HOMILY FOR THE 5TH THURSDAY OF EASTER — YEAR A
HOMILY FOR THE 5TH THURSDAY OF EASTER — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE JOY OF CHRIST
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
Acts 15:7-21; Psalm 95(96):1-3, 10; John 15:9-11
‘These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.’
With depressing conditions of life everywhere around us, so many of us live daily without joy. We can find ourselves just getting through each day, hoping that the next day will be better. We survive rather than thrive. We complain about the things we have to do and the things that happen to us. And if there is anything we need, it is the joy that comes from Christ. In the Gospel of today (John 15:9:11), Jesus says, ‘These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.’ Real joy is what we get from Christ.
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The joy we desire is found in God’s truth. It can be won when we dwell daily in Christ. Joy is something God wants us to experience. The Bible says: ‘Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Paul is referencing the joy of Christ.
Sometimes, we say that we will feel more joyful when something good happens to us. But joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. Paul said: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!’ (Philippians 4:4 ). Paul was in prison with no hope of release when he wrote this. His circumstances didn’t dictate his joy, his focus on Jesus did. Even when everything in our lives seems bad, we can still have joy. We might not feel happy, but joy goes beyond happiness. It’s a deep knowledge that we have been saved and that God has got better things to come.
Joylessness is something many of us are getting used to. It should not be so. The psalmist writes, ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24 ). Notice that he doesn’t say, ‘Yesterday was God’s day, how happy I was then,’ or, ‘Tomorrow will be God’s day, I will endure until then.’ No, this day is a gift from God! Complaining is often self-centred; it is about what you like and don’t like. It is self-focused. Real joy is from Christ. It comes to those who devote themselves to something greater than their own happiness. That is putting Christ at the centre of everything about us. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God grant us the joy that comes from the abiding presence of Christ and keep us in that joy forever, Amen. Good morning.
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