The Power of Joy
A few weeks ago, after my old phone met an untimely end, I finally got a smart phone. This phone is awesome, and I can do so much more with it than I could on my old phone (as some liked to call it: my “dumb phone”). As I presented this new phone to people they were joyful and exclaimed stuff like “You finally got a smart phone!” “That’s awesome, Brandon!” Their joyful exclamations affirmed me that this was the right choice and a good thing.
When we get something new that we are proud of, if our friends and family are not joyful about it, we can sometimes doubt the goodness of the thing. Let’s go back to kindergarten: Did you ever make a macaroni necklace for your mom? I know I did, and she received it with joy. If she had taken it and said, “Ew, you really thought this was a good idea?” I would have been crushed.
Now put yourself in Mary’s shoes: The angel of the Lord has just appeared to you and said, “Hey, you know the God who created the universe? The Word that swept over the waters of Creation? Yeah, He is going to become incarnate (from Latin incarnatus “made flesh”) in you as a baby.” Mary, in her perfect humility, said yes and changed the world. The angel leaves, and then the next chapter in the Gospel of Luke is the Visitation.
Think about the in-between, though. Anne and Joachim, Mary’s parents, I am sure were very holy people, especially since they are saints. However, when their fourteen year old daughter, who is engaged to Joseph and not married, comes to them and says “Hi mom, hi dad, sooo…. I am pregnant and God is the father.” They were understanding and eventually joyful, I imagine, but immediately, their reaction was probably not joy. They probably did not tell their neighbors or anyone else for fear of Mary being stoned to death, since she was pregnant out of marriage.
Now, we get to the Visitation. Mary, because she is awesome and caring, goes to tend to her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth. Before Mary can say more than a greeting, Elizabeth cries out to her “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43) This is probably the first time Mary was greeted with joy about her pregnancy. Think of how affirming that must have been to her! This was probably the first time that Mary was greeted as the Mother of God.
That is the power of joy! It can raise spirits, comfort the afflicted, it is one of our greatest weapons against anxiety. Elizabeth’s words affirmed Mary in her path. She affirmed Mary that her yes had allowed Salvation to enter the world.
How often are we actually greeted with joy? How often do we greet others with joy? A joyful response to a greeting or a joyful greeting can impact someone deeply and change their life. Even the simple words “It is good to see you,” when spoken genuinely, can brighten someone’s day. St. Philip Neri, one of my favorite saints, said: "Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits."
Y’all, Christ has redeemed the world through His Cross, the Holy Spirit has come, we have the opportunity to receive the King of the Universe every day at Mass, He has promised us that He will come again: What reason, in light of that, could we possibly have to not be joyful?
