Facets of Joy

There are many kinds of joy. We find joy of celebration in family events such as graduations, weddings, and the birth of children. There is joy in holidays like Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or anniversaries. Joy of anticipation is looking forward to a family gathering, picnic, vacation, or a party. Naturally we find joy in winning money, doing the right thing, completing an unpleasant task, or earning a college degree. These joys usually contain good feelings, give personal satisfaction and pleasure, make us happy, and they come and go. They are usually bound to time, place, outward circumstances and earthly existence. And, they can abruptly end by tragic news, a sad occurrence, an emergency phone call, or an injurious event. These are passing earthly secular joys that may or may not acknowledge God or the supernatural during the joyful occasion.

Christian joy is more refined than temporal joy. Because Christian joy is linked to the eternal, it evokes a nameless yearning for something beyond what this world can offer. Liberated from a fleeting time or circumstance, it is rooted in God, has an everlasting significance, and is nurtured by grace. Christian joy is celebrated in receiving the sacraments, going on retreat, or other God oriented events. More importantly, it dwells in our soul and is sustained by the life and teachings of Jesus. Therese of Lisieux confirms this: “Joy is not in the things that surround us, it resides in the interior of the soul.” A peaceful, settled orientation resides in the depths of the soul. The level of a soul’s joy is manifest by the level of joy as an observed trait. If a person’s soul is clean and healthy, he or she has a quiet, indescribable, radiant quality that generates a prayerful focus and a commitment to Gospel values.

True Christian joy is a confident dependence on Jesus. This is neither sentimental nor occasional, but a lived reality that undergirds and supports us whatever comes our way. Our inner joy of listening to and resting in Jesus is balanced by an outer joy of being his witness in the marketplace. We can have peaceful joy in our soul even during uproars in the marketplace. External circumstances change, but internally Christian joy is the outcome of abiding in Jesus’ love and being a reflection of his presence. We remember that he loves us at all times and in all situations. Jesus is the fullness of Christian joy at the center of our soul. Like a deep spring that never runs dry, he is the only one who can completely fill our deepest human needs, desires, and longings. As our companion and goal, he is the only person who can give us the complete fullness of joy. 

Joy is a gift from God as well as a response to the gifts of God. Below the surface reality, it runs like a gentle, warm and inviting underground river the wellspring of the soul. Because it is deeply settled internally, we have to stop and listen to the still small voice of God. Some good ways to do this are to maintain periods of silence and solitude, keep the negative aspects of life in perspective, and be responsive to the attributes of joy such as lightheartedness, transparency, common sense, and a sense of humor in us and in others. A kindly sense of humor may bring a good natured joke or lightsome comment that diminishes a tense conversation.

A person who exemplified Christian joy was John Paul II. Even though his extraordinary life was full of gritty challenges, he manifested deep Christian joy. His joy did not shelter him from hardship, trials, or suffering, but helped him to interpret and react to them in the light of God’s love and eternal life. He illustrates that Christian joy does not require perpetual cheerfulness. His joy of experiencing God’s love built up an inner strength that helped him rise above pain, gave him courage when he felt defeated, patience when he faced adversity, perseverance when he trod into unfriendly territory, and hope when darkness engulfed him. A difference between joy and sorrow is not what is around us, it is the way we think about what is around us. 

A joyous Christian does not deny, diminish or downplay the existence of evil in society. The effects of evil are all around us, evident in the news, social media, our institutions, and within us. Sin is for real. Every sin has a negative consequence absorbed by society. We are persuaded to conform to current, ever changing standards and ideologies that encourage us to believe what is misguided and dehumanizing. Evil things can happen under the guise of good. Just because everyone is doing it does not make it ethical. We remain cognizant of the destructive elements of sin, do what we can to alleviate them, and hold on to confidence in God. We stick to living the Ten Commandments even though they may be unpopular and seemingly irrelevant and label us as out of step with modern times. What is right in the eyes of God can easily be infuriating and repulsive to others. When we calmly defend our faith, the response can be highly negative. We rely on God’s grace to do what is right no matter what the cost. A sign of Christianity is joy, but that joy may not be shared by family, friends, or others who have mixed or negative feelings about Christianity.

Furthermore, authentic joy requires that we are the same on social media and gatherings as we are in private. Social media contains criticism, fabrications, anger and other negative features. This may be because people feel they have some degree of anonymity. However, as Christians we reveal our true selves without pretense, duplicity, or fabrication. Our online identity reflects the faith, morals, and values that we profess. The time honored saying, “To thine own self be true” reveals an authenticity as sons and daughters of God. We communicate our Christian integrity by honesty, moral uprightness, and consistency between our beliefs and our words, conduct, and actions. 

We must choose joy each day, a choice based on knowing that we belong to God and finding our refuge and strength in him. Choosing joy requires courage. We choose faith over doubt, hope over despair, and love over indifference. We acknowledge times when we feel alone, depressed, upset, afraid, confused, or whatever depletes us.  Instead of constantly repeating the problem, we do what we can to solve it, and then put it in God’s hands. Joy is chosen by depending on God and believing that he is working in and through us. Thomas Merton prayed: 

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

When we do not feel or sense joy, we need not be concerned. God is our anchor hold for stormy, drifting, or inert days when joy seems nonexistent. We do not lose sight of God’s light even when it is shrouded in dark. When joy seems hidden or absent, we believe it is still there. Even if we do not realize it, an undercurrent of joy moves us through whatever comes our way. Helen Keller wrote: “The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” The dark valleys can be a growth experience months or years after they occur.   

Christian joy surpasses any description since it is a mysterious grace, but it is always present within if we maintain a strong bond with God. It is something we cannot fully understand as it is beyond us yet within us. As an interior tranquility, it keeps order by configuring us to Jesus. Only when we possess Christian joy within can we be the bearer of authentic joy to others in our church, community and society. Teresa of Calcutta offers a summary of joy in the Lord: 

The best way to show your gratitude to God and people is to accept everything with joy. A joyful heart is a normal result of a heart burning with love. Joy is strength. Let nothing so disturb us, so fill us with sorrow or discouragement, as to make us forfeit the joy of the resurrection. Joy is not simply a matter of temperament in the service of God and souls; it is always hard. All the more reason why we should try to acquire it and make it grow in our hearts. We may not be able to give much, but we can always give the joy that springs from a heart that is in love with God.