Recently in my reading I came across a new word: mudita. Mudita is the Buddhist practice of being glad for another's good fortune. What a lovely concept.
To my shame, I am sometimes not happy for the good fortune of someone else. When another writer gets a big book contract, I'm envious. Part of me is glad for her, but another part, that natural man part, is envious. Why her and not me, I wonder. Then my rational side comes in to play and I realize that the writer in question has worked hard for this contract. Still ...
Finding happiness and joy for the good fortune of another is a kind of charity. And isn't chairty what it's all about? The Lord tells us to find charity--or the pure love of Christ--in our hearts. As you can tell, I'm still working on it.
So, for today, I am grateful for those times when I am happy for another and have charity in my heart.
Believe me, I am very happy when you are happy
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