When I was in Rome a few years ago I picked up a small booklet by Francesco Gioia, "The Apostle Paul: the Testimony of Joy amidst Suffering." The color illustrations, of paintings by various artists, are of events in Paul's life. The Introduction follows. Archbishop Gioia was Pontifical Administrator of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
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The indisputable search for joy is verified in every thought and action in a person's life. Simply stated, it can be said to be the purpose of human existence. St. Augustine insists that "the spirit is nourished by what gives it joy" (from Confessions) and "it is impossible to find a single person who does not desire happiness" (from Sermons).
Pascal comments on the subject: "Without exception, each person seeks to be happy. Whatever means is employed, all tend to this end. The cause which makes some want to go to war, and others to avoid it, is the same desire in both, but with varying vantage points. The will never makes the slightest move without this goal in mind........" It can be concluded then that, notwithstanding all the miseries of human life, "a person wishes to be happy and cannot wish not to be so" (Pensees).
Having been born for joy, each person has only one task: to be happy. Not to be happy is the ultimate betrayal.
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The believing Christian knows, intuitively if not told at some point, that Perfect Happiness is the ultimate goal of man. Since we, none of us, can expect more than minutes, hours, days, perhaps some months or even years, of Happiness, none of it Perfect, we must expect, since it is in man's nature to seek it, that there is a place of Perfect Happiness and that we are able to attain it. It's called, the Eternal Happiness of Heaven.
St. Paul speaks in so many of his epistles of joy, even in suffering, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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Paul says in Romans 14:22, "Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation." In Romans 8:35, he tells us that nothing can separate him from the joyous possession of the love of Christ, not tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, nor hunger, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor the sword. In Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
St. Augustine speaks of that hope., quoting John 3:2, "Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" Then Augustine says," Great and perfect happiness will follow; there will be full joy, hope will no longer have need to sustain us, but the reality itself shall fill us...."(Discourse XXI).
You can search through Paul's epistles to find many places where he exhorts, through pain and suffering, through sharing others' pain and suffering, that we find joy in knowing that these things will pass, and that, in helping others through trials, we find joy in sacrifice of self and hope for eternity.
" For the moment all seems painful rather than pleasant." (Hebrews 12:11). "But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." (Hebrews 10:32-34).
Archbishop Gioia sums it up. "Following the example of Christ, sorrow and joy are inseparable bywords in the Christian's life. Surely, suffering is opposed to human nature. However, given a meaning, it can be transformed into joy."
May we find joy, even in earthly trials and suffering,
sharing our tribulations with Christ on the Cross,
to the glorious Resurrection with Him, for Eternal
Happiness in Heaven.
10/29/11
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