The ‘Joy of the Gospel’, Evangelii Gaudium, is one of Pope Francis’ recent encyclicals.
‘Listen, I bring you news of great joy’ Luke 1:44
‘And every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy’ Phil. 1:3
Joy is the distinctive mark of a Christian. Joy is a gift, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
There are ordinary joys and spiritual joys. The daily joys of eating, receiving a phone call, a visit from a friend, work well done, something accomplished, gratitude, the joy of music, art, nature and much more…
There is the joy of faith, of presence, of forgiveness, the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, the joy of the Beatitudes, the joy of Easter and Pentecost, the hymn of joy – the Magnificat.
Fr. Barré tells us: ‘ Let your hearts be opened with a holy joy as you contemplate your happiness and the excellence of your vocation’. P.M. 35
Joy, like happiness, does not exist in itself, it is a sign, an effect, a consequence of someone’s presence.
How can I bring joy to someone today?