20 April
Holy Saturday
We share a happiness that the world will not be able to take from us (Gaudete et exsultate 177).
Luke 24:1-12
`The Son of Man must be delivered in to the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again..’
Joy, perfect joy, has to be understood as central to our religious life; an accompaniment, but also an essential means to become holy. … St Francis of Assissi said: Educate yourselves to be joyful; if it doesn’t dominate, we can be certain that the devil will. That’s not what he said, but gives the meaning. Fr Faber said that joy is the atmosphere of heroic holiness. That is why we have to see education to be joyful as a moral duty and make it the centre of attention. Why? Because joy is a fundamental drive in human nature, and if it isn’t developed, human nature will look for other satisfactions. We cannot live without joy. (Retreat 1934 – JK)
#lent #holiness