By Sister Timothy Marie, O.C.D.
Joy, to me, is a spiritual gift, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and I feel that so many times we just don’t go deeply enough to reach this deeper level of human experience. Maybe it would be easier to explain what joy is not. It is not superficial; nor is it “fakeish” (if that is a word). It doesn’t come from any of our five senses.
The joy I am thinking of is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It arises within our souls. What an amazing concept! True joy is found in having a right relationship with God and others. Actually the “great commandment,” as it is called, shows us the way to attain this joy. We have all heard it. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).
What an incredible thing it is to meet someone filled with this holy joy. You sense it as soon as you are near them. It sort of exudes from them and you know that it is something of God. We should all ask God to give us this fruit of the Holy Spirit. Don’t you think this world needs it, especially at this time in history!
“Come, Holy Spirit.”
