READ: 1 John 1:1-4
Key Scripture: And we are writing this that our joy may be complete (1 John 1:4).
THOUGHTS
While granting an interview to the Ignatius Insight on his book, Christ our Joy: The Theological Vision of Pope Benedict XVI, the Irish Msgr. Joseph Murphy noted that "Authentic joy is bound up with the Christian faith in its entirety and it flows from living that faith to the full." Christianity is a relational religion, and so, we cannot be said to have lived it to the full until we have carried it on to others in love. St. Teresa of Calcutta once defined Christianity as having Christ and giving Him to others. That is the message which the Apostle John passes on to us today. Few days ago, we joyfully welcomed Christ the new born king, who said that His joy would remain in us so that our joy may be complete (cf. John 15:11). His joy will remain in us if we remain part of Him (cf John 15:5), and to remain part of Him is to live in love with one another (cf. John 13:34-35). Feed the hungry, visit the sick, comfort the afflicted, install justice and ensure peace, instruct the doubtful and admonish the sinners. In these and several other ways, we bring Jesus closer to people, thereby making our own joy complete in God.