August 17
On Spiritual Joy
Preparation. - Unspeakable was the joy that inundated Mary’s heart at her entrance into heaven. That we may share therein, we shall meditate, first, on the motives that induce us to rejoice during this holy octave, and secondly, on the wholesome effects of this lawful joy. And then we shall unite all our feelings of gladness with those of our Blessed Mother, to refer them to God, as she was wont to do during her mortal life. “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1. 47).
I. Motives That Prompt Us To Rejoice
Even in the Old Law God recommended spiritual joy: “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye just; and glory, all ye right of heart” (Ps. 31. 11). “Let all that seek Thee, rejoice and be glad in Thee” (Ps. 39. 17). These exhortations of the Holy Ghost are renewed in the Law of Grace, and with reason, for joy is an effect of love and gratitude. Hence when have men more motives for loving and praising God and rejoicing in Him, than since the Incarnation of the eternal Word, who came to lavish upon earth all the treasures of heaven? Wherefore St. Paul says to us all: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice” (Phil. 4. 4).
Let us, poor orphans exiled in this valley of tears, share in the beatific joy of our Queen and Mother, who has been taken up to heaven. If the Sovereign Judge, at the last day, will invite His servants and friends to enter into the joy of their Lord (Mat. 25. 21), with how much greater reason has He not thus invited His beloved Mother, the Queen of paradise? Let us, then, rejoice with Mary, not with a joy that dissipates, distracts and removes from God, but with the joy proceeding from a good conscience and bringing us nearer to the Supreme Good.
Courtiers find pleasure in serving a great monarch; the prospective heir of an earthly throne is enraptured at the thought of his glorious future; and how can we, the children of the King of kings and the Queen of angels, the heirs of the heavenly kingdom, remain sad and gloomy, when foreseeing our future greatness, our immortal destiny? Let us henceforth be less forgetful of the glory and delights prepared for us by Jesus and Mary.
O my God, remove from my heart all obstacles to the spiritual joy, that is, all that wounds my conscience and hinders my union with Thee, which is the source of true contentment. Make me less sensitive to contradiction, reproaches, admonitions, want of due regard and to all that induces sadness and despondency in me. Enable me to die to myself and to my self-love, to vain and earthly enjoyments. I will place in Thee alone all my affections and all my hope; I will always love and serve Thee with a heart full of joy and gratitude, after the example of Mary, our heavenly Mother. “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
II. Wholesome Effects Of Spiritual Joy
The joy that comes from heaven greatly facilitates the practice of virtue. “I have run in the way of Thy commandments,” says David, “because Thou hast dilated my heart” (Ps. 118. 32). In this state fatigue is not incurred, for, says the prophet, “they shall run and not be weary” (Is. 40. 31). On the other hand, sadness hinders all progress, for “by grief of mind the spirit is cast down” (Prov. 15. 13).
O how easy it is for him that is always cheerful, to be generous! Such a one goes so far as to take pleasure in self-denial and in being docile to grace. Punctual in every thing, he never refuses any thing to the Lord and abandons himself to His guidance. Thence he enjoys that peace of conscience which is for him “like a continual feast” (Prov. 15. 15), and also those heavenly favors and consolations, for “the Lord loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9. 7).
Hence we see that the saints who were most eager in sacrificing everything to God, received from His goodness the fullness of the Spirit of love that imparts joy to souls. St. Philip Neri was wholly penetrated thereby, and the very sight of him consoled the afflicted. It was enough merely to enter his room to be freed from sadness and all mental trouble. St. Romauld, notwithstanding his great age and his austerities, had always a beaming countenance which brought cheerfulness to those who approached him. If holiness procures to the servants of God such ineffable contentment already in this life, what must not the Queen of saints have enjoyed in her glorious Assumption! Let us ask her, by her unspeakable happiness, to enable us to rejoice greatly, as our Saviour recommends, even when we are insulted, persecuted and calumniated.
And in fact, did not the apostles rejoice, and so many saints after them, of having been deemed worthy to suffer for Jesus? If this is a motive for rejoicing, among so many others, why do we lose our peace of mind, when we are humbled, opposed or meet with difficulties? That is hard, indeed, we say, and why? Because our heart is too much attached to its inclinations, and looks upon sacrifices as sources of bitterness. Let us be undeceived, for they contain, on the contrary, a hidden manna possessing every good taste. Let us try it, and we shall be convinced of it. O Jesus, O Mary, give me the courage to put this into practice. I am resolved to do so with your powerful help.
