True Christmas Joy

The Advent Liturgy was filled with messages of joy, happiness, praise… Calling each of us to be happy, cheerful, joyful… Joy is a part of the spirituality of Incarnation.

“In the Incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ, God appears as the One who truly loves us, because He does not look on us from on high. He, the Most High humbles himself and commits himself to walk alongside us.” (Spirituality book p.44)   Do we need more reasons to be cheerful?

In our society today, and we are a part of it, we sometimes have the feeling that we are more inclined towards depression, negativity. How can we find a cure for the lack of joy in the monotony of our lives?

We must find our joy in simple things: the beauty of creation, a smile, a listening ear, the beauty of a flower, a song… During my visit to Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods, a young woman offered me a bracelet with four tiny little balls and with the following message: every evening when you touch this bracelet, remember in the silence of your heart the name of four persons, happenings or things that have made you happy that day… your sisters, a visit, flowers, a nice meal, a pleasant home… The more you find blessings in your life, the more you will become a blessed person. If you do so during one year you will be a different woman.   Every evening, from that moment, I think of Mary, the young woman who gave me the bracelet because she is a real blessing for me. And if we decide to think, every evening, of four persons or things having been a blessing for us during the day, our joy will grow and at the end of the year we will be, a bit more, messengers of Gods true joy.

Pope Francis has written in his exhortation « The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” He says FILLS, this means that the joy is already there! Let us be servants of joy and filled with the joy of the Lord so that we will communicate it to others. True joy also radiates.   Joy is not static, is not to be held for ourselves. Joy is dynamic and opens us to others.

     Christian joy is not only a question of having a happy character or an optimistic temperament, it is a question of vitality, of confidence throughout life’s ups and downs, it is being present and open, full of respect and love. If we want to know what true joy is about we have to accept the reality of our life. We have to learn to live in the present “Nothing can be changed or improved if not initially accepted.” C.G.Jung

      Everything about Christian joy seems to converge in the person of Mary, Our Lady and cause of our joy. The first words she hears from God “Rejoice, so highly favoured!” May she teach us the true joy given to us by God.

      Dear Friends, let us not only put the crib in our houses: we have the Divine Child in our heart. That is why I say to you with Paul Claudel: “A Christian has only one duty, to be happy, joyful.”

I wish each of you true Christmas Joy.

Sister Martine Meuwissen