“Give joy”
I came across this
reflection by Chiara Lubich, which struck me today:
These words of encouragement are found at
the end of the first letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:16).. The invitation to be joyful
often recurs in St. Paul's letters. It is one of the themes of his preaching.
When writing to the Philippians he says: 'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I
will say, rejoice' (Phil. 4:4).
There is no doubt that for St. Paul joy
is one of the most beautiful expressions of Christian life. One could say it is
the most distinctive mark of the Christian life and that it is also the most
effective means to witness it. Nothing impresses and attracts people more than
someone who is truly joyful.
At first view what is striking is the
form of invitation or rather command that the Apostle uses. We might ask, 'can
you command someone to be joyful?' Besides we know that life is full of problems
and worries, which don't exactly help us to be always joyful. You can encourage
a person to accept what happens in good spirit... but joy is something
different. Joy is a feeling that springs spontaneously from the soul.
Yet for St. Paul there is reason we
should always be joyful, despite all the difficulties. It is a consequence of
taking the Christian life seriously. Through this life Jesus lives fully within
us and with him we are bound to be joyful.
Jesus is the source of true joy, because
he gives meaning to our life; he guides us with his light, frees us from every
fear both regarding the past and also what is still to come; Jesus gives us the
strength to overcome all the difficulties, temptations and trials that we may
meet.
There is a secret to always being joyful.
It is to concentrate on Jesus, so that he may always shine out on us.
We know the path to take. Jesus lives in
us if we try to put his word into practice, in particular if we love him in
each brother and sister, ready to give our life for each person, as he did.
If then our brother and sister loves
Jesus in us, then our joy will be full (cf. Jn. 15, 11) because Jesus will
shine in our midst too.
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