St. Rita of Cascia
Jn 15: 9-11
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved. http://www.usccb.org/bible/approved-translations
Joy That Is Complete
We all want to be happy. We search for joy in life, often looking in all the wrong places. Today, Jesus offers his joy to us in a total and complete way. We can find that joy in the birth of a baby, in the celebration of milestone events or in service to others.
We are offered complete joy in our relationship with God—by resting in God’s tenderness for us, by trusting in God’s ways, and by remaining in God’s love.
How can I remind myself of God’s tender love for me each day?
How can I share that joy with those I encounter in my day today?
—Marge Sears is a writer and parishioner at Gesu Parish, Detroit MI.
Prayer
Lord, raise our vigilance to pay attention to those who support us and those who need support from us. Grant us your grace to never miss an opportunity to say thank you. Through an assuring word, through recognition of another’s work, through a smile that invites levity in the moment, let us be an encourager to others. Let us recall your most amazing promise: “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
—The Jesuit Prayer Team