Good day to you all.
We know what it feels like to be joyful. Joy gives us that feeling of wellbeing and of a sense of security. Unfortunately, joy is one of those feelings that does not last for a long period of time.
It would be great if we could feel joyful all the time. But that just does not happen. There are days and sometimes weeks that it seems we just move through life as if we were in some kind of cloud, one day melting into another. Then, something happens, we get a phone call from a friend, we run into someone we haven’t seen in a long time, Whatever it might be and there it is; joy.
The author Fr. James Martin, SJ. gives us his thoughts. “The closer one moves to God, the more one experiences a sense of deep joy. So, for those following their heartfelt desires and living out their vocation, there will be joy. For those following God’s call to care for the least of our brothers and sisters, there will be joy. And for those following God’s invitation to love one another, there will be joy.
Joy is often an outgrowth not simply of following our vocation in life, but of helping those in need and of loving one another. So, joy is not a selfish thing to seek, but a selfless thing to find.”
So maybe joy should not be that tingling feeling. Maybe it is just knowing that we are following the vocation the Lord has set out for us, whether that be marriage, religious life, or the single life. Knowing that we are comfortable in our chosen life’s vocation, then we can be sure that we have the Joy of the Holy Spirit within us.
Following in one’s father’s footsteps does not mean that we will be happy and have that deep sense of joy within us. We all have a road we have been put on and are called to follow. That road may not always lead us to where we think it is going to, but if we follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, then joy will be that secure feeling down deep in our soul.
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the
Bros and Srs of the
Franciscan House of Prayer.
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