by Andrea Chong, illustration by Gabriella Spykerman
Joy Always Endures
“Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.” Reading this quote from Pope Francis was the first time I questioned my original understanding of what it meant to be joyful. It gave me an insight to what joy truly is – not a circumstantial or fleeting feeling, but an enduring sense of peace rooted in the knowledge that we are loved and held safely in the Father’s arms.
Joy is Not Circumstantial
When Joy is understood as a knowledge of being loved instead of a feeling we get from temporary pleasure, we realise that we do not need to chase material goods to experience true joy. While we may feel temporary happiness from buying new clothes, getting a good grade or getting a pay raise, the circumstantial nature of these things means that when they are taken away, our happiness is robbed as easily as it came. CCC1723 states, “True happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement… but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love.”
Joy is Found in the Lord
Since joy comes from the knowledge of being loved by the Lord, we recognise that once we are able to claim the truth that we are always held and deeply loved, no circumstance will be able to rob this joy from us. The key to claiming this truth lies in our ability to recognise that each of us have been intricately made, and are beloved children of the Father. God calls each of us by name, and in His infinite love and mercy continues to do so even when we run from Him.
Joy is a Virtue to be Cultivated
In reality, we will always face hardship in our lives: struggles with a difficult relationship, an illness, or even struggles with schoolwork or our jobs. As with every virtue, joy has to be consistently practiced to be cultivated. In this season of Advent, we may choose to practice cultivating joy by reflecting on the joy of our salvation in Jesus Christ, and subsequently sharing this joy with others. As Mother Teresa once said, “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.” Knowing that we are fully known and deeply loved, brothers and sisters, let us be ever-joyful in this season of welcoming baby Jesus into our hearts again!
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