Complete Joy
A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture:
“I have told you this so that My joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” (John15:11)
Complete joy sounds unattainable in today’s world; after all, who really has it? People do. Jesus says it’s ours if we remain in His love by keeping His Commandments.
As Catholics, we have resources to do it, which alone should bring us joy. But we must accept the fullness of grace the Church has to offer. The Sacraments, frequent attendance at Mass, Adoration and prayer all help us keep His Commandments because they sanctify, instruct, nourish and strengthen us.
We can also learn from the lives of the Saints, who knew what it meant to remain in God’s love. We should pray for the intercession of some of the great Saints who often wrote about their joy, such as St. Faustina, “Great joy filled my soul to see the grace of God.” (Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska)
St. Therese of Lisieux described her joy as supreme, “…nearly ecstatic with the experience of supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love at last I have found my calling; my calling is love.” (The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul)
What are we waiting for? God chose each of us to experience His joy within us, but first we must find out for ourselves what it means to remain in His love. Then, we must do it.
“If they want joy, let them find Jesus.”
– Mother Teresa (1989 Interview with Mother Teresa for Time Magazine)
