Does your faith bring you joy?

I have found this to be true in my own spiritual life. How about you? 

For most of us, our faith is lived as an obligation to fulfill, something burdensome, a box to be ticked off so we can say we are a "good" person. But it does not transform our lives. 

How many Catholics have you met who are considered "devout" Catholics that attend Mass on Sundays and pray, but yet they are often unhappy, bitter, angry or self righteous people. Where is their joy?

Often they focus on how bad and evil the world is. How corrupt everyone else is, how sinful everyone else is - the focus is always on everyone else, and not themselves or their own sins and struggles. This leads to pride, self righteousness, resentment and worse of all, bitterness. Or in scriptural language, this is phariseeism. (Luke 18:11)

When we understand the Good News of Salvation and it touches our heart, then we do not need to walk about preaching to others, but instead our entire way of living would be a moment of evangelisation (Isaiah 52:7). We would invite people to "Come and See" the Saviour (John 1:39-41) who loves me personally (Galatians 2:20), and also loves them. The Good News of the Gospel is to be shared, not forced upon people (Matthew 10:14-16).

 

If we really believed and understood our faith, we would be shouting it from the rooftops! (Isaiah 40:9, Matthew 10:27)

If our faith was an encounter with the Living God, and not an obligation to be fulfilled - then we would have joy. The beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9) would shine forth in our life, that we would not even have to preach to others, they would come to us and ask us what is different in our life compared to theirs. When we understand that the Love of God is poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5), and we can only love because God loved us first (1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:19) - then it changes our way of thinking (Ephesians 4:23, Romans 12:2). 

How many of us really understand and believe the following?:

• We have been redeemed from sin, darkness and the power of Satan (Colossians 1:13, Ephesians 2:2, Galatians 5:1, Matthew 1:21)
• We are Temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 8:9, 2 Corinthians 6:16) 
• We are new creations in Christ and have life everlasting (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4, John 5:24, 1 John 3:14)
• We are beloved Children of the Father (John 1:12, John 16:27, Romans 8:14-16)
• We are coheirs of the Kingdom (Romans 8:17, Matthew 25:34, Revelation 3:21)
• We are a Royal Priesthood who have direct access to God (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6) 
• We know the words of Eternal Life (John 6:68, John 12:50, John 17:8)
• We eat the Bread of Life and life within us (John 6:35, John 6:47-49, John 6:51, John 5:58)
• That the Most Holy Trinity dwells in us and has their home in us (John 14:23, Revelation 3:20, Romans 6:10-11)
• Following Jesus is not a burden, he gives rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28-30) 
• That our thirst is satisfied by streams of Living Water (John 4:14, John 7:38) 
• We are blessed because we believe (John 20:29, Matthew 13:16, 1 Peter 1:8, 1 Corinthians1:6-8)

This Christmas I invite you to reflect on what your faith means to you. If it is not a source of joy, then why? What do you understand about your faith?

Take some time to meditate on the fact that the infant born on Christmas day, the Word made Flesh (John 1:14), is also waiting for us (Matthew 28:20) in all the tabernacles in all the Catholic Churches around the world. He is waiting for us to adore in silence (Matthew 2:2) and let him love us. Through the rhythm of the Church's Liturgy let yourself be drawn into the mystery we celebrate - the Love of God made flesh for you and me (Titus 4:4-7).

May your faith be always source of joy for you, so that your prayer life is a response to the love of God who loved you first (1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:19), and not merely an obligation or duty. Our joy is not based on ignoring suffering or wishful thinking, but it is based on the promises of Christ Himself and the blessings he has told us that will come (Matthew 5:12).

I pray that this Christmas season your joy may be complete (John 15:11) just as Our Lord Jesus himself wants for us all.