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The joy of the Lord must be our strength, no matter what’s going on around us

by | Oct 3, 2021

The Soulful Catholic was feeling especially beloved by God on Oct. 1, the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. Ever since reading the children’s version of the saint’s biography at the tender age of 8, there was a kinship with this Doctor of the Church, a French Catholic nun who was unknown to the world until after her death at age 24.

This year’s feast seemed extra-special as it became apparent that by the mystery of God’s grace, prayers were being answered one after another. God’s tender mercies were a palpable presence and consolations abounded. “It’s going to be a great weekend!” I thought to myself. In spite of myriad challenges, there was deep joy in my heart.

That was not always the case. The joy was something discovered through the sacrament of confession.

When sins have been confessed with a firm commitment to not fall into that sin again — once the words of absolution have been spoken and penance has been done — those sins are GONE, drowned in the ocean of His mercy. We are free and in that freedom there is joy.

There is perhaps no greater example of this than the Prodigal Son. Filled with remorse and regret for his sins and crushed by failure, this wayward son decided to return to his father’s house and become a slave. Scripture tells us the father ran to him, threw his arms around him, and placed a ring on his finger, a robe about his shoulders and sandals on his feet.

Fr. John Clote, a journalist-turned-priest who produced “The Miracle Box,” a new film about confession, says the bestowing of those three items has deep significance.

“The signet ring was a sign of authority and inheritance. When you have the signet ring, you have full control, full ownership of what was given to you,” Fr. Clote said. “So when the father did that, he was restoring to the son everything that was his, even though the son treated his father like garbage and said, ‘I’ll take what’s mine.'”

The robe signifies dignity and restoration. And only slaves went barefoot, so by giving his son the sandals, the father was saying, “You are not a servant — you’re my son.” It was a moment of great rejoicing.

Confession, The Miracle Box reminds us, is the door to God’s mercy and grace. It’s the way to forgiveness, healing, restoration and freedom.

And that should fill us with joy.

Years ago, before I’d had a personal encounter with Christ, someone gave me a bookmark with a Bible quote that proclaimed, “The joy of the Lord must be your strength ( Nehemiah 8:10).” I had no idea what that meant. How could joy be our strength? Wasn’t joy something like that feeling you get on the last day of the school year?

Uh, no.

We live in an era that places a lot of emphasis on feelings (as The Soulful Catholic, I can certainly attest to that). But our mind has to be in charge of those feelings. So while we might feel as though we haven’t been forgiven, we can know that, after a good confession, we ARE forgiven. God rejoices over us and delights in us and throws His arms around us.

It’s a joyful thing.

Notice I didn’t say “happy.” Happiness is one of those emotions that can change with the wind. It’s pizza night, so we’re happy. We’re stuck in traffic, so we’re unhappy. We’re going on vacation, so we’re happy. And so on.

Joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances. The joy of the Lord is deep in the soul and comes from the sure knowledge that Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death. Jesus Christ has forgiven us. Jesus Christ will come again in glory!

The joy of knowing that and believing that is what carries us through the valleys and the dark times and through disappointment and tragic moments. Joy helps us leave the past in the past and move forward with hope. It’s how we remain joyful even when our circumstances aren’t a source of happiness. It’s the voice that drowns out the enemy’s lies and reminds us we are precious sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of lords, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

St .Paul tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”

Let us rejoice in the Lord and draw strength from the sure knowledge that His mercy endures forever.

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The phrase jumped out at me and set off alarm bells:
“The growing burden on this sandwich generation weakens careers and quality of life…”
The Soulful Catholic’s quiet perusal of the Sunday-morning edition of the Wall Street Journal is generally not fraught with consternation. And yet this seemingly innocuous turn of phrase had her taking screenshots for further reflection.
The article in question was examining the challenges faced by the sandwich generation, referring to those adults charged with the care of both young children and elderly parents or grandparents.
As someone who navigated that season of life not so long ago, I sympathize with the struggle. But a burden? A drag on my career? A lower quality of life?
Uh, no. Definitely no.

Our joy will attract others to faith in Christ. Outrage and vitriol? Not so much.

Our joy will attract others to faith in Christ. Outrage and vitriol? Not so much.

“Next week, don’t be the same person you were last week. Let’s start to live a more radical response to the gift of the best news ever … I beg you to respond by sharing the Gospel with confidence, by rejoicing in his love even when life is really hard.”— Chris Stefanick, National Eucharistic Congress, July 21

Of all the powerful statements that were uttered at the National Eucharistic Congress, this is the one that stays with me.

Many of us seem to have lost the sense that the Gospel is, in fact, good news. When faith becomes caught up in debate and politics and keeping score, the heart of the Gospel is lost. When we become cynics who are quick to complain, criticize and condemn, we forget to share the joy we should have from being a disciple of the Lord Jesus. We forget what Jesus told us: “I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 12:47).”

Gift of joy transforms an otherwise painful moment into encounter with Christ

Gift of joy transforms an otherwise painful moment into encounter with Christ

“Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” Evangelii Gaudium #10

That has to be one of my favorite quotes from The Joy of the Gospel, the 2013 Apostolic Exhortation penned by Pope Francis. And it reminds me of Marlin, a radiology tech I’ve come to know over the last 20 years.
I’m not making this up.

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