Joy is not a Feeling

On this "Gaudete Sunday" -- named for the first word of the Entrance Antiphon, which is "Gaudete", "Rejoice!" and symbolized by its rose liturgical color -- our second reading today echoes this them of joy. Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always!" This is a command for the Christian, and because we cannot "command" the way that we feel, he is communicating to us that joy is not a feeling but an act of the will, a result of our trust and confidence that God is good and that we are loved -- in good times and in bad!