Our joy should be spiritual and supernatural
Directory of Consecrated Life, 392
Fulton Shen says that “Our world is growing old with seriousness…The priest today has a mission to maintain the diaphanous character of the universe and thus preserve humor.”[1]
Within a few days time we are going to celebrate together with all the Christians throughout the world the mystery of the Resurrection of our Lord, a mystery from which springs forth “an element which should be essential to our spirituality”[2]: joy.
What sort of joy are we referring to?
We are not here talking about “This is not the joy held out by today’s individualistic and consumerist culture. Consumerism only bloats the heart. It can offer occasional and passing pleasures, but not joy.”[3] Our proper law tells us that “our joy should be spiritual and supernatural.”[4] For this reason, we would like to dedicate these lines to develop, at least in its most noteworthy characteristics, what it means when we say our joy should be spiritual and supernatural.
These pages go out as a heartfelt homage to so many of our religious who, in various places and involved in very different responsibilities, live constantly joyful, keeping alive the memory of the benefits received from Our Lord, and notwithstanding their tiredness, limits, trials and failures, live joyfully because they are close to Christ and of use to the Church. But, in a special way, these pages go out to all of those who, due to a lack of fruits in their apostolic labors, different spiritual tribulations and deep solitude, are faltering, discouraged, and at the point of giving into sadness. May God be pleased to make use of these lines to console these souls and to return to them a serene joy.
1. Joy
Joy can be natural or spiritual. Natural joy is, for example, that of a young religious whose soul has yet to experience the trials of disillusionment of the mission; or the joy due to good health when everything still tastes good; it is the joy of the success after a battle won, or the joy of one’s affections when one feels loved for “being loved always produces joy and consolation.”[5] All of these ‘natural’ joys are intensified and elevated by the deeper and longing lasting foundation which is spiritual joy.
Broadly speaking, we could say that “spiritual joy is a serenity of temper in the midst of the changes of life, such as a mountain has when a storm breaks over it. To a man who has never rooted the soul in the Divine every trouble exaggerates itself. He cannot put his full powers to any one thing because he is troubled about many thing.”[6] More than a passing attitude, spiritual joy is rather a habit and the more permanent it becomes, the easier one can bear the weight of difficulties.
In other words, this spiritual joy, which we are referring to, can be experienced just as much in adversity as in times of prosperity. In prosperity it consists not in those good which one enjoys, but in the goods that one must hope for; not in the pleasures experienced but in the promise of those in which we believe while not having yet seen. Good things might abound, but those goods which we hope for are of another class and neither moth nor rust can destroy them, nor can thieves take them away from us. It is the joy that one experiences even amidst adversity knowing that the Divine Master died on the cross as a condition for his Resurrection.[7]
That is why our proper law tells us that “The splendid fact that Christ rose from the dead should lead us to live…with immense joy.”[8] And this is the root of one of the characteristic notes of ‘our joy.’ The joy of a missionary, that of a religious, or monk of the Incarnate Word is intimately related to the Paschal Mystery of Christ, that is, to our Redemption. Our joy is spiritual precisely because “it is born of the contemplation of the mysteries of the Life of Christ, particularly his Incarnation and his Resurrection.”[9] So, we should recognize that spiritual joy finds its source, its nourishment and its conservation in prayer, in familiarity with the Incarnate Word.[10]
- Contemplation of the Incarnation
St. Augustine says that “the immortality of blessedness becomes credible from the Incarnation of the Son of God.”[11] Jesus, by his birth, brought a “new vision” to the world and to men. Only by being humble are we able to contemplate in the Child lying in the manger, in the Word made flesh, the Omnipotence of God, infinite Joy.[12] But, as we said, that is why it is necessary to be humble, to make ourselves small and enter into the divine game of not taking oneself too seriously, of not thinking oneself to be at the center of everything, so as to reach the point of becoming by grace that which He is by nature.[13] Consequently, we must rise to the joyful forgetfulness of self.[14]
“Among other things, the birth of the Incarnate Word urges us to…live in joy–fruit of the Holy Spirit and a consequence of the Incarnation–as the angel announced to the shepherds: I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people (Lk 2:10). This is the joy of the Virgin Mary, ‘cause of our joy.’”[15]
The Directory of Contemplative Life beautifully develops this point saying: “In the Incarnation of the Word one can already perceive a certain loving ‘game’ which is eternal and which only God can bring to completion:
– man strove after being like God[16] by sin; in the Incarnation God became man[17] to save man and elevate him, by grace, to his divine level.
