I’ve been thinking about joy, and cultivating it. Obviously, St. Paul talks about joy as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians. My personality tends to focus on the negative (no, really) as opposed to the positives, which there are an awful lot of in my life, thank God. I’ve been contemplating the Passion and Resurrection alot recently, which has helped me to keep the big picture focused.
So, question for you, dear readers – how do you cultivate joy in your lives? I’m curious.
I like that exercise. I know I need to focus more on gratitude, because (especially now), there is SO MUCH to be grateful for.
Thanks for the reminder!
I say sometimes that the Holy Spirit gives me extra joy. I had to cultivate my relationship with him, though, by praying to him and reading more about him and trying to connect with him. It’s like that part of the Eucharistic Prayer preface that says, “You have no need of of our praise, but our desire to praise you is in itself our gift.” My desire to be closer to the Holy Spirit actually brought me closer to him.
I’ve been working on the same thing lately. I had a priest tell me to say “Thank you Jesus” three times– for things in the past, the present, and the future. It was weird for me to thank Jesus for blessings we haven’t received yet. I felt like it was presumptuous or something. But I trust this rockin priest, and the exercise has really helped me feel more grateful and joyful.