The Joy of Christ
Brethren, out of Jesus' unconditional and overflowing love to his disciple, he gave them and left with them only gifts which only God can give in full abundance. His love to his disciples was not only from him but from the whole the Trinity. So, the love he showed his disciples was the love of the Father through the Holy Spirit. We receive and experience the Father’s love through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples for he himself says: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23).
The indwelling that comes to live within us is the Holy Spirit. By receiving the love of God, we experience the life of the Holy Trinity within us. How amazing and empowering! Through the sacraments and our obedience to God’s commandments, we have the love of God within us, motivating us, allowing us to shower his love on everyone we encounter. Our relationship with the Holy Trinity is what enables us to keep his commandments and uphold the new and everlasting covenant that God the Father established through Christ his Son.
Out of the love of the Trinity, Jesus a few days ago gave his disciples his peace, the peace which the word doesn't and will never give. Yesterday, Jesus told his disciples to remain and abide in him so that they can bear fruit. Today Jesus tells them, and us too, that abiding in him, and his love not only makes us bear fruit but also makes his joy in us may be full. Just as Jesus is the only true source of true peace, so is he the only true source of true joy. We might try to find joy in many worldly things, but we will never find true and everlasting joy unless we remain in Jesus' love.
Remaining in Jesus love means to love him above all things and in turn show that same love which he has loved us up to the end to our neighbours for this is how his love commandment is summarised: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). We shall attain eternal and full joy both now and after here when we fulfil this.
Therefore, as Jesus tells us today, his joy is only full in us if and only if we follow his commandments. Unfortunately, we often see Christ’s commandments as burdens or restrictions on our freedom. The word commandment often implies coercions and regimentation, and obedience implies unwilling or even a sulky child. But in the case of God's commandments, they are gifts indicating the way in which love can be expressed and obedience is the way of seeking to draw closer to God by imitation. The lover seeks to act like the beloved, to be modelled on the qualities which are loved and admired. Such an understanding of God's commandments especially that of love will always imbue in us the desire to abide with all the commandments of God because this is where we shall find our true joy.
For instance, when we offer works of charity and mercy, we love “not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18), when we go to the sacrament of reconciliation to repent from the things that separate us from Christ and affirm our desire to be obedient to God’s commandments and remain in his love, when do justice to everyone and practice a life of virtues, we experience the fullness of joy. There genuine joy, and peace too, for that rich man who is living among those who are starving and cannot even give them a drop of water to quench their thirst. Only the fullness of joy is found in following God's commandments, especially that of love and practice of justice. If we live this, are we not living in the kingdom of God already, because the kingdom of God is justice (righteousness), peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:7)?
Reflect today on where you look for joy; is it from Jesus or your own human efforts? Remember as the catechism of the catholic church teaches us we don’t find true and complete joy in self-determination and self-reliance, but by recognizing our dependence on God as “the source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence” (CCC 301). Let us go to Christ as the source of our joy and struggle always to live in joy for when we live in joy we can, “through human effort,” acquire the virtues that “make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life” (CCC 1804) as well as overcoming those things that lead to acedia (spiritual sloth): “lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart” (CCC 2733). How vigorously do we strive to grow in virtue of joy?
Let us Pray
My Jesus, the world sees joy so differently than you set out for us here in your word. Your joy wells up from a loving relationship with you and as a consequence of childlike obedience to your will. Help me always seek my joy in you and not look for it in the temporal things of this world. May I always rejoice in your word and submit to your holy will and may I rejoice in you always. Amen
Blessed Easter Season
No comments:
Post a Comment