
329
So when our wills are aligned to God's will and purpose, that's what we do.
330
That's what we look like, right?
331
That's what Aquinas can say.
332
It's such a weird but wonderful observation.
333
If you want to see a happy man, look at Jesus on the cross.
334
Now, why?
335
Because he said, well, you need to love what he loved on the cross and despise what he despised on the cross.
336
What do you despise?
337
Wealth, pleasure, power, honor, right?
338
All the things.
339
There he is, stripped of all those things.
340
None of them.
341
He's utterly detached, which is why he becomes on the cross the great peacemaker.
342
He's the single -hearted.
343
He's hungry and thirsting for righteousness.
344
Now go back to the Beatitudes.
345
Again, that's Aquinas.
346
You want to see the Beatitudes in action.
347
It's the cross of Jesus.
348
So that's, again, the weird thing.
349
Who's a happy person?
350
And we say, oh, well, this guy looks happy.
351
Yeah, he's the happiest person you know.
352
Point to the cross.
353
Yeah.
354
And, again, it's weird because it's not a place of good feelings, certainly.
355
He's stripped of good feelings.
356
But there's an image of a happy person.
357
All the weirdness and wonder of Christianity is in that coin.
358
It is weird and wonderful.
359
Yeah.
360
But that sense of like, it would involve a redefinition of what we're offering.
361
Right.
362
It's like, come to know Jesus and experience joy.
363
Yeah.
364
But someone says, well, that means I'm going to feel a certain way.
365
And we would say it might.
366
It might, yeah.
367
But it's not a feeling thing.
368
And again, feelings aren't bad.
369
I think of like when I was in California as a bishop, one of my favorite things, if I found the time,
370
toward the end of the day, I'd go for a hike up in the mountains right near my house.
371
And it was really tough.
372
It was a tough climb up.
373
I got to the top, and then I would pray in my evening office sitting on this fence post overlooking the city of Santa Barbara.
374
Then I would walk kind of down the hill to my house.
375
And then I would sit, and my back porch, beautiful, in Santa Barbara, and I drink some water or something,
376
and the endorphins are unleashed because you've been exercising.
377
I love that.
378
It was like the filet mignon.
379
It was a great moment, great feeling.
380
Okay, great.
381
Thank you, Lord, for that.
382
But it passed.
383
Of course, it always passes.
384
You finish the water.
385
And I'm like, all right, now what's next?
386
So don't equate happiness in this sense with that, but that's good.
387
And when it happens, you should savor it and thank God for it.
388
If you can embrace it.
389
Embrace it.
390
Yeah, it's a gift.
391
But if it doesn't happen, you can still be happy.
392
See, that's why you're much more in control of your life.
393
Is that conditional?
394
Right.
395
If your joy depends upon good feelings, now, see, he goes, what happens?
396
Oh, I better take some more drugs to get that feeling.
397
I better take more booze to get that feeling.
398
I better, now I'm addicted to all these things so I can get that feeling.
399
I don't know.
400
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and the rest will find its place.
401
So the good feeling is like a planet going around, but so are bad feelings.
402
And they find their place, right?
403
But the focus is on the center.
404
So the one thing that remains.
405
Yeah, unum necessarium.
406
Like you just said, I want to highlight this because I think it was really important, everything you said was, but that sense that,
407
okay, good times, good feelings pass.
408
Yeah.
409
But so do bad times and bad feelings pass.
410
That's right.
411
And so I'm detached from both.
412
In what, like in nature of Loyola.
413
Yeah.
414
Right, that sense that I just— So you want
415
Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.
416
Maybe I've discussed it with you before, I use it all the time, is that Wheel of Fortune image from the Gothic churches.
417
That's the same idea.
418
You live in the center of the wheel, not the rim that's always turning.
419
That's life.
420
It's always turning.
421
But don't live on that.
422
Live in the center and then watch it turn.
423
That's okay.
424
Whether I've got a long life or a short life, whether I'm wealthy or poor, whether I'm healthy or sick.
425
Okay, I'm watching with a kind of insouciance, with a kind of detachment, a kind of indifference, spiritually speaking.
426
But live in the center.
427
That's the joyful place to live, right?
428
Yeah, exactly.
429
And I came across this quote that I kind of base this
430
Advent reflection off by G .K.
431
Chesterton.
432
Yeah.
433
And Chesterton had said, joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.
434
And that sense of that question—well, what would you say about that quote?
435
Have you ever heard that before?
436
Maybe I'm misquoting someone who was actually— I don't know if I have heard that.
437
I mean, it's typical Chesterton, you know, brilliant and pithy and everything.
