Saturday May 15, 2021 - Sixth week of Paschal Time - I came out of the Father, and I came into the world; now I am leaving the world and going to the Father - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16, 23b-28

One of the aspects mentioned by today's Gospel that we are going to emphasize because this aspect is very important for us Christians: "Joy". Joy is part of the Christian experience. How is it possible to find joy in a world full of contradiction, a married couple in permanent conflict, a world infected with Coronavirus and other diseases that force us to be bedridden, a society of injustice and a few times of persecution and unemployment?

At the time this Gospel passage was written, Jesus’s disciples were in the midst of persecution, but the evangelist John wanted to invite them to joy. Even Jesus, who speaks in the first person here, is on the eve of his passion. We can say that we are all in the same situation and that is why we really need joy.

How to have joy in such a dramatic situation? First, we can experience joy as long as we do not regard the trials, the crosses, that we face as defeat. It is by no means a sadism that finds pleasure in suffering, but an understanding of the Cross as the sign of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Then, joy is a gift from God and not the fruit of our effort nor the result of our having. During his appearances to the disciples, the risen Jesus manifests his presence with the gift of joy. In order to have joy, therefore, we must on the one hand ask God for this gift of joy; on the other hand, we must base our joy not on assets, but on the works of God in our life, as a sign of the gratuity of his love towards us: to be children of God, to be saved, to be his servants, to be his instruments. to console others ...

Finally, we find joy when we are free, in peace and serenity, in good understanding with our loved ones and especially when we are in communion with the Lord. We can say that the sacrament of Reconciliation plays a very important role in this case and knowing how to forgive and ask forgiveness from others.

Let’s try to experience reconciliation with others in this time of confinement; let us try to recognize the free love of God for us and look at the Cross as a sign of victory with Jesus Christ. It is in doing this that we will find joy, even though we find ourselves in such a difficult situation, marked by the Coronavirus.