Christians breathe joy. That was the message Pope Francis delivered on Monday, May 28, 2018, in his homily at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, as reported in Vatican News.
“Joy does not mean living from laugh to laugh,” the Holy Father said. “No, it’s not that. Joy is not entertainment. No, it’s not that. It is something else. Christian joy is peace, peace that is deeply rooted, peace in the heart, the peace that only God can give. This is Christian joy. It is not easy to foster this joy.”
Christians must remember what God has done for us, and in that remembering be rejuvenated. In today’s culture, people often seem to be satisfied by mere fragments of pleasure, he noted, and the pleasure isn’t truly satisfying nor lasting. It leaves people restless and uneasy.
“There is a healthy restlessness, and there is another which is not healthy – that which seeks security above all, which seeks pleasure above all,” the Pope said, pointing to the day’s Gospel from the10th chapter of Mark. “The young man in the Gospel was afraid that if he gave up his wealth he would not be happy. Joy, consolation: this is our breath as Christians.”