438
No, that's what we're offering to the world, right?
439
That's the secret is you don't find it in the typical ways.
440
But we've got the secret, which is that's the treasure buried in the field, right?
441
That's the pearl of great price.
442
When you found that, sell everything.
443
Sell the rest of it, wealth and pleasure, power.
444
Sell all that.
445
You found the pearl of great price, so get that.
446
Or the treasure buried in the field is good because it's buried in me somewhere.
447
It's this deep desire for God.
448
And if I find that, get rid of everything else.
449
Don't waste your time with the rest of it.
450
Well, in some ways, the way as you're describing it, as you're kind of unpacking this in just impromptu, you know, just coming into it fresh,
451
what I'm hearing is almost the equivalent of God himself.
452
That God himself is the gigantic secret of the Christian.
453
It's this sense of if you have him, then you have that sense of that abiding sense of well -being.
454
You have the center of gravity.
455
You have the thing that you're made for, beatitude.
456
Right.
457
And then there's Aquinas again.
458
So it's not wealth, not pleasure, not power, not honor.
459
What is it?
460
His answer is God.
461
The one thing that will fill us up and satisfy us is God.
462
Or St. John of the Cross with the infinite caverns in us.
463
And that's the infinite hunger for God.
464
But I keep throwing all these finite things into it.
465
Well, you put anything finite into the infinite cavern, it just goes.
466
Exactly.
467
It doesn't fill you up.
468
It can't.
469
But only God can fill you up.
470
So that's the answer, you know?
471
And seek that first, and God will fill you up.
472
That's what he wants to do, right? And see,
473
a lot of life—now we'll get into another subtlety in the spiritual order—is why does God strip us of these things?
474
Now, see, again, John of the Cross, things like the dark night.
475
The dark night is not like depression.
476
The dark night is these moments of detachment.
477
There can be the active dark night when I do it myself where I say, you know what?
478
I'm too attached.
479
Like, we put the cell phone on.
480
It's this time of penance.
481
Right.
482
That's the active dark night.
483
I'm going to put it.
484
But then, see, the passive dark night, it's really interesting because it's like, all right, if I'm not willing to do it,
485
God will do it for me.
486
He'll take away from me what I'm attached to, wealth, pleasure, power, honor, whatever it is.
487
And we say, oh, why did this happen to me?
488
Why is God being so cruel?
489
Yeah, to what end?
490
What's he doing?
491
But what he's doing is stripping things away that you might find him.
492
It's tough stuff.
493
That's high -octane Christian spirituality.
494
When God—God is never just at the top of the holy mountain and up there indifferently waiting for us to climb.
495
God is active, operative.
496
He knows me better than I know myself.
497
He knows my addictions better than I do.
498
And so he's trying to rid me of them.
499
So it's a way to read your own suffering sometimes.
500
Well, as you're describing that, here's someone who's listening to this.
501
And it's like, wait a second.
502
Here is this.
503
What you're saying is that at some point, God might need to purify me.
504
Yeah.
505
But my experience is that he's punishing me.
506
Like, my experience is not that, oh, this is so good what he's doing.
507
My experience is I am being crushed by this.
508
what is the maybe that you'd say here's the the christian who is experience experiencing purification
509
but they're experiencing as punishing what is a thing they can do
510
or reorient their vision for seeing okay god i i see not punishing
511
i see purifying maybe this again from is that whatever exists is god's will either his his active will
512
Or his permissive will.
513
So, I mean, whatever—you and I being here right now are the result of God's active will.
514
Because it's happening.
515
He wants this to happen.
516
Something bad happens, well, Christ will say, through God's permissive will.
517
God never actively wills bad things.
518
But he permits what we experience as bad things.
519
Always what?
520
Out of love, because that's all God is.
521
That's all he knows how to do.
522
There's nothing in his bag of tricks except love, because that's what he is.
523
Right?
524
So he can't.
525
In that way, we're more complex than God.
526
God is simple, Aquinas says.
527
And part of that simplicity is the simplicity of his nature.
528
So all he knows how to do is love.
529
So if something negative, at least from our perspective, is happening, we say, well, it's God's permissive will.
530
So why would he permit it?
531
And now see, it changes your whole perspective.
532
Now, like, poor me, I'm getting punished.
533
But, okay, why would God permit this to happen?
534
out of some, now, purification or some,
535
you know, stripping away or some detachment so I can fall more deeply in love with him, right?
536
So it's an attitudinal shift.
537
Again, that's metanoia, go beyond the mind you have, right?
538
Right, with that attitude, that's so important.
