In him do our hearts find joy.

From Psalm 33


Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.

During the course of my reflection on the nature of piety, the words love and joy seem to keep turning up over and over again. A life of piety is intended to reveal the joy that comes as a consequence of a loving relationship with God. I have pondered how often we encounter the word “joy” when we consider the reward and result of our love for God and his perfect love for us. Consider how seldom we find any of the synonyms for love in sacred text. Happy pops up from time to time but pleasure almost never. There is, I don’t think, much difference between the dictionary meaning allocated to each word but to me there seems to be great difference things that bring me a pleasure and those that bring joy. It occurs to me that difference lies not only in the intensity or magnitude implied by each word but also differences in origin. For instance fishing or walking through a field brings me pleasure. A good book or a fine meal brings me pleasure. For years I chased things that brought me pleasure but then felt empty and unfilled by them. Turning a life dedicated to piety, even though I do so poorly, is where I have begun to experience joy. Reading the Canticle of Zechariah as day breaks brings me joy. An embrace from a brother or sister in Christ brings me joy. Sharing communion brings me joy.

Things that bring pleasure to me are derived from things of this world. Things that bring me joy are sent to me by the Holy Spirit through the grace of God. Such joy is not for me alone but must be shared. It has taken me a lifetime to understand which I prefer. Today I chose to take a path with all of you that will bring us to know and experience that in him our hearts do find joy.