“God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” (C.S. Lewis)
During one of my exam periods in Rome, I received a phone call from a family down in Sorrento. They asked if I would join them for dinner at an outdoor Italian restaurant with another couple. I was tired from so much studying, and nothing beats “Sorrento pizza” made in an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven, so I asked a fellow seminarian to join me and we set out for Sorrento. At one point in the meal, one of the ladies asked us, “How is it that both of you have such profound peace and joy in your hearts…we are jealous!” I whispered to my buddy, “I don’t know about you, but I feel a little sick, with a headache from all the studying…but I suppose we do have peace.” He smiled and nodded his head in agreement. This is the mystery: peace and joy only come from lots of prayer and an effort to conform your life to God’s plan…regardless of the cost involved!
