Joyful Joyful
Joyful, Joyful we adore thee. The music is from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and together, the music and lyrics sing of the glory of God and the joy that we have when we are in union with Him.
This post is about joy.
Why joy? Because that is what attracts people to Jesus. Pope Francis once said that Christians should not be sourpusses. We are a people of hope and joy. Others can see that, and they want what we’ve got.
Do you have that joy, joy, joy, joy down in your heart? Maybe you wonder.
Beware of Idols
The last verse of the first letter of John says, Little children, beware of idols. I used to think this was an odd way to end the letter. It seemed out of place, and then I spent a little more time in the verses leading up to it. (Reading in context is very helpful.) The Apostle is reminding the reader (that's us) that we are of God while the whole world is in the power of the evil one. There's the connection.
Idolatry is choosing something of the world, a created thing, over God, the Creator of all things. When I do that, I am in the power of Satan. In contrast, the closer I get to God, the less power Satan has in my life. John warns us to beware of idols because they pull us away from God.
Show Me Your Muscles
"Show Me Your Muscles!" That's something we ask little kids. They flex their arms, and we make a fuss about what big muscles they have.
We Christians need big muscles too. In Luke 10:27, Jesus says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.
As I meditated on that passage one day, I wondered about the word "strength". What does it mean? What kinds of strength are there? Are women really the weaker sex? Can I get stronger? If so, how? Enquiring minds wanted to know!
Fill 'er Up!
I need grace. We need grace. Without it, we cannot do anything but sin. We can't get to heaven. We won't have peace in our lives. We won't be healed. We won't grow in communion with God. We won't be able to resist the devil and his lies. We need grace to fight the spiritual battle.
We need a lot of grace, and it doesn't come all at once. We get it little by little, in the measure we need. If we don't seek God's grace, we will be running on empty, so we need to fill our tanks often.
How do we do that? Two of the most powerful sources of grace are the sacraments and sacramentals.
Perfect Love
God is love. Perfect love.
Love is a great tool in our spiritual arsenal. If the attack is fear, we know that perfect love casts out fear. If the attack is discouragement, we know that God makes all things work together for good for those who love Him. If the attack is temptation, we know that God is faithful and won't let us be tempted beyond our ability, because He loves us.