Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Speaking of joy, wellness consultant Meg Landis wrote:

Want more joy in your day? Cultivate it! Joy springs from viewing the day’s events from a spiritual perspective. With this intentional focus, you’re sure to see today differently—with more joy and conviction that God is at work in your life.

So, joy can emerge out of the darkness or the light. It can be prompted by contemplating the day’s happiness or sadness. Vincent saw this as uniting ourselves with the Paschal Mystery:

“I beg Our Lord, Monsieur, that we may be able to die to ourselves in order to rise with Him, that he may be the joy of your heart, the end and soul of your actions, and your glory in heaven. This will come to pass if, from now on, we humble ourselves as He humbled Himself, if we renounce our own satisfaction to follow Him by carrying our little crosses, and if we give our lives willingly, as He gave His, for our neighbor whom He loves so much and whom He wants us to love as ourselves.” (from a letter to Louis Rivet, Superior, In Saintes, 8 December, 1649)

As many of us recall, and quote with varying accuracy, it is not without wisdom that Frederick Buechner has said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC). I think his gladness is Vincent’s joy. This Sunday is “Gaudete” Sunday. So be joyful — if you are trying to follow God’s will, you are on the road to deep gladness, even if you momentarily pass through sadness or doubt. God is present in your struggle. Be grateful that you have been called to the Vincentian path.

“A Christian is one who is on the way, though not necessarily very far along it, and who has at least some dim and half-baked idea of whom to thank. A Christian isn’t necessarily any nicer than anybody else. Just better informed.” (Buechner, Listening to Your Life)

So cultivate joy:

• Be grateful for your call.
• Remember that God is present in every moment.
• At night there are tears, but joy cometh in the morning!

#IamVincent. So are you.