Gaudium vestrum (Jn 16:22)

The saints and sages often hear their hearts throbbing with joy, a joy that overwhelms and lasts! What about us, the ordinary imperfect human beings? I believe, there is fleeing moments of joy in every one’s life however messy it may seem to be. For instance, we witness gushing of such deep joy  while gazing at a new born and listens to its first cry or when we share the silent and profound presence of a loved one. We feel the stirrings of joy, when we bathe ourselves in the golden rays of a sun set or when we cast our eyes into the deep blue waters and the skies.  Joy beacons us when we feel soaked by the unconditional love of God during moments of prayer and solitude, when we wonder at the miracle of blooming smile on a dear one’s face or when we sustain a narrow escape from a life and death situation. We are to understand that these are passing moments and do not give lasting joy. Because here our joy depends on what happens outside of us. Obviously, these luring moments can impel one to abandon oneself into the great ocean of joy which God offers. That means we need to contemplate on these little joys that occur at the level of our senses with a liberated mind, leading to a joy that is beyond the senses. The real joy cannot come from outside sources but it emanates from our consciousness, our being, where we are united with the Holy Spirit.

This is the kind of joy that Jesus offers us today as He says, “Your heart will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you”. He invites us to the joy of having His Spirit within. The Holy Spirit graces us with all what we need in order to pass through our earthly pilgrimage. The Spirit unites all the scattered elements of our life to a whole factor in time and space. Such birthing moments may initially seem to be painful but eventually turns into moments of joy. Consequently, we claim our identity as the beloved of God. We just need to be receptive and say, “I don’t judge anything but I let things happen in the power of Jesus’ Spirit in my life, here and now” (by s. Jessy Paul SSpS).