jesus, joy, and us
"All this I tell you that My joy may be yours and your joy may be complete." —John 15:11
Jesus offers us His complete joy. The question is: do we really want Jesus' type of joy, that is, "complete joy," or would we rather have a cheap, temporary joy? To answer that question, let's look at what constitutes Jesus' joy:
- Jesus finds "joy" when we faithfully obey Him, bear lasting fruit, and receive greater responsibilities (Mt 25:21, 23). Do we find joy in being assigned more work for Jesus?
- He has great joy when a sinner is rescued (Lk 15:5, 32), despite risking His own safety. Do we find joy in risking harm to lead lost people to repentance and conversion?
- He finds great joy and gladness amid persecution (Mt 5:12; Lk 6:23). Does persecution for Jesus' sake bring us joy?
Jesus wants to share His joy completely with us (Jn 17:13). Do we still want Jesus' joy if it involves ever-increasing labor, an exhausting, dangerous quest for repentance and conversion, and exposure to escalating persecution?
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). The Spirit is given to those who obey God (Acts 5:32). Joy and unselfishness are linked (Phil 4:4-5). To have Jesus' complete joy, we must die to self (Lk 9:23), obey Jesus, and want what He wants, not what we want. Then we will rejoice with His joy that no one can take from us (Jn 16:22). We will share His joy completely (Jn 17:13). Our names will be written in heaven, and that will bring Jesus great joy (Lk 10:20-21).
Prayer: Jesus, my Joy (Ps 43:4), I abandon my life unto You.
Promise: "We are saved by the favor of the Lord Jesus." —Acts 15:11
Praise: St. Philip rejoiced in the Lord always by practicing eighty years of penance and service.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, XXX 11, 2011
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