Joy.
What is joy? The dictionary says: "a source or cause of great happiness" - it is derived from the Latin 'gaudia', from 'gaudere': to rejoice.
'To rejoice'. Hey, it's Easter! Of course we're rejoicing! These past couple days have numbered among the most beautiful in my life so far. Easter Vigil. It was so profoundly beautiful and joyful.
Ah, this is all easy so far. But what about maintaining joy on a daily basis? To be satisfied with cheerful acceptance everything God sends us? Yep, that's hard. We all know it, we've all experienced bouts of unwillingness and even depression. Basically, true joy is a virtue that we all seek to attain.
How can we find this internal joy that will affect every part of our lives? Well, look who had it:
~Mother Teresa
~Chiara Badano: on her death bed.
~Pier Giorgio Frassati: in the middle
These saints were men and women who drew their strength from Christ. Pope John Paul II said, "People are made for happiness. Rightly, then, you thirst for happiness. Christ has the answer to this desire of yours. But he asks you to trust him. True joy is a victory, something which cannot be obtained without a long and difficult struggle. Christ holds the secret of this victory."
(Hehe, don't you just love it when you're looking for the answer to something and the saints just give it to you, wrapped up and complete with a ribbon?)
Why is joy so important? We have to think back to our resolution: living life to the fullest. Can we manage such a thing when our hearts are weary and downcast? Heh, good luck with that.
"Joy is the echo of God's life in us." ~Abbot Coumba Marmion. Therefore, we find joy in our relationship with Christ.
So now we see that this joy is one of the most essential elements to passionately living the lives that God gave us. With it we will be able to lovingly and cheerfully encounter each day. Let us make the choice to let God change our lives for Him.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. :) How was your beginning of Easter? Did you attend the Vigil mass? God bless!
What is joy? The dictionary says: "a source or cause of great happiness" - it is derived from the Latin 'gaudia', from 'gaudere': to rejoice.
'To rejoice'. Hey, it's Easter! Of course we're rejoicing! These past couple days have numbered among the most beautiful in my life so far. Easter Vigil. It was so profoundly beautiful and joyful.
Ah, this is all easy so far. But what about maintaining joy on a daily basis? To be satisfied with cheerful acceptance everything God sends us? Yep, that's hard. We all know it, we've all experienced bouts of unwillingness and even depression. Basically, true joy is a virtue that we all seek to attain.
How can we find this internal joy that will affect every part of our lives? Well, look who had it:
~John Paul II
~Mother Teresa
~Chiara Badano: on her death bed.
~Pier Giorgio Frassati: in the middle
(Hehe, don't you just love it when you're looking for the answer to something and the saints just give it to you, wrapped up and complete with a ribbon?)
Why is joy so important? We have to think back to our resolution: living life to the fullest. Can we manage such a thing when our hearts are weary and downcast? Heh, good luck with that.
"Joy is the echo of God's life in us." ~Abbot Coumba Marmion. Therefore, we find joy in our relationship with Christ.
So now we see that this joy is one of the most essential elements to passionately living the lives that God gave us. With it we will be able to lovingly and cheerfully encounter each day. Let us make the choice to let God change our lives for Him.
~/~/~/~
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. :) How was your beginning of Easter? Did you attend the Vigil mass? God bless!
"Heaven, the treasury of everlasting joy." ~Shakespeare
This is the best thing EVER. That picture of John Paul II. Oh my goodness. And that photo of Pier Giorgio - I have that hanging up on my cork billboard (pinboard? I can't remember the name!) and seriously, that man is HAVING FUN. :) <3 Blessings! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Melvina! I started following your blog and I think it's absolutely wonderful (and thanks for following mine!). Joy is something that definitely marks us as Catholics; we are the Easter people, for sure. Looking forward to getting to know you! ♥
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