HW: Is it possible today to be a joy-filled happy believer?

A reflection for Gaudete Sunday, written and spoken by Kieran J. O'Mahony OSA. 

Gentle piano music to close the meditation

Transcript

John’s Lane
D08 F8NW
14 December 2025
On being a joyful believer in our time

Welcome
On this Sunday, the third Advent candle is lit — a different colour because this is Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. The tone is in the reading from Isaiah — everlasting joy on their faces — but the name comes from St Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!

Topic
Is it possible today to be a happy, joy-filled believer?

Steps
When St Paul wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice”, there was a lot going on. He himself was confined under house arrest, probably in Ephesus. The Philippians sent a messenger with some money and spiritual support — but the messenger fell ill and nearly died — a man with the unlikely name Epaphroditus. Paul was concerned for the Philippians who were concerned for Paul and for Epaphroditus. Anxiety was in the air! Within the community in Philippi, two evangelists had fallen out with each other — Euodia and Synthyche — causing as serious rift in the little community. Not least, some people were attacking Paul, trying to bring back the full Jewish Law, the Torah, with all its rules and regulations.

Living in the real world of conflict and challenge did not prevent Paul from accessing the joy of the Gospel. In fact, the letter to the Philippians is marked by an especially joyful tone. At the very beginning, Paul affirms:

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always, in every prayer of mine, making my prayer with joy for you all, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  (Philippians 1:3–5)

In our day, the ministry of Pope Francis was marked by a simple joy in believing. In 2013, he wrote The Joy of the Gospel, a kind of policy statement or programme for his time of office and a theme which he sustained throughout. It would seem to go against the grain of the times. In general, faith is under pressure, internally and externally. Still, Pope Francis knew that we the community of faith cannot offer the world the word of life until we experience it ourselves as both life-giving, life-enhancing and joyful. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the negative. Pope Francis was quite prophetic, inviting us to hear what is hard to hear — faith brings joy — and calling us to be open to the gift of happiness in believing.

Just to be clear, let me add three comments. Christian joy can coexist with suffering and times of great challenge. Authentic Christian joy is not escapist and does not lead to a kind of mindless complacency — on the contrary. Finally, Christian joy is a gift and is not the same as being naturally optimistic.  The roots of Christian joy lie elsewhere in the Gospel message. In the words of Pope Benedict,

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” 

Conclusion
As people of faith and prayer, we too are asked to open our hearts to happiness in believing and not to be afraid of being joyful. In the words of Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel:

The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelisation marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.

This kind of Christian joy takes us to the heart of the Christian encounter with Jesus, risen from the dead. This kind of joy does not ignore the challenges of life but on the contrary enables us to engage with a different kind of hope-filled energy. And finally, if we allow ourselves to experience this kind of joy in believing, we can celebrate the birth of Jesus not from the outside — externally, as a kind of formality or empty shell — but from the inside, from within, from within the encounter of faith. 

Gaudete Sunday helps us and the music of the season lifts our hearts.