Thursday, 10 May 2018

A JOY NO ONE WILL TAKE FROM YOU


PRAYER PAUSE


Friday 11 May 2018


A JOY NO ONE WILL TAKE FROM YOU


Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading:  “So it is with you; you are sad now, but I will see you again and your hearts wull be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.” (John 16:20-23)



Reflection. This is the Christian life: one of deep joy. It is odd how we instinctively deny this. The Catholic Church sometimes seems a grim place – at least until Pope Francis came along. In my younger days I had a picture of our founder, Ignatius, as stern and demanding.  The literature about him seemed to support this. Then one day I read another picture, a note of one of his early companions. “Those who were in his room,” wrote Nadal, “were always cheerful and laughing.” This fits far better the picture of a mature person imbued with the spirit of Jesus.  Where there is gloom, anxiety and too much seriousness, there is fear.  And fear is foreign to the Christian spirit.


Prayer. Lord, may we live in joy and trust, firm in our belief that you are with us always and that “all will be well, and all manner of thing will be well”.  Amen 



































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