Joy to the World

by Sue Jones

Joy is a gift from God which comes to us when we least expect it. It is a touch of God that through the power of God’s Holy Spirit completely captures a person in a timeless moment. It penetrates our outer being, the being we think of as ‘me’, and grabs a part of our being that we perhaps did not know we had. Joy is certainly felt by a person who receives it but it is a superhuman feeling. It may have an emotional outlet but it is not an emotion.

When a person receives the gift of Joy he or she knows that it is complete, utterly perfect, utterly of God. Unlike everyday feelings and emotions that come upon us and must be dealt with, we do not need to do anything with Joy except enjoy the moment of its being in us. Unlike so much of our Catholic lives there is nothing in Joy that needs redeeming. We do not have to earn God’s gift of Joy just as we do not have to earn God’s love. We do not need to live particularly holy lives to receive it but if we strive to be holy then the chances of recognising it and sharing it with the world are enhanced.

God surprises us by how and where he chooses to touch people with his Joy.  Who would have thought that God chooses to work through a supermarket chain to touch people?  The range of miniature grocery items being given away to shoppers at New World supermarkets is, on the face of it, a promotional coup. But it has an out of this world touch to it. Little things designed to appeal to children, quite quickly became must have items for adults. The delight adults experienced at seeing everyday grocery items shrunk into perfect littleness came as a surprise to the supermarket.

The delight people experienced was of course Joy. I talked to people about it. They could not explain it. I understood this as I spend much time trying to write about the things of God. They do not make sense to the world and go into words very reluctantly.

God is ever ancient, ever new and likes to keep up with the times. God patiently prepares souls to receive his Joy over a life time. In a world that has largely forgotten what God is like it takes God decades of background, preparatory work to soften hardened hearts. God’s Christian people are probably only marginally better than the average New World shopper at receiving and recognising his Joy. Whilst we are so busy improving and updating Christianity for the world, God is preparing hearts to receive the things of heaven which have no use to the world, cannot be improved or argued over.

Part of letting God be God and allowing heaven into our Catholic lives is forming a faith vision which has perspective and distance. This vision takes us out of ourselves and our ‘me’ worlds. The eye that rests on the miniature grocery item has the same perspective as the eye that rests on the distant mountain. A beauty is beheld. Such beauty captures the heart bringing Joy. In that captivating moment the distance between heaven and earth is cancelled out. We find ourselves perfectly at peace in a new world where everything is at once old and new, near and far, known and unknown. And then the moment is gone.

Joy to the World

Christmas is upon us again. Here is Baby Jesus again. We say this is God made man. It trips off the tongue with clichéd ease. I do wonder if we might try and look on the baby as the Perfect Living Miniature. It sounds a bit unorthodox but desperate times call for desperate thinking. Here amongst us is the Perfection of God shrunk into a Perfect Baby. Can we do a bit of orthodox faith formation in Advent, training our eyes to see the things of heaven? Can we look on the little Christ Child in our little mangers and let our eyes rest on the Baby and, God willing, be delighted and surprised.