True JOY (Jn 15:9-11) by Whitney Compton

22 May True JOY (Jn 15:9-11) by Whitney Compton

“Jesus said to his disciples:  ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you.  Remain in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.’” ~ Jn 15:9-11 (full readings)
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Whitney’s Reflection:  iPad, iPod, some say we are in an “iGeneration”… So often life seems to be about what can I get or how to make this situation help me.  Often we search for the easiest, quickest, most painless way to get through life.  It is sad to say but many of us have become numb to life because of the culture around us.  We must remember all humans, even those unborn in the womb, are body and soul; they are lives with great dignity; they are people with feeling.  Without Love we would not be here.  The Lord created us by Love, for Love, and to be in union with Him in Love.  Love gives life and freedom.  The Lord loves us so much, as a result of this love; in His word he tells us how we can remain in his love:  by keeping his commandments.  These commandments are not given to us simply as a set of rules, they are a gift.  In them we find our freedom and remain in God’s love.  The Lord gives us this gift, but we have to choose His law over our own selfish desires that that can often violate the dignity of others.  Love is a motivator, and the fullness of love is joy. In making joy an acronym, we can see that Joy is not always easy because it does not focus on ourselves.  Let’s just break this down the way Father John Amsberry first did for me.  The first letter stands for Jesus.  The second letter stands for others. Finally, the last letter is you.  In everything we do and in each soul we spiritually adopt, especially the souls of the unborn; it is essential to be rooted in Jesus, to put others first and serve them according to His example, and then we look to ourselves.  We can look to Jesus as a true example of this authentic “JOY” love. He suffered out of love for us so that we might be redeemed.  Servais Pinckaers, O.P. in the book Morality, The Catholic View states, “Joy… is born of trials, of pains endured, of sufferings accepted with courage and love.” He also speaks about joy being “lasting, like the excellence, the virtues, that engender it.”  Joy isn’t easy, but when we understand that joy is born of suffering for love of another, we can then see the process of how love gives life.  With faith we must go out in the world and show others true love the Lord has given us with joy and in turn encourage others to share the love and joy of the Lord.
* Whitney Compton grew up in St. Louis, MO.  She earned a Master of Arts in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville.  She strives to live her daily life consecrated to Jesus through Mary according to the consecration formula of Saint Louis de Montfort.
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Faith Challenge:  Have JOY. Remain in the love of Jesus, then share that love with others and then love yourself.  Go out with JOY and bring other, by love, into the JOY of Jesus.
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Counter-Culture News:  LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers:  Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  Saint Rita of Cascia.
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Faith Quote:  “Love to be real – it must cost – it must hurt – it must empty us of self.” ~ Blessed Mother Teresa
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Through Christ Our Lord,
Whitney
Eph 2:8