The third week of Advent invites us to rejoice even as the candles burn against the long nights of waiting. Joy in Christ is not the shallow cheer of circumstance, but the deep flame that endures through hiddenness, dryness, and even suffering.
Continue reading “Advent Joy in the Midst of Hiddenness”
This third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, calls us to rejoice—not with shallow cheer, but with the deep gladness that comes from knowing Christ is near. The rose candle flickers with hope, reminding us that joy is not a passing feeling but a gift born of His presence.
Continue reading “Opening the Door of Our Hearts”
How can we be full of joy in times like these? It seems we are truly walking through the valley of tears as we watch the shadowlands of humanity play out on the world stage. We are called not to loose hope, to take heart and find joy. This is the spiritual maturity we are called to pursue with fear and trembling. We cancel our focus on the fleeting joy the world offers and gravitate to the joy found in the moments of God’s presence.
Continue reading “The Source of Joy”
This reflection by Dr. Barbara Holmes on joy and resilience from Richard Rohr’s daily meditations is too good not to share in its entirety. It describes how we can find joy through practice and surrender:
Continue reading “Pathway to Joy”
Barbara Holmes begins her book Joy Unspeakable with this evocative poem, tracing the thread of creative expression from the birth of the universe through the Christian Desert Mothers and Fathers (who were dark-skinned, though they’re often portrayed as white), through slavery and the continued oppression of people of color. I invite you to read the poem aloud, perhaps a couple times, searching for and finding your own unspeakable joy.
Joy Unspeakable
is not silent,
it moans, hums, and bends
to the rhythm of a dancing universe.
It is a fractal of transcendent hope,
a hologram of God’s heart,
a black hole of unknowing.
For our free African ancestors,
joy unspeakable is drum talk
that invites the spirits
to dance with us,
and tell tall tales by the fire.
For the desert Mothers and Fathers,
joy unspeakable is respite
from the maddening crowds,
And freedom from
“church” as usual.
For enslaved Africans during the
Middle Passage,
joy unspeakable is the surprise
of living one more day,
and the freeing embrace of death
chosen and imposed.
For Africans in bondage
in the Americas,
joy unspeakable is that moment of
mystical encounter
when God tiptoes into the hush arbor,
testifies about Divine suffering,
and whispers in our ears,
“Don’t forget,
I taught you how to fly
on a wing and a prayer,
when you’re ready
let’s go!”
Joy Unspeakable is humming
“how I got over”
after swimming safely
to the other shore of a swollen Ohio river
when you know that you can’t swim.
It is the blessed assurance
that Canada is far,
but not that far.
For Africana members of the
“invisible institution,” the
emerging black church,
joy unspeakable is
practicing freedom
while chains still chafe,
singing deliverance
while Jim Crow stalks,
trusting God’s healing
and home remedies,
prayers, kerosene,
and cow patty tea.
For the tap dancing, boogie woogie,
rap/rock/blues griots
who also hear God,
joy unspeakable is
that space/time/joy continuum thing
that dares us to play and pray
in the interstices of life,
it is the belief that the phrase
“the art of living”
means exactly what it says.
Sunday – Dead or Alive. Have you ever thought about if you are living dead or alive?
Monday – All I Need. How often do I look at the changing world around me, allowing it to create dis-ease in my mind or stir up fear in my heart?
Tuesday – Awesomeness. How awesome God is it that Your reign and glory trump everything here in this crazy chaotic world.
Wednesday – Safe and secure. “My soul shall be filled as with a banquet; with joyful lips, my mouth shall praise you. For you have been my strength, in the shadow of your wings I rejoice. My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me”. Psalm 63 Antiphonal
Thursday – Solid Foundation. How do I live in the solid foundation of joy?
Friday – Presence. And a voice came from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” Matthew 3:17
How many times do I make choices and assumptions based on my own design and flawed, limited perspective? I think I’m the one who needs to be doing something, not fully realizing that its not part of Your plan. As I grown in relationship with You, I hear and follow your promptings. You allow me to do things of Your will for the benefit of Your plan and to participate in Your grace. Oh, the joy my heart feels when I feel your presence and goodness in the divine flow.
Continue reading “Week Eight: Joy. Presence”How do I live in the solid foundation of joy? We’re promised that joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, which means it’s a gift given to us—something supernaturally infused into our being. With that being said, I think that for many of us it resides deep down in the soul, not making the light of day. St. Teresa of Calcutta said that “joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” So how do we grow in the virtue of joy? Lisa Brenninkmeyer states she has discovered three things that help her in this regard:
Continue reading “Week Eight: Joy. Solid Foundation”I want to savor Your presence, Your love and feel Your support and comfort. You hold me in Your right hand, and I am safe and secure. I am Yours, I am loved, I’m Your beloved. How a lover chases after her love – I seek to know You, rest with You, enjoy You, hold Your hand, praise You. I want to introduce You to everyone I know.
Continue reading “Week Eight: Joy. Safe and Secure”How awesome God is it that your reign and glory trump everything here in this crazy chaotic world. Your kingdom has the final authority. Your reign is supreme and eternal. It is only with you that our souls live forever.
Continue reading “Week Eight: Joy. Awesomeness”How often do I look at the changing world around me, allowing it to create dis-ease in my mind or stir up fear in my heart? The amount of uncertainty we face is at an all time high it seems, but is it really? Behind the thin veneer of what the world has taught me to think was secure, the covering has been removed and exposed. Our world is not secure or our stable ground, but we must remember that it is not meant to provide all that we need. The world is good as it was created out of God’s goodness, but it is not the prize of my eternal home.
Continue reading “Week Eight: Joy. All I Need.”
Smitten With Goodness 