Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week of Easter

The Scriptures are filled with passages about joy and rejoicing. St. Paul teaches that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus expresses His desire for His joy to be within us. At the heart of the Gospel, this joy is a beacon of hope and positivity, as " Gospel " means "good news." On the eve of His Crucifixion, Jesus longed for His joy to be present in His disciples, demonstrating the enduring power of joy in the face of adversity.

It may seem strange to experience joy in such a daunting situation, where hostility and violent death loom. However, Jesus' sense of joy comes from His unwavering knowledge that He is beloved by His Father. This joy also arises from His sharing of that love with His disciples and all of humanity.

Joy is the natural outgrowth of genuine love, which originates from God's love for us and extends to our love for one another in His Name.