Fill your faithful with holy joy

In the Collect for this Sunday, the Church prays, ‘O God who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin, you bestow eternal gladness…’ (Collect:14^th Sunday Year A). It is a special gift, an exceptional blessing to be filled with this holy joy. Every Christian ought to long for it. We should desire and pray for it.

Beloved people of God, the faithful whose lives are filled with holy joy, have a gladness that is eternal. The praise of God is always on their lips. They bless the Lord, day after day. They praise his name for ever and ever. Even in their weakness, they know that the Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in mercy. They are aware that the Lord is good to all, compassionate to all his creatures… (cf. Ps 145(144:1ff). They also make an honest effort to better their relationship with God and their friendship with fellow human beings. They rejoice in the success of others. They do not entertain any dark joy at the downfall or weakness of others. This holy joy belongs also to those whose hearts are open to receive and give love like children, those children that Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ thanks the Father for revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom to. These rejoice greatly.

We acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ who accepted abasement so as to raise up our fallen world. We praise God who is always ready and willing to fill the faithful with holy joy. We pray that we be bestowed with an eternal gladness by putting to death the deeds of the body so that we too will live and rejoice exceedingly, praising for ever the God who has redeemed us and who has so freely bestowed upon us all, his holy joy.

Fr Ted

All to Jesus – Through Mary our Mother