539
So basically, if I know the character of God, like you said, I know that he is love.
540
That's all he knows how to do.
541
And I trust it.
542
I trust him.
543
then maybe I can say what I used to see as this is punishment, or this is God even being indifferent to me.
544
He doesn't care.
545
He's just allowing me to get buffeted about by suffering and death and illness.
546
Now I say, but I know his heart.
547
I know he actually is good.
548
He's love.
549
It's hard, but I think theology really informs spirituality in an important way.
550
If you know that's God's nature.
551
When Aquinas says, can God sin?
552
And the objection is, well, yeah, heck, if I can sin, I'm free, and God's God, and he's totally free.
553
Of course, God could sin.
554
He doesn't, but he could.
555
And Aquinas goes, no, God can't sin.
556
It would be repugnant to his nature.
557
It would be like saying God can make a square circle.
558
So he can't sin.
559
He can't will something evil for me.
560
So whatever is happening to me under that aegis of the permissive or active will, God's about the work of love in my life.
561
Now, if I can move into that space, you know, and in prayer say not, I'm angry at you, but,
562
all right, Lord, help me understand what is happening in my life right now.
563
I want to cooperate with you.
564
Right.
565
Even in a situation where I don't want this to be the case.
566
Right.
567
Kind of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
568
Like, I don't want this to be the case.
569
Let this cup pass from me.
570
Yeah.
571
But I'm willing to—I want to will what you will, and I do will what you will.
572
You know, here's something in Aquinas I've always loved, because let's go back to Jeremiah, and it's in the Bible, it's in all of us,
573
when we say, like, oh, I'm trying to be a good person, what do I get?
574
I got nothing.
575
And here's this jerk over there, who's a terrible life, and he's got a big house, and everything's going great.
576
And Thomas says, yeah, but that's looking in a purely worldly way, that maybe God is punishing him with that big house,
577
because that big house is not good for him, and that big house is leading him down a bad path.
578
It's actually God's way of punishing him.
579
And that you're not getting the big house or the raise or whatever it is or the fame, that's purifying you.
580
That's God expressing his love for you.
581
So we have to change our attitude.
582
There's a worldly vision.
583
Whoever gets more wealth, plusher, power, honor, they're really doing well.
584
Don't play that game.
585
God wants you to become his friend.
586
That's what God wants.
587
And even in some ways, sparing you.
588
Yes.
589
Because he knows me well enough.
590
Yes, that if you got, or I got the wealth and the power, that it wouldn't be good.
591
It would actually lead me down a bad path.
592
So Aquinas says, that could be the devil giving you those things.
593
Well, I remember a man, he taught moral theology at St. Thomas and St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.
594
And at one point, I asked him his vocation, sorry, he was a married man, father of a bunch of kids.
595
And he said, you know, I discerned seminary before I got married and everything.
596
And he said, and I looked at the life of a priest and I thought, that is my ideal, my dream.
597
But he said, but I prayed about it for a long time.
598
He was discernment.
599
And he said, I realized, though, that the potential for me to,
600
for the life of a priest to cater to all of my worst inclinations and temptations.
601
He said, I would be the priest who, like, hey, it's four o 'clock, turn off the light, lock in the door.
602
Like, I'm now going to go and live for me.
603
And he says, I realized that God couldn't, wasn't calling me to that life because he was calling me to a life
604
that would actually purify me of my self -love.
605
And of my, where I walk home, I come home from work and my kids are there and they don't care how hard I worked yet.
606
That's right.
607
They're like, Dad, we need you now for this thing.
608
But that was a much more spiritually demanding life.
609
Yeah.
610
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So is...
611
Christmas, if joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian, does Christmas or does
612
Christianity, does it declare joy or does it bring joy?
613
Well, I would say this, see, Christmas now.
614
So we've been talking about our hunger for God and all that.
615
But see, the real story of the Bible, especially of Christianity, is not our quest for God, but God's quest for us.
616
God's after us, right?
617
And so he comes as a baby to lure us because we're distracted by all these things.
618
But, like, you know the experience when you're at a party or something and someone brings in a baby, right?
619
The baby's here.
620
Everyone comes over.
621
Everyone's attracted, right, to look at the baby.
622
I always think of that as how God has sent prophets
623
and he sent the Torah and he sent the temple on us.
624
And Israel falls away.
625
So he finally comes as this irresistible baby.
626
It's God's entry into our human condition and project and all that.
627
Because he wants us to find him.
628
I think we all get caught up in this illusion
629
that God's kind of distant and he's playing games and he's kind of this Promethean idea.
