Spiritual Joy..........(article)

[BarbaraTherese]

EWTN – Global Catholic Network……………from the article “You’d better not Pout” by Curtis A. Martin on Spritual Joy. The following are quotations from the article, which can be found in full on the link below.

“The foundation of abiding joy is the realization that God is our
loving Father, Who allows all the trials and circumstances in our
lives to work together for our good ‹ what we commonly call divine
providence (cf. Rom. 8:28). Every difficulty we encounter is
provided as an opportunity for us to demonstrate our trust and
reliance upon our Father. If we truly have confidence in His
loving care for us, why would we allow ourselves to become
discouraged by the troubles that surround us?
Without these natural virtues, our joy may be stolen from us………………Laugh, and the world thinks you’re weird ………………St. Lawrence the Martyr, while in the process of being grilled to death on a gridiron, is reported to have looked up at his executioners and said, “Excuse me, I believe I’m done on this
side. You can turn me over now.” ……”

(The above are quotations only from the article, which can be found in full on the following link:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/SPIRIT/NOTPOUT.TXT)

 

[NotWorthy]

Great Post! I love this article. And remember, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” If we love one another, our joy will be evident.

Notworthy

 

[BarbaraTherese]

NotWorthy:

Great Post! I love this article. And remember, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” If we love one another, our joy will be evident.

Notworthy

Hello NotWorthy…I second your motion above - would that I consistently lived it! If God’s Love were to live in me I would be always loving others. I would be consumed with love for others and always moving in that direction. Thank you for the reminder.

“How can you say you love God whom you cannot see, if you do not love your neighbour whom you can”

All this is no case for despair, rather prayful hope and striving, seeing where I am really at (what St. Teresa of Avila termed ‘self knowledge’ )with a prayerful desire and striving to transcend my own weaknesses. While increase is always God’s gift unearned…He sees the heart that ardently desires the gift…

Good post, NotWorthy! …

Regards, Barb

 

[Tonks40]

Wow, perfect timing for this post in my situation! I’m currently going through struggles with my oldest son (which have been pretty consistant over the past couple of years), but this time, I do feel a peace and, dare I say it, a joy, because for the first time, I handed all my frustrations, anxieties, and disappointments to Christ. He has made me uncharacteristically stable throughout this whole stressful situation, and that’s pretty good for someone who has been diagnosed bi-polar!

Thank you very, very much for this post and reminder!

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Tonks40:

Wow, perfect timing for this post in my situation! I’m currently going through struggles with my oldest son (which have been pretty consistant over the past couple of years), but this time, I do feel a peace and, dare I say it, a joy, because for the first time, I handed all my frustrations, anxieties, and disappointments to Christ. He has made me uncharacteristically stable throughout this whole stressful situation, and that’s pretty good for someone who has been diagnosed bi-polar!

Thank you very, very much for this post and reminder!

Hi there Tonks40…I too am diagnosed bipolar …hey “what good can come out of Nazareth” huh? I rejoice with you in your victory (only another Bipolar perhaps can really insight what a victory stability is in stress!!!:whacky: )…I give thanks to The Lord with you in this and may He of His Abounding Loving Mercy grant you many more victories over that ‘jolly nuisance’ (putting it mildly huh?) Bipolar. I like to think of things this way: Jesus was not mentally ill, yet He was like us in all things except sin. Since mental illness is an illness and not at all sinful - after all we do not choose it, we are having the mental illnesses on his behalf since He was like us in all things except sin and mental illness is not a sin!!!

My heart is really dancing for you and in gratitude …and may The Lord grant you many more…:dancing:

I am happy too that the essay on spiritual joy was a complete affirmation of you…timely and helpful…

I am wondering if you have read “Practise of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence. I will return and post the link for an online text of it as soon as I can. He was on a journey once and he had to make a speech I think it was and very anxious about it…so he handed all the worry of it to The Lord and then sat back in the train happy and peaceful, free of anxiety, and enjoyed the train trip. It is not at all a complex work, but entirely very simple and not all that long as mystical works can go.

Barb - Bioloraress
Sth.Aust.
Edit: I was very lucky and hit Practise of the Presence of God quite quickly…here you are if you would like to read it if you have not already:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice.titlepage.html

The Practice of the Presence of God:
The Best Rule of Holy Life
being Conversations and Letters
of Brother Lawrence