– man sinned pretending ‘to be mature’, a knower of good and evil; God, Eternal Wisdom, upon becoming Incarnate, ‘became a babbling child’ so that man might reach his full maturity in Christ.[18]
– man, wishing to run free in the adventure of his autonomy, asked God for his part of inheritance[19] and ended up tending swine[20]; God became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.[21]”[22]
That is why our joy—following from what we have just seen—is also related to becoming like children (which, we should clarify, has nothing to do with that childishness which makes people, who are biologically mature manifest psychological attitudes which are proper to children). Spiritual childhood gives us back joy in our lives because it makes us humble, and for that same reason, makes us recognize that we are in need of Redemption.
God laughs at those who think they are ‘wise’ because they can boast of some academic degree, or at those who think themselves to ‘be something’ because they hold some important office, as well as at those who think that ‘are not in need’ just because they have a few things. The Incarnation of the Word teaches us to live according to criteria very distinct from those and this applies in a particular way to us who have made our religious profession and strive to confess our faith in Christ with great courage and fortitude. Because, in the end, living joyfully is a matter of faith.
“As the priest loses his faith, he loses joy. In the measure that his faith increases, his joy increases to the point of the folly of the cross.”[23] Let no one deceive himself—the Apostle tells us—If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.[24] This is the logic of the Incarnation which our proper law so eloquently describes: “The folly of the Cross consists of living the beatitudes. Blessed be the fools for Christ! They will be pushed around, laughed at and regarded as awkward, slow and even mentally weak. Theirs is the Kingdom of God. Blessed be the fools for Christ! They have stripped themselves and stand before God in their nakedness. Blessed be these fools for Christ! No worldly wisdom will ever be able to deceive them. It is the folly of limitless and immeasurable love. It is to bless those that curse us, to repay no one evil for evil.[25] When the world says to us, “Look at the fools! They are stoned, and they kiss the hands of those who stone them. They are laughed at and made fun of, and they laugh like senseless children. They are beaten, persecuted and martyred, but they give thanks to God who found them worthy. When the world says all of this, it is a sign that we are doing well.”[26]
The mystery of the Incarnation puts us into contact with Christ who has emptied himself, Christ Victim, whom we should imitate. In the same way that Christ knew how to support all types of pain, all humiliations, and even death for love of us, we should also know how to see in these very things the opportunity to give back to Christ love for love. “If we do not learn how to be victims with the Victim, all our sufferings are useless.”[27] But suffering is conquered by loving and finding in it a new way to serve others. And that service is transformed into a spiritual joy, which allows us, even amidst the trials and obstacles of this life, to not be discouraged and to always continue onwards. It is proper of us to be priests who are always the victim, while in spirit always the victor. Let us be imitators of Jesus who for the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross.[28] Faith is that which gives us the courage to overcome our defeats, which, in light of the Incarnation and the Resurrection of Christ, are only ever apparent ones. For our victory over this world is precisely our faith in the Son of God who, incarnate, conquered the world.[29]
When Jesus Christ. the Incarnate Word, passed by, the whole crowd rejoiced.[30] In the same way, we, missionaries of the Incarnate Word who have professed in our religious vows that our life ought to be a living memory of the way that Jesus, the Word made flesh, lived and behaved,[31] should strive to radiate the joy of Christ.[32] Our joy is not just any joy, but it is spiritual and supernatural and as such it cannot be contained, for which reason our motto is “to live in a transparent and contagious joy.”[33]
It is true that “hard times may come, when the cross casts its shadow, yet nothing can destroy the supernatural joy that ‘adapts and changes, but always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.’[34] That joy brings deep security, serene hope and a spiritual fulfilment that the world cannot understand or appreciate.”[35]
The kenosis of the Lord in his Incarnation and in his Passion makes us see the mysterious relationship that exists between surrender and interior joy, between sacrifice and wideness of heart, between discipline and spiritual freedom.[36] Let us not be pessimists: Let us rejoice even amidst sufferings![37]
So as to aid us in this, our proper law, although almost in passing, gives us the following provision: “It is fitting that the priest…desire and rejoice in visiting and adoring Christ sacramentally present in the Eucharist.”[38]
- Contemplation of the Resurrection
Our proper law tells us: “There is no greater motive for joy than the Resurrection of the Lord because His triumph is our triumph, His victory is our victory. The Paschal Mystery is the manifestation par excellence of the love of God for men: He loved them to the end.[39] We must be joyful in this mystery, and our joy must be permanent.”[40]