630
That if I climb the mountain, I steal fire, he's gonna get mad.
631
That's completely repugnant to the Bible.
632
The Bible is all about God wants us into his life and be his friends.
633
And so Christmas is that.
634
God has climbed right into the midst of our humanity and then is trying to draw us to—again, that's Chesterton, isn't it?
635
Is that we actually look down into the face of God.
636
That's Christianity, right?
637
It's all the religious.
638
I'm going to look up toward the transcendent mystery.
639
Fine, he is the transcendent mystery.
640
But now I look down into the face of a baby and I say, well, that's how God has found me.
641
That's why it's a source of joy, I think, Christmas.
642
But I love that image of the baby at the party.
643
Yeah, everyone's distracted with the baby.
644
Or even into a couple's life.
645
It's this necessary and often joyful reorientation of everything we are.
646
Yeah.
647
So here's a couple, and they're living for each other, maybe, hopefully, for themselves a lot.
648
And then the introduction of a child is now— Revolution.
649
Everything is now— It's the Copernican revolution.
650
Touched by this new life.
651
And here's Christianity.
652
Here's Christmas.
653
We're doing our thing.
654
And then here comes the Lord.
655
And it reorients, touches every part of our lives.
656
And he demands that either we say, no, I'm going to ignore the baby.
657
Yeah.
658
Or put the baby like it's one of the things we do.
659
Well, and of course, you know, so yes, the baby attracts.
660
We look down on the face of Christ but also they tried to kill him right away.
661
So that's why I love the Bible is so honest and so clear.
662
It's not sentimental that right away, Herod and all Jerusalem tremble because this baby's coming.
663
Who is this baby?
664
The king?
665
What are you talking about?
666
And then once he finds out, I'm going to kill that baby.
667
Man, there's one of the best expressions of human sinfulness.
668
God becomes one of them.
669
God becomes an innocent, vulnerable baby, and my move is to kill him.
670
Right.
671
But see, there's sin, you know?
672
And so from the beginning, the baby entranced the human race, and the baby is opposed, which comes to its full expression on the cross, right?
673
So, yeah, all of that drama of I want beatitude, but when beatitude shows up as a baby, I want to kill him, right?
674
Because it demands something.
675
That's how messed up we are.
676
Well, and even I think of John 11, where Jesus raises Lazarus.
677
And it says there's these two kind of responses to Jesus raising this man from the dead.
678
It's many of those who came to Martha and Mary about their brother began to believe in him.
679
And then a couple of verses later, others tried to kill him.
680
As a result of first his presence in our world in the incarnation
681
and then him revealing who he really is in John 11.
682
Yeah, yeah.
683
These are our responses.
684
No, and there's the great mystery.
685
The mysterium indiquitatis, as they say the mystery of evil.
686
Like, why are we resistant to the one thing that will make us happy?
687
That's the drama.
688
And I think much of the drama in our literature and art is traceable to that.
689
It's the one thing we want, we resist it.
690
And it's a tragedy.
691
But see, God in the incarnation tries to run around our resistance.
692
And that's why, you see, the cross, like Balthazar's language, he goes to the limits of God -forsakenness.
693
God goes into God -forsakenness.
694
He goes into the worst of our humanity so that when we're running away from the Father, we're running into the arms of the Son.
695
That was his attempt to save us, right?
696
Now, again, we can still resist that.
697
That's the mystery of hell, is that even this...
698
This acrobatic act of love on God's part, the incarnation, the cross, even that can be resisted.
699
Now, there's the mystery of the Nebuchadnezzar to the ultimate degree.
700
But it's like surrender to him.
701
He's done everything he possibly can to save us, to give us the one thing we want.
702
So how about try surrendering to him?
703
I think it's fascinating that, you know, when we began speaking about joy, one of the first things you brought up was the cross.
704
Yeah.
705
And I think a lot of times where come to the Lord and know joy, we might separate it from the cross.
706
We say the joy of the resurrection, which is great, which is real, the joy of life in the Holy Spirit, which is real.
707
But at the same time, to recognize that you said, here's Jesus on the cross.
708
That is a happy man.
709
Yeah, absolutely.
710
And it goes so powerfully against not only, I think, what we might common sense approach,
711
but also what I don't want that.
712
Like, I might trade that in for I just want to be happy.
713
Like, I just, I don't need extremes.
714
Like, I don't need the pinnacle of joy.
715
I just, I want to be okay.
716
And there's something right in that.
717
I think we're like a saint has found a kind of equilibrium in the surrender to God's will.
