Joy: An Indelible Mark of Virtue

Recently a family joined us at Mass for the fifteenth anniversary of the death of their loved one, Benny Natoli, who was a Salesian brother.  Benny’s presence exuded a sense of hospitality and gentleness in community living.  Even after a stroke, which rendered him speechless, his joy was still alive in always making a fresh brew of coffee, in baking fresh apple pies, and in his gentle mannerisms.  After mass, the Benny stories continued all through lunch and his family was moved to joy by remembering the life of their beloved Benny.

Joy has a special place in life and particularly in vocation.  Bro. Benny’s joy was in the well of his soul, and continued to trickle up even after his stroke.  While joy is deeply immersed in our being, it must be distinguished from happiness.  Webster’s dictionary defines happiness as both contentment and satisfaction.  During the course of the day, our happiness may change depending on our health and whether events go well for us.  But joy runs deeper, it is virtuous and life-giving, and it seeks to be aligned with goodness which comes from God.  Mary of Nazareth’s availability to be the Christ bearer defines a joy that was in her very soul, something she openly shared with her cousin Elizabeth at the Visitation, but something that was also present at the foot of the cross. 

Jesus desired that the disciples share fully in his life.  In John’s gospel, Jesus expressed this sentiment when he said, I tell you this “so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete” (15:11).  Joy is a vital signpost that expresses God’s desires to share joy and life.  Discerning a vocation to religious life requires taking a long loving look to see whether joy is at the root of this lifestyle.