Now, in order that our joy be permanent, we must not only have our gaze fixed on the Incarnate Word, but we must also have a good sense of humor, which stood out notably, for example, in Saint Thomas More, who said: “Happy are those who know how to laugh at themselves, for they will never cease enjoying themselves,” or in Saint Philip Neri whose saying our proper law quotes: “melancholy is the eighth deadly sin.’[41]”[42] We also see it in the martyr Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro in whom “neither sufferings due to grave illness, nor the tiring ministerial activity—often carried out in painful and dangerous circumstances—could stifle the radiant and communicative joy that was born from his love of Christ and which no one could take away from him.”[43] He ended his life in the way that he always lived it: generously, with joy to give all, holding back nothing for himself.
Fulton Sheen said: “A priest does not take this world too seriously. He is a pilgrim in it, not a tourist. The Kingdom of God is not the Secular City.”[44] Therefore, conscious of our pilgrim condition we should have our hearts set on God and learn how to have a providential vision of life, knowing how to see all things as coming from the One who does not forget even the sparrows…and has each of our hairs counted.[45] “When he says ‘everything’…this includes every situation, whether prosperous or adverse; whether concerning the good of the soul, goods of fortune or reputation…it includes all conditions of human life, all interior states we experience, even faults and sins.”[46]
For this reason, our joy, if it is to be a lasting joy, cannot be worldly. “Worldliness must always be sad, because if the ball of this earth is lost, we are miserable. The more holy we are, the less we are sad. And if there be glumness in any priest today, it is not because ‘the world is full of troubles’—whenever was it not? —but because he has lost the transparency of faith,”[47] in the sense that he has lost the capacity to see the providence of God in all the events of this world and in his life in particular. That is why we say that our joy is supernatural.
Now, it is true that “in every community we encounter different categories of souls. Some live joyfully and radiate around themselves the holy joy in which they rejoice. Not that which is purely sensible, which can depend on one’s temperament, but rather that interior joy which is a prelude of eternal happiness. Others do not enjoy this same joy, they are disturbed interiorly, unhappy. To what can we attribute this difference? Because, in the first case, he who seeks God in all things, finds him always and in everything, and with God he acquires the highest good and the happiness that cannot be taken away. In the second case, on the other hand, the soul is attached to creatures, feeds its self love and seeking himself he is driven to emptiness, which cannot make him happy. He will give himself entirely to outward activities, but that distraction will be passing and insufficient; he will find distractions but not consolation and he will feel like his life is heavy and a difficult burden to bear.”[48]
We must carefully guard ourselves so as to not fall into the temptation of being a glum priest: “He sees everything as serious. He is always distant, inaccessible, and tense. He does not know how to laugh. He finds all healthy distraction a frivolity. A bad word sounds like a serious sin for him, and eutrapelia is not a virtue. By seeing the tree, he forsakes the forest, and he usually makes tempests in teapots.”[49] Nor into the temptation of being a grumpy priest: “always impatient, gloomy, and available only when he is in a good mood. He is sterile. He sees only black. He is single, not celibate. He ignores that a pound of grace weighs more than all the sins of the world, even if squared to the umpteenth power.”[50] “Serene joy is the external expression of a balanced spiritual intimacy.”[51]
On the contrary, we should strive each day to have a positive and hopeful spirit, and without forsaking realism, know how to take things with a certain sense of humor, being grateful and not over complicated. This attitude, this supernatural vision of things, this detachment from earthly things is, according to Fulton Sheen, the vestibule of mysticism.[52]
As priests, we should learn how to spiritualize, sacramentalize, and ennoble everything in the world and make of it a prayer, that is, elevate all things to God and unite ourselves voluntarily, and in all things, to Him, by means of the active practice of the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. No occupation is too base for spiritualization, nor is any suffering too hard for such ennobling. We should develop in ourselves that capacity that doesn’t let the opportunities of daily life pass by without either making of them a prayer, or drawing from them a divine lesson[53]. That is why, with a certain sense of humor, our proper law places before us this situation: we are urged “to work in the most difficult places – those where no one else wants to go – and when it is impossible to continue working there, we should spend a night in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and then ask the Bishop to send us somewhere even worse.”[54] So that, even in such a situation, we might know where to find composure, recover the supernatural sense of things and respond with a greater gift of self, without discouragement.
