I Have Told You This So That My Joy May Be in You
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 15:11
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, let your joy — not happiness dependent on circumstances, but the deep gladness of a life held by you — take root in us and grow throughout these final days before Pentecost.
Reflection
What is the ‘this’ that Jesus has told them? Everything in chapters 13 through 15: the washing of feet, the new commandment of love, the vine and branches, the promise of the Spirit, the assurance that they are not servants but friends. All of it has been spoken, Jesus says, not primarily for theological instruction, but for joy.
That is a remarkable statement about the purpose of revelation. God has chosen to make himself known — through the Scriptures, through the Incarnation, through the teaching of Jesus — not to give us correct information primarily, but to give us joy. The truth is meant to be joyful. Knowing God is meant to produce joy.
And not just any joy: Jesus wants his own joy to be in them. His joy — the deep, unshakable gladness that characterized his relationship with the Father even in the face of crucifixion, even in Gethsemane, even on the cross — this is what he wants to transmit.
For many people, joy is the missing element of their faith life. They have knowledge, practice, moral effort, even a kind of dogged faithfulness. But joy? That seems almost too much to ask for. Or it seems frivolous — surely there are more serious matters than joy?
Jesus does not think so. He names joy as the goal of his entire self-disclosure. ‘So that your joy may be complete.’ Not adequate. Not occasional. Complete.
What blocks joy in your life of faith? What would need to shift in your understanding of God — or your understanding of yourself in God — for your joy to grow toward the fullness Christ describes?
This is worth sitting with. Your joy matters to God.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post