718
And knowing it'll involve the ups and downs of, again, think of our friend
719
Mother Teresa, you know, that we discovered really after she died.
720
We didn't know the depth of the darkness she was experiencing.
721
But to me, it just made her more beautiful and more powerful as a saintly figure because she found the center, no question about that.
722
She experienced great highs of ecstasy, and she heard, literally, heard the voice of Jesus speaking to her.
723
And then for 50 years, she didn't, and she felt darkness.
724
Okay, but she had found this center, this equilibrium.
725
That's her holiness, right?
726
The good feelings and all that came and went, but she stayed on beam of the true source of joy.
727
It's hard stuff, though.
728
That's hard stuff in the spiritual order.
729
And it seems like, like you said, it goes back to seek first the kingdom of God.
730
Seek first God himself.
731
Right.
732
Is it I want the gift of God or I want the giver?
733
Right.
734
And I think maybe it's the last time you and I talked, we both hit upon that famous distinction.
735
Do I love the benefits of God, Or do I love the will of God?
736
And see, a lot hinges on that.
737
And God will sometimes give you a lot of benefits in the beginning of the spiritual to kind of draw
738
you into friendship.
739
And people full of consolations, and I love prayer, I love the Mass.
740
Great, great.
741
But see, he will also take those things away from you because you're not meant to fall in love with his benefits.
742
So I love God as long as things are going great for me.
743
As long as I have Celine Dion and nice hikes and friendship and I'm in good health.
744
Okay, great.
745
But he wants you to fall in love with him and his will, not his benefits, right?
746
And that's tough stuff.
747
That's high -octane.
748
But it's real love as opposed to kind of a mercenary love or that kind of sense of God.
749
You get my heart so long as transactional.
750
I'll love you that I might get something from you.
751
Circumstantial.
752
Yeah, and that's the great saints now all come to that moment.
753
And so God wants more for us than we want because I want to be okay.
754
I want to be okay.
755
But God's like, no, I want more for you than, okay, I want joy.
756
He wants you divinized.
757
The goal of the Christian life is not being a morally upright person.
758
That's great.
759
I'm all in favor of it.
760
It's not to be a guy that gets along with everybody.
761
The goal of the spiritual life is to be divinized.
762
Deus fit homo and homo fiorit Deus, the Church of the Fathers always said.
763
God became man that man might become God.
764
But that's serious stuff.
765
I mean, God becomes one of us
766
that our nature might be elevated to participation in his nature is the way you say it more exactly.
767
Man.
768
It's not just marginally more ethical or marginally more kind to people.
769
A new person.
770
You're meant to become a new creation, not just a nice guy.
771
That's why, you know, Flannery and Connors think about being a Christian does not mean just having a heart of gold.
772
Yeah.
773
That's what most people think.
774
Oh, he's a Christian.
775
Got a heart of gold.
776
No, it means you're a new creation, right?
777
and now that expresses itself ethically in certain clear ways but
778
it's a much more serious game that we're playing so in this looking at joy
779
is I'm going to say is it this or that because my guess would be you might say both but
780
is joy clearly joy is a fruit of the spirit
781
So we know joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
782
Is it also a virtue?
783
Well, it's a very interesting question, because, you know, again, we're
784
Catholics, and so we like the both and.
785
Yeah, exactly.
786
In fact, I'm going to preach on it tonight a bit, because the gospel for tonight is new wine, new wineskins, right?
787
And that whole idea of as grace rushes in, you know, gratia saponit naturam, right?
788
Grace supposes nature and elevates nature,
789
so that nature should be strong enough to kind of receive and elastic enough to receive the new life of grace, right?
790
So Aristotle, I remember learning this in Philosophy 101, what's happiness?
791
And he says the one thing everybody wants, right?
792
What is it?
793
He says activity of soul in accord with perfect virtue.
794
So what's distinctive to us, he said, well, it's our souls.
795
Animals seek happiness and sensual pleasure and all this stuff.
796
But we have a higher thing.
797
And so what's the highest activity of our highest faculty?
798
It would be the moral life.
799
The moral life is led in accord with virtue.
800
When you avoid the extremes, this and that, the medium, so now courage and prudence and temperance and justice, that's happiness for Aristotle.
801
Okay, Thomas agrees with that.
802
Yeah.
803
That's natural happiness, you might say.
804
Is that eudaimonia?
805
Yeah, eudaimonia, he would have said.
806
Having a happy demon in you, like having a happy— So it's doing good more than feeling good.
807
Would that be accurate?
808
Yeah, because he would have made that distinction for sure.
