Seven Signs of Christian Joy

What must I do to make room for joy in my life?

After the last Mass of my first Christmas as a priest, a woman whom I had never met before approached me. She had a somewhat sterner look than those who had come up to me simply to say, Merry Christmas.

This woman looked me in the eye and, recalling the theme of my homily, said, You were preaching about joy up there, but you sure didn't look joyful.

I do not remember how I replied, though I am sure it was one of those cases in which all of the intelligent things I might have said occurred to me only hours later. In the moment, I was taken aback and felt a little sorry for myself. I was tired by the time of the afternoon Mass on Christmas Day, and visible demonstrations of joy seemed to be beyond my strength. I say seemed, because I know there are times when I have allowed fatigue or other difficulties to eclipse my joy.

Why Is There Lack?

Thinking about Pope Francis' recent apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, brought this incident to my mind again and gives me an occasion to consider the nature of Christian joy. The Holy Father challenges us to examine ourselves, looking within for the joy he rightly says should characterize the life of every Christian.

Making this examination, we will find either that we possess that joy that is a fruit of the Holy Spiritor that we lack joy. In the former case, we have further cause for rejoicing in God's goodness to us. In the latter case, we must consider why we lack joy, confess any sins which may be stifling the Holy Spirit's work, and do all we can to open ourselves up to the change God wants to work in us. We should do this without fear or anxiety, remembering his great love for us.

Lent Without Easter

But how do we know what joy looks like in the first place? We probably know some people who are obviously joyful and others who seem not to be joyful, those whose lives seem like Lent without Easter (EG, no. 6). Do not many people, however, seem to be somewhere in-between? How do I know whether I am experiencing the kind of joy our Catholic tradition says I ought to be experiencing?

We probably sense that the appearance of joy registers somewhere on the temperamental spectrum between frivolity and abject sadness, but after this we can find ourselves at a loss about what joy is. Though the following list will not be exhaustive, I would like to offer seven signs of a joyful Christian I hope will be helpful in understanding this essential Christian characteristic.

Enthusiasm

1One of the three hallmarks of the New Evangelization, according to St. John Paul II, is that it is new in ardor, or what we might call enthusiasm. Joy and enthusiasm often go together. When one is lacking, often the other will be lacking as well.

The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus, Pope Francis writes in the opening paragraph of Evangelii Gaudium. Is my heart filled with joy? If not, what in me might be stifling joy? What must I do to make room for joy in my heart and life?

Newness

2Closely related to the quality of enthusiasm is that of experiencing what Pope Francis calls the eternal newness of the Gospel (EG, nos. 11-13). One of the chief reasons we need the New Evangelization, as Archbishop Vigneron has often reminded us, is that many people have become bored with the gospel. People can slip into a sense that they have heard it all, and that whatever good fruit the gospel might have born in the past is now harvested and gone.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the Letter to the Hebrews (13:8) tells us. The Good News of salvation in Jesus can never grow stale. Our transformative encounter with the living Christ runs much deeper than passing emotions or cultural ennui.

Speech

3Jesus tells us in Luke 6:45, From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. If our hearts are filled with joy, we will speak differently from those whose hearts are embittered, cynical, or burdened with sadness. Our speech will be more alive, more truthful, more charitable, and less prone to sarcasm, gossip, detraction, cynical pessimism,

or melancholy.

Laughter

4A well-known song by the musician Billy Joel features the lyric, I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun. With all due respect to Mr. Joel, this lyric expresses a popular misconception regarding which experiences in life are more enjoyable: those spent doing virtuous activities with virtuous people (who, nevertheless, are also sinners), or doing whatever one pleases with those who are not interested in virtue.

Saints do not spend their days in tears, though life contains its share of sorrow. Saints, rather, know how to laugh because in good times and bad they know the joy of being God's sons and daughters and of the Spirit dwelling within. They know how to laugh at what is truly humorous without becoming superficial jokesters who trivialize life.

One mark of the saints is they know how to laugh at themselves, rejoicing in the blessed irony that God loves and saves us even though we are so weak and, sometimes, foolish.

Smiling

5While I'm quoting from popular music, here is the lyric from a song made famous by Louis Armstrong: When you're smilin'. . . the whole world smiles with you. It is great to have joy within us, but it will be of much greater benefit to others if we communicate joy to them.

St. Teresa of Avila, perhaps in a moment of exasperation at having seen too little joy on the faces of her fellow Christians, once said, God save us from gloomy saints! Something as simple as a smile can give witness to the goodness of God and his gifts to us. A smile can help others to smile at what God has done for them.

Attraction

6While it is true, as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta has said, that our mission is to be faithful rather than successful, it is also true that God wills everyone to be saved(1 Tm 2:4) and that Jesus sends his disciples out to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). If I find I am not attracting anyone else to share our life in Christ, then perhaps it is because I do not have the joy of the gospel.

People find joy attractive. They want to spend their time with joyful people. They often will imitate those who are joyful, so they can share in that joy.

Gratitude

7I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty, Pope Francis writes (EN, no. 6). The Holy Father offers us a realistic sense about what joy should look like, but the key is that we do in fact hold fast to the joy God has given us in all of life's seasons.

Knowing the joy of the gospel, remaining grateful at all times for the gifts God has given to us, and embracing the crosses that lie in our path, we learn to trust God's plan for our lives. In good times and bad, we praise and thank our heavenly Father for his goodness and for the gift of his Son Jesus, who tells us he came so that your joy may be complete (Jn 15:11).