Gospel Reflections 800x800 gold outline

Today's Gospel: John 16, 23B-28

What would make my joy complete? Some days my joy is made complete by finally getting my kitchen clean. Some days my joy is realized when my husband gets home from work earlier than expected. And then there are those days when an ailing child’s fever finally breaks, or an aging parent’s suffering is relieved.

But in John’s account, Jesus doesn’t say “so that your joy may be complete today.” Jesus is speaking of the complete joy that only exists outside of time. A joy that comes from perfectly fulfilled yearnings. Because even if our lives are running smoothly and our loved ones are healthy, something will still leave us wanting.

And so Jesus tells us to ask, not just for what will make us happy today, but to ask in His name. He wants us to ask for the blessings and the sufferings that He knows will shape us into saints. Some of the answers to our requests may not make us perfectly happy in the worldly sense, but they will certainly not leave us wanting in the heavenly sense.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing to leave the world, and He is desperate for us to follow Him. He wants us to want Him, to crave Him, to pursue Him. All we have to do is ask, and He will guide us safely to our heavenly home.

Make your joy complete. Ask, and prepare to receive.

Ponder:

What type of joy will you seek today--the type that provides happiness for a moment, or the type that leads to rejoicing for an eternity?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, please fill my heart with an all-consuming desire for You.

 

Copyright 2016 Charisse Tierney

Charisse Tierney lives in Newton, Kansas, with her husband Rob and five children. Charisse and Rob are experienced Natural Family Planning and Theology of the Body for Teens teachers. Charisse holds bachelor and master degrees in music performance and is the Assistant Editor at Catholic Attachment Parenting Corner. She also blogs at Paving the Path to Purity. Find her on Facebook.