809
Aristotle knew that too, that it wasn't just a matter of, hey, I've got a lot of money, so I feel good.
810
He thought it was a moral act.
811
Okay, and Aquinas would say, yes, and.
812
He would say, there's the wineskins that are now ready to receive what he calls supernatural justice,
813
supernatural prudence, supernatural and so on.
814
And then the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and then the theological virtues.
815
So you're like pouring all this new wine, but into the ample and elastic wineskins of the natural of Eudaimonia.
816
So that would be my elaborate way of saying both and, right?
817
So I'm going to urge people tonight, in fact, in light of that gospel image, you know, Now, if you're kind of feeling lost spiritually,
818
I don't know, what's in there?
819
One way is, well, work like on the Ten Commandments in your life and work on the basic.
820
Like, you know, when the Lord says to the rich young man, you know, I want eternal life.
821
Well, you know the commandments.
822
Yeah, I've done these.
823
Well, the commandments are—Thomas says they're the first principle of the natural law, the Ten Commandments.
824
So, yeah, try to be a decent, virtuous person.
825
But then, okay, and I've done all that for my youth.
826
All right, now you're ready.
827
See for the new wine.
828
But he wasn't, see which tells me he wasn't really following the king.
829
He said he was, but he went away sad because he couldn't take in the new wine.
830
That, to me, would be a biblically -based
831
Catholic both -and proposition.
832
Get Aristotle and Aquinas in the same picture.
833
Good, good.
834
This was a gift and a virtue.
835
Yeah.
836
It's not something we receive, but also something we have to exercise.
837
Yeah, I think—look, I mean, God is God.
838
He can do whatever he wants.
839
God can remake me from the ground up.
840
But it seems to be his preferred method, that there's a kind of scaffolding in place that comes from nature.
841
So, gratia saponit naturam, it rests upon nature.
842
And then Thomas says, at perficit am, it perfects it.
843
It's beautiful.
844
So, we don't have to destroy nature to get grace.
845
Grace elevates and it perfects nature.
846
There's the burning bush, right?
847
Right.
848
The bush is on fire but not consumed.
849
So your natural virtues now become more radiant and more beautiful when grace invades them.
850
And the fact that we're made in this, our nature, made in God's image, is oriented towards these good things.
851
It's oriented towards this.
852
So when I, by God's grace, here's a fruit of the Spirit, I can live this way, but I have to exercise this.
853
It's not contrary to how we're created to live like this.
854
It builds upon that.
855
So the joy that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, that is a gift, right?
856
It's like faith, hope, and charity.
857
Charity in that full sense is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
858
I can't really practice my way to charity.
859
I receive it.
860
But I can prepare.
861
Since grace builds on nature, I can prepare with the natural virtues to receive it.
862
That seems to be God's way.
863
He likes to operate that way.
864
The movement from small to big seems to be part of God's providence.
865
Right, mustard seed becomes a big tree.
866
That principle, or give me the five little loaves of the fish,
867
and from that, yeah, that's a good image actually for it because what do you have?
868
Yeah.
869
What do you have?
870
Well, we got this.
871
What's this to feed so many?
872
Give it to me.
873
I'll elevate it and multiply it for the feeding of the world.
874
But he loves to get us involved.
875
It's like, what do you have?
876
Well, I got some of these natural virtues.
877
Like, yeah, good.
878
Give them to me.
879
Give him to me, and I will turn you into a saint.
880
But he likes building on nature, I think.
881
So that's so good, because I think that leads us into this last question.
882
And I think this will be online right before Advent starts.
883
And so here, as people are invited into, here's this season of joyful and devout preparation for the celebration of Christmas.
884
What is a thing that would kind of pave that way?
885
You say, okay, as you enter into the season of Advent,
886
what is something we can do to prepare our hearts for this joy that God's made us for, this beatitude that God has made us for?
887
You know, I go back to what we said earlier about distractions and diversions and all that, is try to identify those.
888
What is it that's distracting me all the time?
889
What am I preoccupied with?
890
And to try to name it, see it, and to set that aside.
891
and also to awaken your sense of anticipation.
892
Lord, I know these things don't satisfy me.
893
I know they don't.
894
I've tried over and over again.
895
I was thinking of every single
896
Billy Graham sermon at the same basic structure, which was, I know you've tried this, you've tried this, you've tried that.
897
They haven't worked, have they?
898
I got what will work.
899
Every sermon you ever gave me has that basic structure.
900
Good.
