The Hills Outside Nazareth
John 15: 9-11
What in your life brings you joy? That was how I ended yesterday/s reflection and it seems only fitting, given today’s Gospel, to examine that question a bit more closely.
What gives you joy? Seriously, what honestly gives you joy? And I don’t mean simple putting a smile on your face happiness; I mean brimming with excitement straight from the heart JOY! Was it holding your new-born child in your arms for the first time? Was it marrying your soulmate? Was it that hard-earned offer for the job of your dreams? Was it that once in a lifetime trip? What was it? Can you even put it into words?
Can we even define the word? Is it something that takes you back to that song – I’ve got joy, joy, joy down in my heart? Is that it? Something that stirs deep down in our heart, our soul, and then just bursts out of us?
Jesus speaks of joy today in the Gospel - “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.” Imagine that, complete joy! Sadly the joy we usually think about is not very complete. It is short-lived, temporary; it doesn’t last! It is a human joy that cannot compare! Jesus is talking about a joy that fills our soul to the point that it energizes us, fills us with the Spirit! It is lasting and complete! It is the joy of Christ dwelling within us! It is the experience of God’s unending love!
So I will ask one more time! Where do you find joy in your life? Where is the joy, the complete joy that you are seeking?