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TODAY’S WORD…

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“Your hearts will rejoice,

and no one will take your joy from you.”

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– John 16:22 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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True joy, the joy that lasts in spite of all contradiction and pain,

is the joy of those who encounter God in all sorts of different circumstances

and then find it in them to follow Him.

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Joy is the immediate consequence of a certain fullness of life,

which for us human beings, above all, consists of knowledge and love.

Through His infinite mercy,

God has made us His children in Jesus Christ,

and sharers in His nature,

which is exactly that – fullness of life: infinite knowledge, immense love.

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We cannot imagine any greater joy

than that which is based on being children of God through grace,

a joy capable of being retained,

and of persisting in spite of illness and failure.

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Your hearts will rejoice,Our Lord promised at the Last Supper,

and no one will take your joy from you.

The closer we are to God,

the greater our share in His love and His life.

The more we grow in divine filiation,

the greater and more appreciable will our joy be.

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Is the way I usually behave a cheerful one?

Is it positive and optimistic?

Do I easily lose my cheerfulness when setbacks and disappointments occur?

Do I often give in to gloomy thoughts?

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How different this true gladness is

from a happiness dependent on material well-being,

on health (how fragile it is!),

on our moods (which change so easily!),

on temporarily not having any difficulties or lacking in the things we need (or think we need!).

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We are children of God

and nothing should trouble us, not even death itself.

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“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” (Phil 4:4)

What is so admirable and striking about this command that Saint Paul gives us

is the fact that when he wrote these words he was shut up in a prison.

If our joy is authentic,

the circumstances that surround us are never immutable or conclusive,

because our joy is founded on faithfulness to God in carrying out our duty,

and in embracing the Cross.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Living Bread, Bread of Heaven, divine Eucharist,
O sacred Mystery that Love has brought forth…
Come live in my heart, Jesus, my white Host, 1
and fill me with Your Joy.

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1St. Therese of Lisieux

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Note: The main source of today’s REFLECTION is the seven-volume work

“In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.