Joy!

"From sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us."

-- St. Teresa of Avila

Jesus' disciples should be joyful.

St. Teresa knew that in her day, and Pope Francis reminds us in ours with his new apostolic exhortation, "Evangelii Gaudium,"  or "The Joy of the Gospel."

The document is an easy read, written in Pope Francis' plain-spoken style. I've only started to delve in, but already I'm inspired and encouraged. The pope stirs us with this opening invitation and prayer:

"I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting Him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since 'no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.' The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that He is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus: 'Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned Your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with You. I need You. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into Your redeeming embrace.' How good it feels to come back to Him whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy. Christ, Who told us to forgive one another 'seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) has given us His example: He has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again He bears us on His shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, He makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than His life, which impels us onwards!"

Let's accept Pope Francis' invitation as we are about to begin Advent and a new liturgical year. Let's be like St. Teresa and look beyond ourselves for hope and joy.

"Praised be the Lord, Who has redeemed me from myself."

-- St. Teresa of Avila



Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although the year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.