Those who are loved cannot help but to love. Only the free can liberate; the free always set others free. Those who sow the seeds of strife at home or at work, are the cause of distress and pain for others because they are in constant conflict with themselves. They do not accept themselves and, consequently, they do not accept others. They sow division and hatred among those around them because they hate themselves.
It is a waste of time and sheer utopia to be concerned about making others happy if we ourselves are unhappy or if our back room is full of rubbish, burning passions and anguish. We must begin with ourselves.
We will make others happy inasmuch as we ourselves are happy. Speaking concretely, to be happy means to suffer less. Little by little, as the springs of suffering begin to dry up, the heart is filled with joy and freedom.
After all, we have no other alternative; either we agonize or we live. Suffering makes one agonize. By eliminating suffering, the human being automatically begins to live again, to enjoy what is called life. Inasmuch as one succeeds in uprooting pain and sorrow, the thermometer of excitement and vital joy rises. To live, in itself, is already to be happy.
The expanding force of this vital joy will turn each person toward his fellow men with renewed enthusiasm and concrete commitments.
Thus we shall follow that torch slowly but surely. On the way, we will avoid the perils of the road and suspicions will vanish. From the darkness a figure of light and joy will gradually emerge of the new person whom we are seeking, reconciled with suffering, a companion to pain and a pilgrim walking toward freedom and love.
Extracted from the book “From suffering to Peace” by fr. Ignacio Larrañaga
