{"id":21194,"date":"2015-10-19T15:02:58","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T21:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=21194"},"modified":"2017-04-17T21:58:36","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T01:58:36","slug":"five-keys-to-true-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/five-keys-to-true-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Keys to True Joy","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

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IT <\/b>was a gorgeous deep-blue sky as our plane began the descent to the airport. As I peered out my little window, the brilliance of the cumulus\u00a0clouds made me squint. It was a beautiful sight.<\/p>\n

But as we plunged beneath the clouds, the world suddenly turned gray. Rain streaked across my window as the cities below seemed encamped by a foggy darkness and seemingly inescapable gloom. And yet, the reality of the warm sun and clear skies hadn\u2019t changed. They were still there.<\/p>\n

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So it is with joy. <\/i>True joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And since God is eternal, joy is eternally accessible to us. Even hurricanes cannot completely obscure sunlight; so too the Great Storm<\/em><\/a> of our times\u2014or the personal storms of our daily lives\u2014cannot completely extinguish the burning sun of joy.<\/p>\n

However, just as it takes a plane to rise above the storm clouds to find the sun again, so too, finding true joy requires that we rise above the temporal into the eternal realm. As St. Paul wrote:<\/p>\n

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If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. (Col 3:1-2)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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FIVE KEYS\u00a0TO TRUE JOY<\/p>\n

There are five key ways to find, remain in, and recover authentic Christian joy. And they are learned in the school of Mary, in the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.<\/p>\n

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I. The Annunciation\"\"<\/u><\/p>\n

Just as the animal and plant kingdom cannot thrive unless they obey the laws of nature, so too, humans cannot thrive in joy unless we enter into harmony with God\u2019s holy will. Even though Mary\u2019s whole future was suddenly turned upside-down by the announcement that she was to carry the Savior, her \u201cfiat<\/i>\u201d and obedience to God\u2019s sovereign\u00a0Will became a source of joy.<\/p>\n

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Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

No human being will ever find true joy if they are at war with the \u201claw of love\u201d. For if we are created in God\u2019s image, and \u201cGod is love\u201d, then only by living according to our true nature will we cease the war against our conscience\u2014which is called sin\u2014and discover the joy of living in the Divine Will.<\/p>\n

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Happy are they who keep my ways. (Prov 8:32)<\/span><\/p>\n

Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God\u2019s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. <\/b>\u2014POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii Gaudium, <\/i>\u201dThe Joy of the Gospel\u201d<\/a>, n. 2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Repent and believe the Good News to begin living in joy. <\/i><\/p>\n

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\"\"II. The Visitation<\/u><\/p>\n

Just as a fire deprived of oxygen will soon be extinguished, joy will soon lose its light and warmth when we close ourselves off to others. Mary, despite being several months pregnant, sets out to serve her cousin Elizabeth. The Blessed Mother’s love and presence, united intimately to her Son\u2019s, becomes a source of joy for others precisely because she makes herself available to them. Charity, then, is the great wind of the Spirit that stokes joy and keeps it as a lively flame in which others can bask in its warmth.<\/p>\n

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For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy\u2026 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. (Luke 1:44, 46-47)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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This is my commandment:love one another as I love you\u2026 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. (John 15:12,11)<\/span><\/p>\n

Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others. <\/b>\u2014POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii Gaudium<\/i>, \u201dThe Joy of the Gospel\u201d<\/a>, n. 10<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Love others to increase your and others\u2019 joy. <\/i><\/p>\n

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\"\"III. The Nativity<\/u><\/p>\n

True Christian joy is found, not only in loving others, but most especially in making known to others He-Who-Is-Love. How can the one who has found authentic joy then not share the Source of that joy with others? The gift of the Incarnate Lord was not Mary\u2019s alone; she was to give Him to the world, and in so doing, increased her own joy.<\/p>\n

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Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Church summons Christians to take up the task of evangelization, she is simply pointing to the source of authentic personal fulfilment. For \u201chere we discover a profound law of reality: that life is attained and matures in the measure that it is offered up in order to give life to others. This is certainly what mission means.”<\/b> \u2014POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii Gaudium<\/i>, \u201dThe Joy of the Gospel\u201d<\/a>, n. 10<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sharing the Gospel with others is our privilege and joy.<\/i><\/p>\n

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\"\"IV. The Presentation in the Temple<\/u><\/p>\n

Suffering may seem to be the antithesis of joy\u2014but only if we do not understand the redemptive power of it. \u201cFor the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross.\u201d<\/i> [1]<\/sup><\/a>Heb 12:2<\/span><\/span>