Fullness Of Joy

𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀𝐜 𝟏𝟓:𝟕-𝟐𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟗𝟔:𝟏-𝟑, 𝟏𝟎 “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟏𝟓:𝟗-𝟏𝟏

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆.” (𝒗.11) 

           Just so we will be able to grasp what Jesus was really trying to make his disciples understand in this short Gospel passage today it would be best to draw an imagery of what it was that Jesus was saying.

        When reading this passage, it would lead us to assume that Jesus may be equating obedience with love but this is not necessarily so because these two emotional expressions are not entirely the same.

        This may in fact fall under the principle of cause-and-effect where love is the cause and the effect of that would be obedience. Simply put, love is what brings a person to obey such that it was out of love that Jesus obeyed the Father’s Will that He offers His life on the cross that we may all be redeemed.

         It is also very clear in today’s Gospel that the true joy that comes from heaven can only work wonders in us if we will abide in His love by keeping His commandments. Where joy is the effect, obedience to everything that Jesus tells us is the cause which means that this kind of joy that Jesus says we can have is largely dependent on our subservience to his commandments.

         As we also cannot outdo God in love and generosity, the only response that we can give is to abide in His love in the best possible way we can and that is to also share this love we have received with others. As St. Paul says that it is out of God’s immeasurable love that was poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that we are moved into responding in abounding joy and hope (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟓:𝟓).

         What this Gospel passage is actually telling us is for us to strive in building and developing a closer relationship or intimacy with God through Jesus for it is only in having such kind of a relationship that we can enjoy the fullness of God’s love that produces the kind of joy that He has promised us.

         This true joy is what removes the state of depression that we may sink into when things are not going well in our lives because true joy transcends the waves of pitiable uncertainties and difficulties we may be experiencing in life.

         Such joy comes from a constant, consistent, continuing and enduring relationship with Jesus Christ. This kind of relationship is one that is founded on our strict adherence to everything that He has taught us which when translated into action means denying ourselves (𝐋𝐤 𝟗:𝟐𝟑) and clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟑:𝟏𝟒). 

         The key word in this passage is abide and there is one meaning of abide that I would want to use in reference to this Gospel passage and that is – 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞. The Roget’s Thesaurus that I have defines “abide” in so many ways: endure, wait, continue, reside, be quiescent, await, tolerate. Of these, I would like to use “𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆” which means “𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘦.”

         Thus, to abide in Jesus Christ is to reside which means to dwell in Him. As such, it is understood that when we dwell in Him and Him in us, we are placing ourselves at the disposal of Jesus Christ. It is also understood that this habitation that is consummated out of love is what will move us to obey his commandments which eventually will allow us to experience and enjoy the fullness of the joy that will be in us.

         The secret of Jesus was his contact with God. We see Jesus going into a solitary place to commune with God and it is out of this unity with the Father that Jesus can confidently say: “𝑨𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖; 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆.” (𝒗𝒗.9-10)

         This is the message behind this Gospel today because this same unity that Jesus had with the Father is the same kind of indwelling unity that He wants us to have with Him. In this our journey of faith as pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee Year, keeping close to Jesus is necessary so that we will not lose our way but in order for us to reside in Him and Him in us we have to deliberately take steps to do it.

         This means that we will need to act on our faith by putting in regular prayer times and communing with Jesus in silent meditation until such time that we reach that point when abiding in Christ becomes a mystical experience that we cannot express in words.

         And out of this mystical experience will come the true joy that Jesus Christ says will be in us. As free won’t give us the freedom to commit wrong but to do what is right, Christians must find joy in doing the right thing. As Christians, we are a people of joyful disposition because a gloomy Christian will be a contradiction to what Jesus has achieved with His death and resurrection.

         While we may have been sinners, the greater truth is that we are a redeemed sinner and this reality is what brings joy – the kind of joy that will move us to prove our love for Jesus Christ and for one another by embracing the way of the cross.

         This cross turns to joy when our human will cross with God’s Will for us and it is only then that we will experience true joy marked by a life that is surrendered to Jesus Christ and consumed by His love.

         Perhaps we should also ask ourselves what it is that brings joy to your life. True joy is also doing what you love to do. In my case, I love to preach, and it really isn’t easy. Besides the long hours that I need to put in to study and reflect on the Word of God, it also entails preparing the materials especially the visuals. The beauty of it all is that I don’t feel tired as there seems to be a strong driving force that’s propping me up to plod on and I attribute this to the joy that comes in doing this.

         My only regret was the precious time I wasted in my younger years when I took for granted the call of Our Lord to serve him. In looking back, I’ve been given many opportunities to serve God but there was a wide chasm between the world I was in at that time and the heavenly realm.

         I was invited to give a reflection in one of the Christian communities last month and I briefly touched on men who turned back to God when they realize that the joy they had in the world was not complete. And this is what normally happens, and we should be glad that we have a God who is omniscient, patient and understanding who untiringly waits until we find our way back to him.

         Today, this true joy is in me as I delight in serving our Lord Jesus Christ wherever I am sent even in my late age. I may have been a Servant Leader for Formation of the community I am in but just like any other member I am at the disposal of the head of the ministry I am attached to which is the Formation Ministry and I simply go where I am sent. Knowing that I am serving God who created me and who is the source of everything that I have and possess is what gives me joy. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘔𝘢𝘺 22, 2025)