Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle
Happiness, pleasure and joy are terms that are often used interchangeably, but on deeper reflection I believe that they do not mean the same thing. We can be happy when we get a job promotion, experience pleasure as we enjoy a delicious meal, but joy seems to denote a much deeper quality of being. In today’s gospel, Jesus tells His disciples (and us) that He wants to give us joy and He wants us to experience this joy in its fullness (completely). What is this “joy” that Jesus is offering us, and how can we experience this joy in the midst of the many challenges, pains and sorrows of our daily living?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds His followers that He loves them, just as the Father has loved Jesus. Jesus then invites His disciples to keep His commandments and remain in His love so “my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” (John 15:11) Jesus goes on further to explain that loving others through serving them and “laying down one’s life” (John 15:13) is the most important commandment that His disciples are called to follow. By sharing these truths with us, Jesus invites all of His followers into a friendship where we learn of God’s great love and our call to “bear fruit” in the world. At the center of all of this, is the commandment to love.
How am I to experience this deep joy that Jesus promises in this passage? This joy seems to encompass more than a fleeting feeling of happiness and to be more of a state of being. The scripture passage indicates that this “joy” is deeply connected with God’s love for us and our ability to recognize that love in our lives. When we are open to the gift of God’s love for us and rest in the belief that God loves us even in our brokenness, we can experience this sense of the goodness of life even when our lives are filled with frustrations or sorrow. This gift of joy comes from an abiding presence of God in our lives, and our willingness to trust God is accompanying us through it all. It does not mean our lives will be without suffering, but the joy comes from knowing that God’s loving presence will be with us in the good times and the hard times. Before He returned to the Father, Jesus promised that He will be with us always. We can gain a deeper awareness of Christ’s presence through prayer, scripture, sacraments and the world around us. The more we immerse our lives in Christ’s revelation, the greater is our opportunity to remain in God’s love and therefore experience this gift of joy.
This joy that we are promised is made complete as we follow Jesus’ commandments to “love one another.” Growing up, my Mom used to always tell me and all of my siblings, “Serve others with love, and you will find joy!” This service and “laying down one’s life” (John 15:13) can be found in small acts of kindness, where we place others and their needs before our wants. Getting up with the crying child during the night to allow the other parent to sleep would be one example of a small dying to self out of love. The many little ways that we show our love to others through service allows this love of God to shine forth to those around us. It is in this way that we “bear fruit” and share the “joy” of God’s abiding love so others may receive and experience this same love.
One of my favorite quotes about joy is from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” Today, may we all pray for a greater awareness of God’s love for us. Through the grace of the Spirit, may we live and proclaim: “In your presence is fullness of joy” (Ps 16:11). May we live out this joy completely in what we think, say and do. AMEN
—Marylynn Herchline