The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord raises us up above our precariousness and often miserable situations, to the supernatural level. Fulton Sheen said that “if the Act of Contrition were translated into a facial expression, it would be a smile…he who does not know he is wounded can never rejoice at his healing.”[55]
It is in this sense that our proper law exhorts us to “rediscover […] the beauty and joy of the sacrament of Penance”[56] as an occasion to experience “the consoling joy of forgiveness.”[57] What joy more transparent than that of a clean conscience!
Furthermore, we can say that the Resurrection of Christ is not only the cause of the Lord’s joy but also that of the redeemed, for it permits us to make the words of the Psalm our very own: Then our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy.[58]
One day, Saint John Paul II upon speaking to priests and religious in Copenhagen, said to them (and today he repeats to each of us): “God does not only call to a life of sacrifices and renunciations, but also to a life of intimate joy and fullness.”[59] It is also important to keep this in mind. Because, at times, one identifies the work of our sanctification or ‘evangelical perfection,’ in a unilateral or exclusive way, with abnegation and the cross, renunciation and purification. There is no doubt: following Christ requires all of that as a first condition to be his disciple, and it is important to both accept and assume that truth, because they are basic guidelines of the one true Gospel. Nevertheless, unfortunately, reduce sanctity to only that aspect, when in reality, the active and passive nights carry out the function of disposing us so that the divine action might reach its fullness: union with God, infinite Joy. And this is something we must never forget.
2. Distinctive Characteristics
Let us now point out some of the distinctive notes of the sort of joy which should characterize us, as well as our specific way of living it and manifesting it within the Institute.
▪ Our very consecration as religious should be a source of joy, and that in first place. For the profession of our vows proclaims, “the joy of living according to the Gospel beatitudes.”[60] And for those of us who are already priests, “our [priestly] identity, our true dignity, should, in a special way, be the source of our joy and the sureness of our life.”[61]
▪ Lived in community: Consequently, this spiritual and supernatural joy which we have been speaking of should also be lived out and manifested in community. “Fraternal love increases our capacity for joy, since it makes us capable of rejoicing in the good of others: Rejoice with those who rejoice.[62]”[63] For joy is “fruit of the Holy Spirit and the effect of charity, requires us to make use of any and all means so that ‘nobody may be disturbed or grieved in the house of God.’ To do this, fraternal charity is absolutely indispensable.”[64] This rule holds for both superiors as well as subjects. How many religious live discouraged or sad because of disagreements amongst themselves!
