Reflection for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
During this Easter season there have been numerous references to joy, especially in the preaching of the early apostles and in Jesus’ words to his disciples at the supper. In fact, Jesus’ prayer is that our joy will be complete. Why not just pray for happiness? It is Joy that seems to be the ultimate goal that God has for us. (Someone who knows Greek has pointed out to me that “joy” comes from the same root as the word for grace.)
Many of those things that bring us pleasure in life are really a reflection of a deeper reality that we seem to be seeking. Joy is a gift that transcends time and circumstances, is connected to our confidence in God’s love and care. Perhaps the joy coming from our relationship with God, prayed for by Jesus and proclaimed by the apostles was what provided the freedom to embrace the life held out to all who came to believe.
This promised joy and freedom rested then—and still rests—in the gift of the Spirit who continues to fill us and our whole world with the prospect of a joy and a peace that this world cannot of itself provide.
The “Good News” is that God has drawn close to us, and as the Book of Revelation proclaims: “The Lord God almighty and the Lamb provide the light for our lives!”
Len Kraus, S.J.
No comments:
Post a Comment