Fr. Dwight Longenecker has put up a beautiful post on joy. It’s something we talk about all the time, but sometimes some people do a better job with it than others. For me, this is the money paragraph:
…Christian joy is a tough, shrewd realism built on a bedrock of optimism. The energy and determination of joy is formidable. Joy is a steam engine that is unstoppable. Joy laughs quickly, but it also weeps quickly in compassion. Joy is an authentic clarity of vision, a simplicity of style and a direct way of speaking in total honesty, but without a touch of malice. It is honest, open, attractive and infectious. Joy is more than a lift of the heart or the buoyancy of spirit that comes from external circumstances. Joy springs up from the depths of a heart that has been truly converted by the power of the resurrection.
Go read the rest of it. I’d be willing to bet you’ll have a smile on your face when you’re done.