We must be careful with this because a brotherhood without joy is a brotherhood which burns out and which will very quickly find themselves tempted to seek in other places that which they do not find at home…[65] On the contrary, the joy of a religious produces an enormous attractiveness towards religious life itself, it is a source of new vocations, and it is a support for perseverance.[66]
Our proper law is clear: “Every community of our small Religious Family should live that spirit of healthy amusement and contagious joy, which have their foundation in the fulfillment of one’s religious duties as well as in the constant consideration that ‘God is the first to be served.’[67]”[68] Now, “only he who rejoices in love truly rejoices: “where love rejoices, there is festivity.’[69] And this is such because every feast implies an existential wealth which at the same time comes forth from a renunciation, because there cannot be a time for feasting if one does not renounce something. And the act of renouncing implies love, for there is no renunciation where there is no love.[70]”[71] From this truth follows the following practical note for living out joy as a religious of the Incarnate Word. That is:
▪ “Live in an atmosphere of festive joy”[72]: This is one of the characteristics of our joy which is closely related to the last point. For, “our communities should show how the love of Christ casts away even the very shade of sadness.”[73] In effect, our proper law commands us, in a paternal fashion to “promote, even externally a joyful environment.”[74] It emphasizes: “It is very important to foster this joy in the religious community: the excuse to work can drown it out, excessive zeal for certain things can cause it to be forgotten, a continuous self-doubt about one’s identity and one’s own future can cast a shadow on it…”[75] Therefore, we must know “how to rejoice together, how to grant moments to relax both personally and in community, how to set aside every now and then one’s work, to rejoice in others joys, pay attention and seek to alleviate the needs of our brothers and sisters, to give oneself generously to the apostolic works, take on situations with mercy, go out to meet the future with the hope of finding our Lord in all things and at all times: all of this fosters serenity, peace, and joy, and it becomes strength for apostolic labor. The road is difficult, but possible in Christ: Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.[76]”[77]
We must always keep clearly in mind the fact that our way of living in community implies living “as a true family gathered together in the name of the Lord, giving pride of place in esteem to each other, and bearing each other’s burdens”[78]; “by ‘lifting him up’, or by ‘warming him,’ i.e. giving him spiritual heat.”[79] This also implies assuming, with benevolence, the defects (whether true or apparent) of others, even when they bother us, and accepting joyfully all of the sacrifices that are imposed on us by living together with those whose mindset and temperament do not fully agree with our own way of seeing and judging.[80] This leads, as a consequence, to the next note for the practice of joy according to the spirituality of our Institute.
▪ Living in an affectionate and joyful family spirit: whether it be in the minor or major seminary, in a contemplative monastery or in a small community dedicated to mission work, the religious, the seminarian, the priest, should love his companions as true brother and his superiors as true fathers.[81]
In this sense, our proper law, compassionate towards our weaknesses and with great pedagogy, exhorts us saying that “in order to foster the practice of charity in joyful mutual help which is born of our contemplation and love of God, and which can be summed up as the spirit of the oratory[82], it is important to duly celebrate the solemnities of the liturgical year. We should do thus by promoting the participation in the liturgy of the mysteries of Christ and his Church, as well as the proper feasts of our Congregation and of the Seminary, with the preparation of novenas and triduums. This especially applies to the Octave of Easter, Sundays, the feasts of the Apostles and of our Lady.[83] All of this is done by solemnizing and actively participating in the liturgy, as well as rest, joy and celebrating accordingly.”[84] “It will also be helpful—insofar as possible—to dedicate certain solemnities or feast days to get together with the other communities of the Religious Family present in the same Province.”[85] It is important that one knows how to ‘invest’ in all that can contribute to this spirit of festive joy lived as a family, as we are explicitly told: the religious “should possess a spiritual joy but he should also manifest it.”[86] “Everything should contribute to joy.”[87]
At times, one thinks that these manifestations of joy are reserved for the younger members who have not yet been ‘hardened’ by the sufferings in the mission, or rather, others think that because the religious are older, they no longer have any fun. Often, those who think that way seem to think that joy is only a ‘divague.’ It is true that each age has its proper manner of enjoying oneself and of expressing that joy. Let us pay close attention to that which our proper law points out: “The presence of elderly members in communities can be something which is very positive. An older religious who is not overcome by the aches and pains nor by the limits due to his age, but rather keeps joy, love, and hope alive, is an immeasurable help to the younger members.”[88] In the measure that time passes and that—by the grace of God—in several communities of our Institute we have together religious from both the ‘youngest’ and the ‘oldest’ generations, we must know how to take advantage of the potential for wisdom and experience that the latter have, while they too must recognize that they are called to practice the virtue of eutrapelia, in keeping with their age and abilities. This virtue is the next characteristic note of our joy.
