Lenten Reflection - Monday, 4th Week of Lent
Dear Friends,
My apologizes for the last 2 days. I had no internet access. Tri sj
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Joy Is Hidden In Sorrow, Sorrow In Joy
"Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning." - Psalm 30:4-5
Joy is what makes life worth living, but for many joy seems hard to find. They complain that their lives are sorrowful and depressing. What then brings the joy we so much desire? Are some people just lucky, while others have run out of luck? Strange as it may sound, we can choose joy. Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other. One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise. The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it. What makes us human is precisely this freedom of choice.
Joy and sorrow are never separated. When our hearts rejoice at a spectacular view, we may miss our friends who cannot see it, and when we are overwhelmed with grief, we may discover what true friendship is all about. Joy is hidden in sorrow and sorrow in joy. If we try to avoid sorrow at all costs, we may never taste joy, and if we are suspicious of ecstasy, agony can never reach us either. C.S. Lewis puts it well: "The pain yesterday is part of the joy today … And the joy today will be part of the pain tomorrow." Joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth.
"Lord, help me to embrace the joys and the sorrows of today."
adapted from Henri Nouwen
Fr. Tri Dinh, SJ
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Suggested reflection format
My apologizes for the last 2 days. I had no internet access. Tri sj
---
Joy Is Hidden In Sorrow, Sorrow In Joy
"Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning." - Psalm 30:4-5
Joy is what makes life worth living, but for many joy seems hard to find. They complain that their lives are sorrowful and depressing. What then brings the joy we so much desire? Are some people just lucky, while others have run out of luck? Strange as it may sound, we can choose joy. Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other. One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise. The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it. What makes us human is precisely this freedom of choice.
Joy and sorrow are never separated. When our hearts rejoice at a spectacular view, we may miss our friends who cannot see it, and when we are overwhelmed with grief, we may discover what true friendship is all about. Joy is hidden in sorrow and sorrow in joy. If we try to avoid sorrow at all costs, we may never taste joy, and if we are suspicious of ecstasy, agony can never reach us either. C.S. Lewis puts it well: "The pain yesterday is part of the joy today … And the joy today will be part of the pain tomorrow." Joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth.
"Lord, help me to embrace the joys and the sorrows of today."
adapted from Henri Nouwen
Fr. Tri Dinh, SJ
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Suggested reflection format
posted by magis at
5:52 AM
