Christian cheerfulness is not something physiological.
Its foundation is supernatural, and it goes deeper than illness or
difficulties. Cheerfulness does not mean the jingling of bells, or the
gaiety of a dance at the local hall.True cheerfulness is something
deeper, something within: something that keeps us peaceful and brimming
over with joy, though at times our face may be stern. (The Forge, 520)
Some people feel embittered all the time. Everything makes them
uneasy. They go to sleep with a physical obsession: that this sleep, the
only possible escape, is not going to last very long. They wake up with
the unwelcome and disheartening feeling that they now have another day
in front of them.
Many have forgotten that the Lord has placed us in the world on our way to eternal happiness. They do not realise that only those who walk on earth with the joy of the children of God will be able to attain it. (Furrow, 305)
True love means going out of oneself, giving oneself. Love brings joy, but a joy whose roots are in the shape of a cross. As long as we are on earth and have not yet arrived at the fullness of the future life, we can never have true love without sacrifice and pain. This pain becomes sweet and lovable; it is the source of interior joy. But it is an authentic pain, for it involves overcoming one's own selfishness and taking Love as the rule of each and every thing we do. (Christ is passing by, 43)
Many have forgotten that the Lord has placed us in the world on our way to eternal happiness. They do not realise that only those who walk on earth with the joy of the children of God will be able to attain it. (Furrow, 305)
True love means going out of oneself, giving oneself. Love brings joy, but a joy whose roots are in the shape of a cross. As long as we are on earth and have not yet arrived at the fullness of the future life, we can never have true love without sacrifice and pain. This pain becomes sweet and lovable; it is the source of interior joy. But it is an authentic pain, for it involves overcoming one's own selfishness and taking Love as the rule of each and every thing we do. (Christ is passing by, 43)
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