▪ Eutrapelia: “Community moments of enjoyment and rest are of the highest importance. We refer to this with the virtue to which it belongs: eutrapelia.”[89] “The soul, like the body, becomes tired and has to rest. Delectation is rest for the soul, by remedying its fatigue. It gives pause to the tension of the spirit. Therefore, we must grant this rest to the soul by means of games and feasts, whose moderation springs from the virtue of eutrapelia, practiced during the times of recreation.”[90]
“Saint Thomas wisely said that nobody has the right to be burdensome to others.”[91] So, the virtue of eutrapelia is not synonymous with the religious who makes everyone else the butt of his jokes, or the religious who thinks he’s a comedian and therefore makes himself the butt of others’ jokes. Eutrapelia “is a virtue which regulates man’s recreation, games and diversions according to the rule of reason.”[92] Opposed to this virtue is foolish mirth, which gives itself to illicit types of diversion, whether in reference to the object itself, or to the lack of due circumstances in time, place, or persons. Excessive austerity is also opposed to the virtue of eutrapelia with the result that an individual would not desire to recreate nor permit others to recreate.
“It is in eutrapelia where one can see and verify the presence of good spirit; not in diversion itself, which can be the fruit of human enthusiasm, but insofar as it is a supernatural joy, which can give of itself even in the company of trials and interior aridity.”[93] Our proper law also points out that “there is no fixed or mandatory measure as to how one should participate in eutrapelia, but it is certain that the more charity one puts forth in those times, the more numerous goods one will receive from God. It can also be noted that those who are the most generous during times of joy are the ones who are the most fruitful in their other activities.”[94]
Fulton Sheen said that there is no professional body in the world who has more humor in a get-together than priests—we can add the “Pro” of the priests. And in only a few lines—and not lacking in irony—he exemplifies the sound joy which should reign in those moments: “Good-natured ‘kidding’ or the immediate deflation of a boaster, the humiliation of one who is inflated, endless stories about bishops, mother superiors, parishioners, makes laughter reign in every gathering. No skills are defended, no victories are lauded, no defeats are allowed to depress. There is only one thing that is never laughed at and that is the salvation of a soul. […] Because faith reigns—and therefore, sound judgment—the corporate opinion of the clergy in a diocese is always right. If it agrees that ‘such and such a priest is a “kook”,’ he is a kook. Individual opinion may often be cockeyed, but when faith reigns: where two or three have met together in My name, I am there among them.[95]”[96]
▪ Rejoice in the proclamation of Christ: that is, in apostolic labor. “The characteristic of every authentic missionary life is the inner joy that comes from faith.”[97] It is important to remember that which our documents say about our coadjutor brothers, but which can very well be applied to any of our members: “By means of manual labor, the religious brother is of great service to the community, especially if he knows how to find in that work a source of joy. During his work he can test and check his progress in his different abilities, the development of his personality and the perfecting of his physical and spiritual values. Joy, furthermore, comes from serving, in keeping with the saying of our Lord later quoted by Saint Paul: It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).”[98] “One who is lazy will never delight in the joys of a well deserved rest, because work is also enjoyable because it is later rewarded with rest.”[99]
How edifying is it to see the example of the religious of our Institute given to the sublime yet demanding office of evangelization in countries broken by war, or amidst great privations and trials, who, overcoming themselves they know how to transform suffering into gift and service, and they maintain the joy of evangelizing, even when they have to sow among tears. Truly, their examples encourage us, make us rejoice beyond compare, and incite us to a greater gift of self.
