Joy is Forever
This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday. It is a Sunday that is steeped in Joy. We light the pink candle, and the vestments are pink. Frankly, it is hard for most of our priests to pull off a pink vestment with panache. So, as the celebrant walks down the aisle, we naturally and spontaneously smile. Smiling and even a little giggle is good, but not what this Sunday is all about.
Though we didn’t understand it then, we captured the most profound meaning of this weekend when we were children. Do you remember singing the children’s song “I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay?” That little ditty that we carelessly sang as children is the heart and soul of the Third Sunday in Advent. We were singing one of the most critical messages any of us can ever learn without knowing it. As children, we sang wisdom that we so often lose sight of as adults. It is good to be reminded.
Sometimes we use the words joy and happiness interchangeably. They aren’t. There are significant differences between joy and happiness. This Sunday reminds us that yes, happiness is good. The quick smile, the feeling of light-headedness, the laughter of children, sharing a glass of wine or a cup of coffee with a friend. Those all bring happiness, and happiness is good. But happiness is fleeting. Amid the laughter, a single phone call that brings terrible news can wash happiness away in an instant. The tiniest twist of the prism that is our life can make our happiness come crashing down.The good news is that, like happiness, many other emotions are fleeting. They are only an inch deep. Sadness, disappointment, discouragement, grief, and even despair are temporary.
When we are in the middle of them, we think our emotions are forever. But they are not. They are only an inch deep. Much like happiness, we roll through many emotions in our lives. Some for more extended periods than others. But all of them, whether they feel good and we embrace them or close our eyes and run from them, they will pass. So, what is the point? Is our life to be little more than a roller coaster of emotions that grab hold of us and dance with our hearts for as long as they can hold control. Then another feeling comes along and pushes them out of the way. Are we pawns in an emotional chess game that is life?
No! And that is what this Sunday is all about. It is not about happiness. It is about joy. God gave us the gift of joy, and joy is not an inch deep. Joy is not fleeting. It is planted and deeply rooted in our souls. Joy is a countenance of peace and trust that underlies all feelings. It is a stance that we take toward the world no matter the chaos that surrounds us. True joy is our unshakeable bedrock.
The good news is we already have it. We can remain rooted in joy during any emotional storm as long as we remember it is there and continually nurture its growth. Aha, so there is the fine print. We have joy. It is ours. It is a gift from God. But we must tend it. How do we do that? Well, we water it with prayer, hoe it with gratitude, let the sunlight of silent oneness with God shine on it. We celebrate it when we gather as a community, and we fertilize it with Eucharist. No matter the surface emotions that fight to own us, we maintain the solid ground at the depth of our soul. There lives joy.
A more straightforward way is that happiness and the myriad of other emotions we experience are external, fleeting, and only achievable on earth. On the other hand, Joy is internal, selfless, sacrificial, a spiritual connection with God, and is purely and completely good. Joy is forever.
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