901
That's gospel stuff you know uh identify the divertissement identify the distraction the diversion
902
what's what's drawn you down bad paths all right now lord i'm going to set that aside
903
come come lord jesus right so
904
so the first step might actually make you a little bit sad yeah you know
905
because the diversion is not there and i might have to and enter it like truly as as the church says,
906
enter into a desert with joy.
907
Yes.
908
I don't know if you find this.
909
I've been a priest for 40 years now and a bishop for, I don't know, how many years? But every Advent, every
910
Lent, I start moving to the same place.
911
All right, Lord, I'm still—it's like Merton's prayer.
912
I have no idea where I'm going.
913
I still—I'm still lost.
914
I'm still diverted.
915
I'm still seeking the wrong stuff.
916
And not that it's hopeless.
917
but it's coming back to that moment
918
and admitting again you're a sinner go back to the beginning go back to the fundamentals of the spiritual life
919
that's a good exercise and it's what we need
920
in order to set ourselves up to receive the joy
921
that God wants for us it's why the church brings us back to
922
that moment again and again alright let's try it again praise God for that
923
praise God for this conversation thank you so much for taking the time again
924
And I'm so, so grateful.
925
Once again, if you're interested in this series over the course of Advent called Joy to the World,
926
you can get the Ascension app or go to ascensionpress .com slash Fr.
927
Mike Advent.
928
I wish you, Barron, thank you so much.
929
Thank you for the work you do in the church and for just the man you are in this world.
930
Well, thank you.
931
It was my joy to be with you, Mike.
932
Thanks.
933
Thanks, Mike.
934
God bless.
935
Thank you.
Tải Ứng Dụng
Mọi thứ bạn cần để nói trôi chảy
Chấm điểm AIChấm từng câu nói
Luyện IPAThành thạo mọi âm
Từ vựngMở rộng vốn từ
Game Từ vựngHọc qua chơi
Cùng kênh
B23
The First and Last Thing You Should Do Everyday to Grow Closer to Jesus (feat. Sr. Mary Grace, SV)
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C11
Theology of the Body Crash Course w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz — Session One: From the Beginning
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B14
Turn To the Sign Of the Cross #shorts
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
Why Be Catholic and Not Just Christian?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Pray, hope, and don't worry.
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
How to Pray for Your Future Spouse
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
How Do I Know if I Made the Wrong Choice?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Video gợi ý
C11
438 câu
How to Become a Person of Love
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
22 câu
Abdul El-Sayed’s Relationship With God | The Moment Podcast
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
199 câu
Become Someone for Others - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
166 câu
Love Jesus More Than You Love Anything
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
58 câu
Where is the evidence for God? | Bishop Robert Barron
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
1164 câu
Trevor Noah Makes My Brain Hurt | A Bit of Optimism Podcast
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
1142 câu
Letting Go of Yourself and Seeing the Miracle of Life | The Michael Singer Podcast
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
291 câu
The Meaning of the Mass - Blessed Fulton Sheen
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
94 câu
Today's Catholic Mass Readings and Gospel Reflection - Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
590 câu
How to Listen to the Lord (Mark 4:21-34) | John MacArthur
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Từ vựng và ghi chú luyện nói cho bài học này
Bài luyện nói này dựa trên video “The Difference Between Happiness and Joy Explained”. Video này có 935 câu và 8942 từ để luyện shadowing. Phần lời nói dài 48:33. Người nói nói nhanh, khoảng 184 từ mỗi phút, nên sẽ có nhiều chỗ nối âm và nuốt âm. 85% số từ nằm trong 3.000 từ tiếng Anh thông dụng nhất; phần còn lại nên xem trước khi luyện.
Từ vựng quan trọng trong video
15 từ đáng học trong video, kèm phiên âm và nghĩa:
| Từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa |
|---|---|---|
| happiness danh từ | /ˈhæpinɪs/ | hạnh phúc |
| preparation danh từ | /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/ | sự chuẩn bị |
| mystery danh từ | /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/ | bí ẩn, huyền bí |
| gospel danh từ | /ˈɡɑspəl/ | phúc âm |
| theology danh từ | /θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | thần học |
| punish động từ | /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ | phạt, trừng phạt |
| addict danh từ | /ˈæd.ɪkt/ | người nghiện |
| prayer danh từ | /pɹɛɚ/ | kinh cầu nguyện, kinh nguyện |
| bishop danh từ | /ˈbɪʃəp/ | giám mục |
| priest danh từ | /ˈpɹiːst/ | mục sư, linh mục |
| resist động từ | /ɹɪˈzɪst/ | chống cự |
| charity danh từ | /ˈtʃæɹɪti/ | từ thiện |
| climb động từ | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | leo, lên |
| wealthy tính từ | /ˈwɛl.θi/ | giàu |
| infinite tính từ | /ˈɪnfɪnɪt/ | vô bờ, bất tận |
Cụm động từ bạn sẽ nghe
| Từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa |
|---|---|---|
| bring up động từ | nuôi nấng, nuôi | |
| look up động từ | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | ngước |
| turn off động từ | tắt |
Những câu đáng luyện lại
Các câu ngắn, trọn ý trong video mà bạn có thể dùng lại khi giao tiếp hằng ngày:
- What is this elusive thing that we all want?