▪ Lived out even in poverty: We, members of the Institute, are called “to accept with joy, for the love of God, privations of necessary things for the sake of holy poverty.”[100] Many of us who remember the first years of the Institute, or have been present for the beginning of some mission, know—not by hearsay—the necessities that we endured, and nevertheless, the common denominator of those occasions is the immense joy that was experienced, to the point that the scarcity or shortages seemed to us as motives for a greater joy and they turned into all sorts of anecdotes. For this reason, we hold it do be true that joy is deeply related to poverty of spirit. “For the poor in spirit is more constant and joyful in his waning times because he has placed his all in nothing, and thus finds a broadness of heart in everything.”[101] In other words: “There are no worries in this world for those who seeks to possess nothing in this world; for his riches are God.”[102]
*****
In conclusion, let us not search elsewhere for the deep and serene joy of religious life, because there is no other path than this: the active and responsible self-abandonment for the sake of the will of God. The difficulties and crosses which will never be lacking –“nor does God wish that they be lacking”[103]– should not reduce our joy.
Because in this life “the only real sadness…is not to become a saint.”[104] The rejoice in the Lord always[105] is something theological: it is the fruit of a continuous friendship with the Incarnate Word and of letting oneself be guided by his Spirit, which has joy as one of its fruits.[106]
Now that we rejoice, together with the whole Church, for the Resurrection of Our Lord, let us remember that our spirituality is also that of the “Gloria” and of the “Magnificat.”[107] May we recover with great vigor our battle for holiness, and continue onwards with renewed enthusiasm in our mission so that our witness of hope in the Resurrection be a credible witness.[108]
May we never be discouraged. Amidst the uncertainties of situations, the helplessness which serves as a grindstone for the soul, the shortage of all sorts of resources, the perplexities which try to halt our journey, we must never look back, we must never ‘shrink.’ Jesus gives us one certainty: You will grieve, but your grief will become joy. […] But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.[109] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.[110]
Today the Church needs our witness of joy. Let us raise up our prayers so that the recognition of our limits and weaknesses, and our Christian acceptance of the challenges that await us, might be transformed into another chance to experience the strength of God and the extraordinary richness of his grace. The Risen One is with us and he again says to us: Do not be afraid![111] Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?… it is I myself.[112]
May the Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Risen One and Cause of our joy, make us witnesses of the joy of Christ who lives forever.
This Easter we greet each of you with the greeting, which was so often used by Don Bosco, the saint of grace and of joy:
Be joyful!
[1] Cf. Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[2] Directory of Spirituality, 203.
[3] Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, 128.
[4] Directory of Consecrated Life, 392; cf. Directory of Spirituality, 204.
[5] Directory of Works of Mercy, 149; cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, S. Th., I-II, 38, 3; I-II, 32, 5.
[6] Cf. Ven. Fulton Sheen, A Way to Happiness, Ch. 4.
[7] Cf. Ibidem.
[8] Cf. Constitutions, 43.
[9] Directory of Consecrated Life, 392.
[10] Cf. Constitutions, 231.
[11] De Trinitate, XIII, 9; cited in Directory of Spirituality, 12.
[12] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 210; op. cit. Saint Teresa of the Andes, Letters, 101.
[13] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 188; op. cit. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, In Ioh., I, 13; PG 73, 153.
[14] Cf. G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, Ch. 7.
[15] Directory of Spirituality, 85.
[16] Cf. Gen 3:5.
[17] Cf. Jn 1:14.
[18] Cf. Eph 4:13
[19] Cf. Lk 15:12.
[20] Cf. Lk 15:15.
[21] Cf. 2 Cor 8:9.
[22] Directory of Contemplative Life, 19.
[23] Cf. Ven. Fulton Sheen, Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[24] 1 Cor 3:18-19a.
[25] cf. Rom. 12:17.
[26] Directory of Spirituality, 181.
[27] Directory of Spirituality, 168.
[28] Cf. Heb 12:2.
[29] Cf. 1 Jn 5:4.
[30] Lk 13:17.
[31] Constitutions, 254-257.
[32] Cf. Directory of Missions Ad Gentes, 144; op. cit., Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 80.
[33] Constitutions, 231.
[34] Evangelii Gaudium, 6.
[35] Gaudete et Exsultate, 125.
[36] Cf. Directory of Consecrated Life, 194.
[37] Directory of Spirituality, 207.
