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Joy.

Perhaps the most distinctive virtue of a true Christian is Joy. Joy in our ordinary life comes from the knowledge that we are children of God the Father, that we are in his hands, that our work is cooperation in the ``family business'', and that through it we become brothers and sisters to all people.

Paraphrasing (poorly, I'm afraid) what G.K. Chesterton wrote in his marvelous work, Orthodoxy: the Romance of Faith, we see that the faithless modern prophet wants to deny us joy in the big things (such as the meaning of life and of work, the afterlife, the role of suffering and pain) and wants us to seek happiness in the little things. We see this sometimes in people who are very serious about their work, their things, and get very upset if something goes not as they wished (we all tend to do this, actually). Whereas the Christian faith does just the opposite: it does not take away the little things, but teaches us that by sometimes sacrificing them we are led to the certain hope of the greater ones. The great secret of Christ as he walked on earth, was His mirth, his great joy. With a little bit of good humor, and with the grace of God, that Joy should also be ours everyday.


next up previous
Next: Conclusion Up: Towards a Christian spirituality Previous: Redemptive value of work.
Jesus Izaguirre 2000-12-06