- What are you looking for?
- I don't know, what's in there?
- It's like, what do you have?
- What is it that's distracting me all the time?
Ngữ pháp trong video
Những cấu trúc người nói dùng nhiều nhất, kèm đúng cụm từ trong video:
| Cấu trúc | Trong video |
|---|---|
| Thì hiện tại hoàn thành tiếp diễn have/has been + -ing — việc bắt đầu từ trước và vẫn đang tiếp tục | I've been teaching · you've been seeking · you've been exercising |
| Câu điều kiện if + mệnh đề, will/would + động từ — điều kiện và kết quả | if you get wealth, you'll know · If you get pleasure, you'll know |
| Thì hiện tại hoàn thành have/has + quá khứ phân từ — việc đã xảy ra nhưng còn liên quan đến hiện tại | it's been · have come · we've heard |
| Câu bị động be + quá khứ phân từ — nhấn vào việc xảy ra, không phải người làm | is described · will be given · was asked |
Phát âm cần chú ý
Người nói dùng 229 dạng rút gọn, ví dụ I'm, don't, we're. Hãy nói theo dạng ngắn đúng như bạn nghe.
- Âm “th”: theology /θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/, wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/
- Âm “sh” và “zh”: diversion /dɪˈvɝ.ʒən/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/, punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/, bishop /ˈbɪʃəp/
- Từ dài — đặt trọng âm cho đúng: preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, theology /θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/, supernatural /ˌsu.pəɹˈnæ.tʃə.ɹəl/, equilibrium /ɛkwɪˈlɪbɹɪəm/
Những âm người Việt thường gặp khó:
- Cụm phụ âm cuối — đọc đủ từng âm, đừng nuốt âm cuối: advent /ˈæd.vɛnt/, distract /dɪˈstɹækt/, addict /ˈæd.ɪkt/, priest /ˈpɹiːst/, resist /ɹɪˈzɪst/
- Âm /tʃ/, /dʒ/ và /ʒ/ — tiếng Việt không có, đừng đọc thành “ch” hay “gi”: spiritual /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəl/, virtue /ˈvɝt͡ʃu/, diversion /dɪˈvɝ.ʒən/, theology /θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/, charity /ˈtʃæɹɪti/
- Âm /æ/ — mở miệng rộng hơn âm “e”: advent /ˈæd.vɛnt/, happiness /ˈhæpinɪs/, gravity /ˈɡɹævɪti/, distract /dɪˈstɹækt/, addict /ˈæd.ɪkt/
Cách luyện với video này
- Nghe hết video một lần, chưa cần nói, và ghi lại những từ bạn chưa biết.
- Bắt đầu ở tốc độ 0,75×, nói đuổi từng câu, rồi quay lại tốc độ bình thường khi đã quen.
- Ghi âm giọng mình rồi so với bản gốc, chú ý các từ như happiness, preparation, mystery.
Phương Pháp Shadowing Là Gì?
Shadowing là kỹ thuật học ngôn ngữ có cơ sở khoa học, ban đầu được phát triển cho chương trình đào tạo phiên dịch viên chuyên nghiệp và được phổ biến rộng rãi bởi nhà đa ngôn ngữ học Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Nguyên lý cốt lõi đơn giản nhưng cực kỳ hiệu quả: bạn nghe tiếng Anh của người bản xứ và lặp lại to ngay lập tức — như một "cái bóng" (shadow) đuổi theo người nói với độ trễ chỉ 1–2 giây. Khác với luyện ngữ pháp hay học từ vựng bị động, Shadowing buộc não bộ và cơ miệng phải đồng thời xử lý và tái tạo ngôn ngữ thực tế. Các nghiên cứu khoa học xác nhận phương pháp này cải thiện đáng kể phát âm, ngữ điệu, nhịp điệu, nối âm, kỹ năng nghe và độ lưu loát khi nói — đặc biệt hiệu quả cho người luyện IELTS Speaking và muốn giao tiếp tiếng Anh tự nhiên như người bản ngữ.