[38] Cf. Ratio Fundamentalis, 55; cited in Directory of Major Seminaries, note 328.
[39] Jn 13:1
[40] Directory of Spirituality, 212.
[41] John Baptist Lemoyne, Memorias Biográficas, VIII, 751.
[42] Directory of Major Seminaries, 121.
[43] Saint John Paul II, Homily from the Solemn Beatification of Miguel Agustín Pro, 25 September 1988.
[44] Ven. Fulton Sheen, Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[45] Cf. Lk 12:6-7 cited in Directory of Spirituality, 67.
[46] Directory of Spirituality, 67.
[47] Ven. Fulton Sheen, Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[48] Directory of Novitiates, 22.
[49] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 108.
[50] Cf. Ibidem.
[51] Directory of Oratories, 106.
[52] Cf. Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[53] Ibidem.
[54] Directory of Spirituality, 86.
[55] Cf. Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[56] Cf. Directory of Major Seminaries, 230.
[57] Ibid; op. cit., Pastores Dabo Vobis, 48.
[58] Ps 126:2; Cf. Directory of Contemplative Life, 21.
[59] Saint John Paul II, To priests and religious in Copenhagen, 07 June 1989.
[60] Directory of Consecrated Life, 55.
[61] Cf. Directory of Consecrated Life, 238.
[62] Rom 12:15.
[63] Gaudete et Exsultate, 128.
[64] Cf. Constitutions, 95.
[65] Cf. Directory of Fraternal Life, 40.
[66] Cf. Directory of Consecrated Life, 394.
[67] Saint John Paul II, Saint Benedict, patron and protector of Europe: his message for our times, 28 September 1980; OR, 05 October 1980.
[68] Cf. Directory of Oratories, 112.
[69] Josef Pieper, In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity, trans. Richard and Clara Winston, South Bend, IN: St. Augustine’s Press, 1999, 23. (Citing John Chrystostom).
[70] Cf. Ibidem.
[71] Directory of Oratories, 45.
[72] Directory of Spirituality, 91.
[73] Directory of Works of Mercy, 144.
[74] Directory of Novitiates, 112.
[75] Directory of Fraternal Life, 41.
[76] Rom 12:12
[77] Directory of Fraternal Life, 42.
[78] Cf. Perfectae Caritatis, 15. Cf. Essential Elements in the Church’s Teaching on Religious Life.
[79] Saint Thomas Aquinas, S. Th., II-II, 188, 8, ad 1.
[80] Cf. Saint John Paul II, Catechesis, 14 October 1994.
[81] Directory of Minor Seminaries, 5.
[82] Cf. Directory of Oratories, 212-216.
[83] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 212.
[84] Directory of Major Seminaries, 242.
[85] Ibidem, 243.
[86] Directory of Minor Seminaries, 88.
[87] Ibidem, 102.
[88] Directory of Fraternal Life, 47.
[89] Directory of Novitiates, 195.
[90] Directory of Spirituality, 213.
[91] Directory of Novitiates, 195.
[92] Antonio Royo Marín, Theology of Christian Perfection, Part IV, Ch. 8, III—Potential Parts of Temperance.
[93] Directory of Novitiates, 195.
[94] Directory of Novitiates, 199.
[95] Mt 18:20.
[96] Cf. Those Mysterious Priests, Ch. 15.
[97] Directory of Missions Ad Gentes, 169; op. cit., Redemptoris Missio, 91.
[98] Directory of Coadjutor Brothers, 78.
[99] Directory of Oratories, 66.
[100] Constitutions, 67.
[101] Saint John of the Cross, Epistolario, Letter 16.
[102] Directory of the Works of Mercy, 253.
[103] Saint John of the Cross, Advice to a religious, 4.
[104] Leon Bloy, La Femme Pauvre, II, 27.
[105] Phil 4:4.
[106] Cf. Gal 5:22.
[107] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 78.
[108] Cf. Directory of Works of Mercy, 96.
[109] Jn 16:20, 22.
[110] Jn 15:11.
[111] Mt 28:10.
[112] Lk 24:38-39.
