Editorial
Victory of life
By Marie-Paule Sanfaçon, m.i.c.
After the long months of winter, a ray of spring sunshine is most welcome. The accumulated snow melts, the grass starts to emerge and, what joy, a snowdrop offers a glimpse of a little flower. Oh wonder, spring has arrived, the triumph of life... the maple sap is flowing, people are busy, the sugar shacks are welcoming guests who happily enjoy their maple sweets.
Joy is also present in the parishes; children, well prepared, are taking their first steps in the spiritual life, making their first contact with Jesus in their hearts. The older children have chosen to continue learning and are preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation. The Holy Spirit’s gifts will affirm them in the development of their faith life. This spiritual support will prepare them to live the joys and sorrows inherent in life.
In every life there are difficult moments that come to pass when the Lord acting within us gives us the inner strength to overcome them. We must never despair. The example of this boy during the earthquake in Turkey, after 7 or 8 days trapped beneath the rubble, who strikes the wall with his free hand, hoping it will be heard. Did he pray? We don’t know... but his patience was recognized and he was set free.
We have just celebrated the Passover of Jesus Christ, the victory of life over death; is it not a joyful time, when, daily, joy becomes music to our ears? The painting of the risen Christ by Anne Marie Forest and all the testimonies of faith expressed in this issue of the magazine invite us to nourish our faith which becomes joy in contact with the Lord.
Enjoy your reading!
I
Joy, Little Music of the Day
By Évangeline Plamondon, m.i.c.
Little Joys
Joy, that sweet and tenacious music that lies dormant within us, that sings in the middle of the day or accompanies tears... We must notice it and welcome it every day; it offers us many scores with white or black notes! The melody of little pleasures is an introduction to a deeper joy.
Have you ever contemplated fine drops of rain deposited on fragile leaves? Or watched the bold flight of ducks in the blue sky? Have you ever marveled at the first steps of a little one? These last few days, sparrows have been chirping happily, with complete disregard for the cold thicket on which they played. These little pleasures gather as the days go by, how sweet and nourishing they are for those who know how to catch them!
Happiness and Joy
You may tell me that happiness and joy are similar. Yes and no! Happiness is a sort of complete equation between our desires and reality, it can easily crumble, it is ephemeral. Joy that dwells in the heart, endures and may face every dark cloud. It colours our deepest desires, as life unfolds.
Personally, I think that joy is a pursuit and this pursuit, as funny as it may sound, is already a joy! It is a quest for bliss! Happy are the people who are in pursuit of the perfect joy! They are alive! Their thirst is quenched only when they drink from the source of a love with eternal horizons.[ … ]
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