When I left home to join the Air Force, I went with a lot of questions. I was searching, doubting and wondering what was important. After I arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, I met Father Sam, the new Catholic chaplain. There was something different about him. There was something about the way he led Mass, the way he noticed people and saw beauty in so many places.
He exuded a spirit of joy for life that attracted me. I wanted that joy for myself. He introduced me to the Church in a way that helped my faith come alive. He showed me new ways to pray and inspired me to consider that God was calling me, too. Father Sam showed me a Christian life that was joyful and drew me closer to God and the Church. It was that joy that led me to ministry.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that attracts others. Joy proclaims the Gospel beyond words. Pope Francis spoke about this in his mission encyclical, “The Joy of the Gospel,” as it states, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus (No.1). … Christians should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but by attraction” (No. 15).
Joy exudes a kind of presence that overflows with life and a spirit that attracts others. I want to be near joyful people. The Gospel of joy is a Gospel that proclaims a mission by attraction. In his book, “Something Beautiful for God,” Malcolm Muggeridge introduced to the world Mother (St.) Teresa of Kolkata and the Missionary Sisters of Charity as they served the poor, the sick and the dying in India. He became especially attracted to how the sisters radiated joy in all things. St. Teresa said, “If our actions are just useful actions that give no joy to the people, our poor people would never be able to rise up to the call which we want them to hear, the call to come closer to God. Living with joy means to live from that deep place where Christ is close.” Despite the many trials and struggles they face each day, the joy of the Missionary Sisters comes through. This experience of joy led Muggeridge to eventually enter the Church himself.Joy proclaims an attractive community. This year marks the 20th anniversary of our archdiocese being in partnership with the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya. This partnership was founded on a principle of making Christ known and loved by sharing gifts in faith. One of the gifts we have received from members of the Kitui community is their joy. Despite living under harsh conditions with so little they always greet us by saying, “God is good all the time!” Their worship at Mass overflows with such a joyful spirit of celebration that we can hardly contain ourselves. Their joy inspires us to grow in faith.
Joy is an attractive sign of the kingdom of God. The Church is called to be a sacrament of Christ. We are meant to become a sign of what we receive in the Eucharist. This means to live in a place of grace, joy and abundance. It is not exempt from struggle or pain in this world. A joyful life is not conjured up, and it overflows to others. When joy overflows in us, we don’t need to control or coerce others, but our life can attract others.
The Gospel of joy sends us forth to love and serve in the world. This is our vocation. As Frederick Buechner, Christian minister and author, once wrote, “Christian vocation is that place where your deepest joy meets the world’s deepest need.” May the joy of the Gospel overflow in us and draw others closer to God and his Church.
“What we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us … and our joy may be complete” (1 Jn 1:3-4).
Deacon Friesen is director of the Center for Mission, which supports missionary outreach of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He can be reached at friesenm@archspm.org.
