Jn 16:20-23

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

Joy!  It is a beautiful word; and the related words ‘enjoy’ and ‘rejoice’ are beautiful. “No one will take your joy from you,” Jesus said.  Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  “Love, joy, peace, patience, understanding, kindness and fidelity, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).  Happiness is always caused: there is a natural reason for it; but joy is uncaused: it comes straight from God.  Happiness is for cats and dogs; joy is for human beings!

Because joy is uncaused, no cause can undermine it.  “We call ‘joy’ that state of mind and emotions that needs nothing to feel happy,” wrote André Gide.  If we knew more joy - if we knew how to rejoice and how to enjoy  -   we would do less damage to the world, to ourselves and to one another.  The pleasure-seeker continues eternally to seek pleasure only because he doesn't really know how to enjoy anything; instead, he is trapped in the vicious circle of a joyless obsession.  Oh for a little joy!

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