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Complete joy sounds like a wonderful place to be. It brings to mind floating in the clear temperate waters of the Caribbean, on vacation with not a care in the world. It is the moment that your favorite team wins the World Series or the Super Bowl. It is the utter satisfaction of a hole in one or bowling a perfect 300. And although these instances might feel like complete joy, they are nowhere near the joy of God’s love. 

We are human and use our five senses to judge the world. We believe our eyes in what we see and touch. We make judgments about those around us and sometimes about those around the world we don’t even know. We are immersed in the day to day of life for our own survival. We are typically so far from joy when we use our five senses and emotions to gauge our happiness. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is inviting us to remain in His love so that our joy may be complete. He is removing our five senses of this world and teaching us to think of God’s love for us. He tells us that as God loves Jesus, so He loves us. That is the invitation to complete joy. It is not a race or a competition to be won. It isn’t tangible. It is God’s love, pure and simple. A parent might understand that there is no love greater than the love they feel for their child, and yet, God’s love is more complete. It is an infinite eternal love that we cannot comprehend. And it is here for the asking. 

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La alegría plena suena como un estado maravilloso. Nos evoca la imagen de flotar en las aguas cristalinas y templadas del Caribe, de vacaciones, sin preocupaciones. Es el momento en que nuestro equipo favorito gana la Serie Mundial o el Super Bowl. Es la satisfacción absoluta de un hoyo en uno o de una partida perfecta de bolos. Y aunque estos momentos puedan parecer de alegría plena, no se comparan con la alegría del amor de Dios.

Somos seres humanos y usamos nuestros cinco sentidos para juzgar el mundo. Creemos en lo que vemos y tocamos. Juzgamos a quienes nos rodean y, a veces, incluso a personas de todo el mundo que ni siquiera conocemos. Estamos inmersos en el día a día, luchando tan solo para sobrevivir. Generalmente, estamos muy lejos de la alegría cuando usamos nuestros cinco sentidos y emociones para medir nuestra felicidad.

En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús nos invita a permanecer en su amor para que nuestra alegría sea completa. Nos libera de la influencia de nuestros sentidos terrenales y nos enseña a reflexionar sobre el amor de Dios por nosotros. Nos dice que, así como Dios ama a Jesús, también nos ama a nosotros. Esa es la invitación a la alegría plena. No es una carrera ni una competencia que ganar. No es algo tangible. Es el amor de Dios, puro y simple. Un padre o una madre puede comprender que no hay amor más grande que el que sienten por sus hijos, y sin embargo, el amor de Dios es aún más completo. Es un amor infinito y eterno que no podemos comprender. Y está a nuestro alcance.

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Anita Renaghan is the author of several books including literary fiction, science fiction, and a young adult trilogy. She loves a good character study and has been many characters herself including: an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, a college graduate, a second degree blackbelt, lost, a waitress and bartender, a wife and mother, an account executive, found, and a constantly inventive singer-songwriter. Anita is interested in sharing her faith with others through her writings and story characters. Her website is anitarenaghan.com

Feature Image Credit: Sara, pexels.com/photo/blue-and-white-ocean-during-day-time-63340/

The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.