Joy

1. True joy is to selflessly do what we want to do – the happiness we feel when we go beyond what duty requires.

2. Man was imagined and created by God to live the joy that springs from the truth that sets him free.

3. The wellspring of joy is within us.

4. We find a never ending source of joy when we discover the image of God’s very being and God’s own love within us.

5. The capacity to be surprised implies the capacity to find joy.

6. The internalized conviction that God loves us can make us see everything from a perspective that is realistic yet all together optimistic, joyful, pleasing and awe-inspiring.

7. The Reign of God, which is not of this world, is the one that brings joy and fullness to the kingdoms of this world.

8. True friendship cannot serve merely to share one’s sorrows, but also to enjoy with one’s friend the pleasure of one’s joy and the cause of that joy: one’s hopes, wishes, and accomplishments.

9. (We experience joy) when we happily accept our circumstances.

10. The generosity you must show is to joyously respond to God’s Generosity. Sporadic acts of generosity tend to obscure the “joyously” part.

11. If morality is to be infectious and persuasive it must spring from a joyful and lively conviction.


Reflection Questions


1. How are joy and love interconnected?




2. What distinguishes the Christian understanding of true joy from the more worldly concept of joy?