Monday 4 November 2024

Today is Monday the 4th of November, the feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, in the 31st week of Ordinary Time. CalledOut Music sings, ‘Joy’. Can you allow the joy of the Lord, found in this song, to soak into your heart today? My Light and salvation, it's You I've got a firm foundation in You, Lord You hold me daily, daily The hope for my soul I'm ever so safe here with You I got Grace everywhere I be With blessings falling on me There's nothing too hard for the God that I serve Tell me why should I be afraid? No matter what comes my way I'll overcome with a smile on my face I got that joy like a river flowing down to my soul I feel like dancing, I feel it in my bones I sing, I sing, Lord It feels like a dream 'Cause with You on my team I'm winning Nothing's going to hold me back Nothing's going to stop my praise Nothing's going to keep me silent I'll say it from the rooftops I got grace everywhere I be With blessings falling on me There's nothing too hard for the God that I serve Tell me why should I be afraid? No matter what comes my way I'll overcome with a smile on my face I got that joy like a river flowing down to my soul I feel like dancing, I feel it in my bones Joy like a river flowing down, down, down, down… I got joy like a river flowing down, down, down, down… I got that joy like a river flowing down to my soul Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Philippians 2: 1-4 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. St Paul was particularly fond of the Philippian community and this letter resounds with joy. Considering Paul was imprisoned when writing it, the joy must be from the Holy Spirit. The Philippians are at risk of falling out with each other. Paul is concerned that they remain united. Even with this concern, his underlying joy remains. When have you experienced joy even though things were not as you would ideally want them to be? Can you get in touch with a memory of that and wonder at it? In the Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius encourages the retreatant to pray for a share in the joy of the risen Christ. Here is a joy that can subsist in all circumstances. Imagine how joyful Jesus must be in the eternal now of being risen! He’s alive. It is accomplished. He sees the biggest of all pictures. And he is joyful. Can you see that in him? Listen again and imagine Paul, from his prison cell, joyful, because he knows this risen Christ. Joy is a gift, though we can choose to cooperate with the gift. Paul wanted the Philippians to know the joy of being one body that cared for each other with love. How is God inviting you to cooperate with joy? Look for one example and share that with God . . . Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.