Tag Archives: cheerfulness

Rejoice in the Lord

St Paul tells the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord always”. To be sure, we find our greatest joy, our happiness, when we are closest to God. But we should also communicate our joy to others through our good humour and cheerfulness. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St Josemaria, Pope Francis and Rose Kennedy to  consider how:

  • St Josemaria Escriva, St Thomas More and other saints showed their love for God by their good humour
  • We can grow in love for God through our life of prayer and reception of the sacraments
  • We can have this joy even when we are suffering
  • Our bad moods and problems should not take away our joy
  • Cheerfulness is attractive and can draw others to God

Joy to the world

Christmas is a time of great joy, joy because we celebrate the entry of Christ  into the world as our Saviour. But in a real sense, everyday is Christmas because Christ is always with us. In this meditation we consider the importance of being always cheerful, of radiating our joy to others. We consider:

  • Texts of Scripture that speak to us of the joy surrounding the birth of Christ
  • How Mary brought joy to Elizabeth and John the Baptist in her womb
  • How we find our joy “in the Lord”, as St Paul writes
  • Texts of St Josemaria, St John Chrysostom, Pope Francis and Rose Kennedy that speak of joy
  • How we can be cheerful even when we are in a bad mood, or are experiencing difficulties
  • How important it is to radiate joy to those around us