Rejoice in the Lord!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Phil 4,4). This is the advice of St. Paul
to the Christian community in Philippi. Here words of St. Paul do not refer to the gladness
that is here today and gone tomorrow, but rather to the gladness that lasts. Is it really,
however, possible? Can anyone rejoice always? Last year, I was fortunate to accompany a
pilgrim group in the holy land that had family with a paralyzed daughter in wheelchair. She
cannot walk; she needs to use both hands either to eat or to paint; her talk is faltering. She has
been so for last 34 years. Instead of all these facts, what is noteworthy about her is the
undying smile on her face, and the rays of gladness that she is radiating around her. Neither
she, nor her parents lament about her deficiencies, but only thank the Lord. When I asked her
how it is possible for her to be so happy, she replied me: my Jesus loves me, I can never be
sad. This family reassures that the real happiness does not necessarily dependent upon what
one has or the circumstances in which one lives.
In order to encourage the Philippians to rejoice, St. Paul uses the Greek verb chairo meaning
to be glad, or to rejoice. In the greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary, the same verb is
used. Though our English versions of the bible translate it as hail, it literally means be
glad. The angle explicates that Mary is to be glad, because the Lord is with her (Lk 1,28).
The first and foremost prerequisite to become happy is to have the presence of the Lord with
us. A persuasive formulation of this conviction can be found in Ps 16,8-9: I keep the Lord
always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart
is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. When the Psalmist is ready to keep
the Lord before him, he is glad and secure.
To keep the Lord before us or to experience his saving presence each and every moment of
our life is neither a small point, nor easy. We have always the tendency to dwell on our past
or be anxious about our future. Often we forget to live the present. The Lord Jesus, who
suffered and died for our past mistakes, cares for us in the present, and He is able to protect
us in the future. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8,31). We have to begin to
recognise the Jesus who is with us. We need to think about what we are, rather than what we
are not; we need to ponder over what have, rather than what we do not have. In the face of
death, one really understands the value of life; in sickness, one realizes the value of health;
when one is unemployed, one begins to appreciate the low-status job. It is not necessary that
one should become privative in order to realise the value of things. It is, however, necessary
to open our eyes and hearts to see the protecting love of the Lord that cares for us each and
every moment of our life. It will make us grateful to the Lord for our being. It is from this
wisdom that Mary declares: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my
Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant (Lk 1,46-48).
Keeping the Lord always before us requires also a life with Him, a life that pleases Him.
When Mary replied to the Word of the Lord, here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with
me according to your word (Lk 1,38), the world was gifted with the joy of Christmas. To the
hard hearted Israel that refused to be with him, the Lord said, Because you did not serve the
Lord your God joyfully and with gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore
you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in
nakedness and lack of everything. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has
destroyed you (Deut 28,47). People who refuse to discern and execute the will of the Lord,
find themselves in curse and despair.
Our joy in the Lord is a treasure to be shared with others. One who really experienced Jesus
cannot but proclaim Him to the world. Having the blessing of being part of the Nurses
Ministry, let our smile, our touch and our presence be the radiation of our joy in the Lord. Let
the prophecy of Isaiah be fulfilled in our life: With joy you will draw water from the wells
of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted (Isa 12,3).

Fr. Paul Kunjanayil MCBS