Where is Joy?

Yesterday, I listened to a CD by Matthew Kelly, who was speaking to a group of kids preparing to make their Confirmation.  He pointed out a rather obvious, but little thought of, difference between pleasure and joy, or happiness:  Pleasure cannot be sustained beyond the activity itself.  We have a great deal of pleasure in eating, for example, and that is why we continue to eat even beyond the point we feel full.  “Shut up, stomach; this tastes soooo good,” we cry at Thanksgiving or when eating a rich dessert after a full meal.  But when the activity ceases, so does the pleasure, except in memory. 

Joy, on the other hand, is a deep, abiding presence that is sustained far beyond the activity, and even when we are not experiencing pleasure.  The joy of a mother giving birth, for example, extends forever, beyond the first moment of birth, through all the nighttime feedings, the worry and pain of a child’s sickness, and the struggle through the teen years.  Kelly gave the example of an athlete who undergoes the discipline of getting up early each morning, in cold weather, to do his daily run or workout.  There is no pleasure in the discipline at first, but the joy of being fit remains far beyond the activity of working out. 

I recall a time of extreme grief in 1985, when my closest friend and spiritual mentor died.  Wave after wave of loneliness and anguish passed over me for months, but one day while I was in prayer, as I continued to allow all the emotions to go through my soul, I realized with a sort of shock that underneath all the surface emotions, even underneath all the deep emotions, was a rock-bottom foundation of joy!  I realized that I would not be feeling all of this grief if it were not for the great joy and love I had experienced in this relationship.  I realized what a great gift I had been given to have walked with, sat with, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with this friend and mentor.  In the dark pain of grief, I found the overwhelming light of joy! 

What brings this memory alive today is the reading from Jesus Calling: 

No matter what your circumstances may be, you can find Joy in My Presence.  On some days Joy is generously strewn along your life-path, glistening in the sunlight.  On days like that, being content is as simple as breathing the next breath or taking the next step.  Other days are overcast and gloomy; you feel the strain of the journey, which seems endless.  Dull gray rocks greet your gaze and cause your feet to ache.  Yet Joy is still attainable.  Search for it as for hidden treasure….. 

St. Paul said, “I have learned to be content in whatever state I am in:  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.  Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” 

My prayer is that we can all learn the “peace that passes all understanding” and the joy that no longer depends on pleasure, but continues through every circumstance of our lives.