Author: Beth Zanotelli, Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Palm Beach
Are the 10 Commandments a set of miserable laws that we are to follow because God wants to take the fun out of life? Does God intend for us to be filled with gloom and despair? In fact, the 10 commandments forbid sin, but they also point us to virtues to help us avoid sin! In this life, God desires joy for us. Make no mistake we must “labor in the fields” of life, but God gave us the gift of life and created us in His likeness and image…He desires for us to have a loving relationship with Him. The 10 Commandments allow us to enter into God’s love, they are not restrictions to our freedom. A life lived in a loving relationship with God, will be one filled with joy…radiant Joy! The problem is that many of us haven’t experienced this radiant joy, so many of us settle for what we know…fleeting happiness. If joy is found in the virtuous life of generosity, humility, gentleness, purity of heart, temperance, and fortitude, why would we want to live the temporary pleasures of a life of pride, greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, and laziness? Perhaps it’s easier to focus on ourselves in the present moment than on the ever-present love of God; perhaps we don’t have a relationship with God that fosters a virtuous life.
So, what is the difference between happiness and joy? Happiness is a reaction to pleasure. We are happy when we eat something delicious, when something good happens in our life, it is pleasurable. It is a reaction to an outside influence that we do not control. Happiness can be taken away when the flavor of the food is gone, when the good thing happening fades away. Joy is so much more.
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1720-1723), in the section about Christian Beatitude, we are called to “enter into the joy of the Lord”, this “beatitude” surpasses the understanding and powers of man. “It comes from an entirely free gift from God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy.” Paragraph 1723 says that “true happiness (joy) is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement – however beneficial it may be – such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love.”
Joy has many deeper meanings that can be seen more clearly in Holy Scripture. In Luke 1:44, joy is the response of the soul when “the child in my womb leaped for joy.” And when Zacchaeus met Christ, “He made haste, and came down; and received Him with joy. (Luke 1:44) Joy also is a personal fullness or completeness; it is a deep peace which comes from the Holy Spirit naturally dwelling within you. The joy from this indwelling stays with you even in difficult times. In John 16:22, “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” Best of all, joy is the fruit of faith, hope, and love. To be radiant with joy, have faith in God, hope in Him and above all know His love…this is true goodness that brings lasting peace.
Here’s what Scripture has to say:
Psalm 34:6 – Look to God that you may be radiant with joy and your faces may not blush for shame.
John 15:11 – I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. (Keep reading…)
John 17:13 – But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. (Keep reading…)
Romans 15:13 — May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 8:2 — for in a severe test of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
Galatians 5:16-22 — In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Hebrews 10:34 – You even joined in the suffering of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.