Strength in Joy, Strength in Christ

praying, give, resolve

 

Pixabay - prayingHaving typed  and computerized our Franciscan Rule and Constitutions as a postulant and frequently listened to it read in community, I am quite familiar with many of the texts.

So it was that recently when making apple muffins with one of our residents, a phrase from there came readily to my mind.   That is: “the joy that creative labor brings.”

I work at St. Anne’s Guest Home, an assisted living type facility, where we serve elderly, disabled and vulnerable individuals.  We have a little kitchen here in our activity department, which I utilize regularly.  Some months back, a woman moved in who likes to work hard and keep busy; she is a good assistant.  In fact, we are actually on the lookout for things to keep her busy.

The Joy That Creative Labor Brings

In observing her that particular afternoon, I could tell my helper was having a good time, getting back to things she used to do with her “mamma.”  It was sweet and gratifying for me to see her really enjoying herself, carefully spooning batter into the muffin tins.

Although there are certain principles that must be followed in baking and recipes are very helpful, baking itself can be a ‘creative labor.’  That afternoon, both of us ‘tasted’ the joy that our Constitutions allude to in the phrase quoted above.

So, I thought I’d look up this passage, which I still have the file saved on my flash drive, and see in what context it was written.  The full text was touchingly fitting for that very busy day, complete with oodles of donated apples to process, reception desk duties, and holding a little dance in the evening for our residents.

The full passage reads:

The inner strength for effective activity and selfless service comes to us

  • from our encounter with Christ in Word and Eucharist.
  • from our experience of a genuine community in prayer, work and relaxation,
  • from our sense of responsibility to all those with whom we live and work,
  • from the joy that creative labor brings,
  • from the spiritual help of our sick and elderly Sisters,
  • from the life and example of the Saints.

Joy As A Source of Strength

I would not have thought of joy as a source of strength, but the writers of our directives must have seen a connection, for they included it as one of the noteworthy sources of strength.

In recent years, with some definite struggles I’ve faced, I have found the first listed source of strength to be a crucial one.  I truly have found strength, solace, and even joy for in my “encounter with Christ in Word and Eucharist.”  When there seems to be nowhere else to find needed support, He is there.  He gives strength and even joy to support us as we live a life devoted to Him.

Our Constitutions further point out that:

Strength for this consecrated gift of self to God grows in us, when we pray perseveringly and frequent the sacraments in faith;

strive to achieve a knowledge and an experience of the love of Christ personally and as a community;

create a sisterly Franciscan community;

develop genuinely human relationships as Jesus did;

strive for simplicity, moderation, vigilance and discipline of our senses;

offer our service generously joyously, and in a womanly manner;

see Christ in our suffering brothers and sisters, and express our love to them in word and deed;

accept consciously in faith our personal solitude, knowing that Christ lives in me.

As alluded to above, that day of domestic activity was a very busy one.  I was needed to also work that night.  As I prepared to work the night shift after fruitless efforts to find a substitute for a sick aide, another passage came to mind.  This one was from St. Paul’s writings: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  St. Paul, too, may have found a connection between joy and strength, for this verse is part of a section of his writing which bears the title “Joy and Peace.”  In fact, the section started with the exhortation to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

Shortly after this experience, I went to chapel to catch up on some spiritual reading.  I picked up our Rule and Constitutions and settled in a pew.  It was interesting how this word strength stood out to me.  There are at least thirteen references in our documents.  In reflecting upon these, I realized that strength is both something we are given and something we are to share.  One beautiful reference to strength, using the simply poignant words characteristic of St. Francis, is found in our Rule’s prologue:

All who love the Lord with their whole heart, their whole soul and mind, and with their strength, (cf. Mt. 12:30) and love their neighbor as themselves, (cf. Mt. 22:39) and who despise the tendency in their humanity to sin, receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and bring forth from within themselves fruits worthy of true penance;

How happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things, and persevere in doing them because “the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them,” (cf. Is. 11:12) and the Lord will make “His home and dwelling place (cf. Jn. 14:23) with them.”  They are the children of the Heavenly Father (cf. Mt. 5:45) whose works they do.

I can only thank Our Lord, our strong, yet tender shepherd, for giving me strength and for gently carrying me in my weakness.

Writer’s Note: “Our Rule” refers to the Rule of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. “Our Constitutions” refers to the Constitutions of the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen, our particular Congregation of Religious Sisters.

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1 thought on “Strength in Joy, Strength in Christ”

  1. Many of the Saints, like the Doctors of the Church, were wise indeed. That’s probably because they spent their all their awake time doing, reading, thinking, reflecting and praying. Today far too many spend far too much time watching the garbage that’s on TV, watching stupid video clips on their smart phones, or playing video games instead of pursuing wisdom and a closer relationship with Christ. Thank you Sister Christina for bringing these wise words to our attention.

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