Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian (G.K. Chesterton).
It is characteristic of God and his angels to bring to the soul, when they occupy it, true happiness and spiritual joy; and to drive from it the sadness and trials which the enemy incites in it (Saint Ignatius of Loyola).
Recently I was looking for images of smiling or laughing Catholic monks for an article I was writing. As I searched Google, hundreds of images popped up featuring Buddhist and Tibetan monks laughing, but I had trouble finding a handful of photos or paintings of joyful Catholic monks and priests. This state of affairs baffled me since Sacred Scriptures and countless saints have exhorted the people of God to trust Him and embrace spiritual joy.
God made us for joy. God is joy, and the joy of living reflects the original joy that God felt in creating us (Saint Pope John Paul II).
Although we were created for joy, we cannot fully receive it from God until He purifies us. Even though the Lord gifts us with tastes of His joyful presence as we slowly become united to Him, most of us never consider that it is possible. Part of the problem is our misconceptions about what it means to be pious, misconceptions which are rooted in our childhood experiences of Church and religion. Have you ever noticed that most icons and old holy cards depict saints and the Holy Family with pale, wan faces, their sad eyes gazing up towards heaven? Traditional Catholic paintings have also reinforced the impression that to be holy means to be miserable, even though this was not the experience of those who lived in the Heart of God.
Even in the midst of intense suffering, it is one of joy (Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati).
If you have no earthly consolation, why do you not seek consolation in the Heart of Jesus? To love him is truest joy (Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne).
Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen (Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
The saints were not superhuman. They were people who loved God in their hearts, and who shared this joy with others (Pope Francis).
The joy promised by the Beatitudes is the very joy of Jesus himself: a joy sought and found in obedience to the Father, and in the gift of self to others (Saint Pope John Paul II).
A Trappist monk, Fr. Thomas Merton, was once asked if it was possible to tell if someone had truly undergone inner purification, becoming transformed into the very image of Christ. He replied that it is very difficult to tell but usually it is accompanied by a wonderful sense of humour.
A Sense of Humour
Humour, the ability to laugh and not take ourselves too seriously, puts the gruelling process of inner transformation into perspective. If I am self-centred instead of God-centred, everything becomes intense and dramatic. When I take my eyes off myself, my faith, my religious practices, my spiritual ‘progress’, my sins, and rather look at my Saviour, everything comes back into the proper perspective and then I am filled with joy, the joy of the Lord.
There are many amusing stories about the saints which illustrate their sense of humour. While on a journey to visit one of her convents, a donkey dumped St. Teresa of Avila into a stream of freezing cold water. Standing in her water-logged, heavy habit, she yelled at God, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!”
St. Francis of Assisi is perhaps the most famous, joyful saint.
The soul of the one who serves God always swims in joy, always keeps holiday, and is always in the mood for singing.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
This holy joy is a powerful witness to the ‘pagans’ who live in our society today, a much more powerful witness than self-righteous preaching or acts of charity which are rooted in a sense of duty:
If, on the other hand, you help the person in a spirit of joy, then the help will be received joyfully. The person will feel neither demeaned nor humiliated by your help, but rather will feel glad to have caused you pleasure by receiving your help. And joy is the appropriate attitude with which to help others because acts of generosity are a source of blessing to the giver as well as the receiver (Saint John Chrysostom).
Effective evangelism must be rooted in joy:
Joy is prayer–Joy is strength–Joy is love–Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls…. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Christ risen ( Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
It is time to allow God to change our mentality and spirituality into one that embraces the Resurrection and Pentecost, not just the Passion because misery does not proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them. Let us open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us. Press forward and fear nothing (Saint Katherine Drexel).
King David Danced With Joy
As Catholics, do we look on with scorn when we see anyone who is happy, moving, and dancing in the Spirit? Remember how God reacted not only to David but to his wife Michal;
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
David answered his wife , “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes….” (2 Samuel 6:17-22).
I am willing to wager that almost all religious, faithful Catholics would not model the joyful David but scowl along with his wife Michal at such a scene.
Let us aim for joy, rather than respectability. Let us make fools of ourselves from time to time, and thus see ourselves, for a moment, as the all-wise God sees us (Saint Philip Neri).
When we are joyful, it is possible that we could look as foolish as King David but joy is also for intelligent, sophisticated Catholics. As C.S. Lewis explains,
Joy is the serious business of heaven.
May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the center of your lives ( Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI).
8 thoughts on “A Godly Life is a Joyful Life”
I would love to see the inside of your Church.
Dear Melanie, You done good, you go girl! I apologize-I confess that one of my first thoughts upon reading this was not very theological: “Jeremiah was a bullfrog . . “. Of late I have tweaked a traditional prayer as follows: ” Eternal rest grant unto her (or him), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her, and, through the mercy of God, may she rest in peace, happiness, love, laughter, smiles and joy, Amen.” Some time ago there was a joyful donkey- read GKC’s poem “The Donkey.” God bless you and yours, Melanie, and please keep on keepin’ on with the joy-full writing. Guy, Texas
Thank you, Guy, for your kind encouragement.
Thank you for this powerful reminder!
Thank you, Joe, for taking the time to comment.
I remember reading of the singing of St. Maximilian Kolbe while in the starvation chamber at Auschwitz . Who knows of the countless others facing life’s difficulties with joy and those they brought closer to God.
What a wonderful example.
It is characteristic of God and his angels to bring to the soul, when they occupy it, true happiness and spiritual joy; and to drive from it the sadness and trials which the enemy incites in it (Saint Ignatius of Loyola).
Wisdom from my favorite saint. Melanie, this is a beautiful though-provoking, and just plain old delightful article! Thanks for sharing. In my church back home, instead of the usual crucified Christ behind the altar, they have a glorious one of Christ’s return, It looks as if he’s descending into the church. It always makes me happy to see that.
I think I will now reread your article to give me another good feeling to start the day.