“Means for acquiring Joyfulness:

1. Ask the Lord for joyfulness. Joy or cheerfulness is the second fruit of the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:22]. Blessed [John] Berchmans [1599-1621] was always so joyful that many called him Saint Leto [joy] and Saint IIario [laughter]. Joy was a grace he daily prayed for at Mass.
2. Think frequently of the Lord and thank Him for the goods that we possess and hope to possess. For example, thank him for the grace of God that we possess, and for the Paradise that we hope for. Let us go often to take from the Angels and Blessed above, an air of joyfulness, thinking that from now on we are citizens of Heaven and fortifying ourselves in Christian hope.
3. Perform good deeds with holy readiness and simplicity. Do things with good intention. Do them immediately, without reasoning too much on them, becoming over-reflective. Rather, cut off all ruminations, saying to oneself: ‘I should not dwell on this, one needs only to do what is good.’ Likewise, it is helpful to act with holy freedom of spirit,
despising every fear that is not founded on offending God, not waiting for tomorrow that which you can do today.”

“Through joyfulness one avoids sins and easily triumphs over temptation. It is proper to temptations to begin to instill despondency and sadness. And in these troubled waters the devil begins to fish. The joyful man has great regard for and always enjoys the spiritual goods he hopes for and possesses. When these are compared to the apparent goods temptations offer, he quickly decides the question with the exclamation of St. Philip, “Paradise, Paradise.” Therefore, he sins less and gains much more merit… With joyfulness, one drives out the sloth which impedes the practice of virtue.

With joyfulness one easily acquires holiness and perfects oneself through virtuous actions. “God loves a joyful giver” (2 Corinthians 9: 7). Joyful giving is done not as a burden, but by good grace, with love. If one thinks too much about a good action that is to be performed [and thus hesitates], the merit of that action will be diminished… So act promptly… The one who gives promptly, gives double.

Compare a sad person with a joyful one in their daily activities. The despondent one behaves like an old lazy man, who is sleepy, cold, frozen…. The joyful one behaves like a young man who carries himself well, is graceful, robust, and energetic. In fact, if one prays, if one meditates with joy, if one approaches the sacraments joyfully, if one converses with his neighbor with joy, how many sins against God and neighbor will be avoided!

With joyfulness one’s perseverance in good is more easily assured, because doing things with sadness and against one’s will constitutes a violent state that cannot last. In such a case, if great difficulties are encountered, how much more easily is everything abandoned. The joyful man, on the other hand, is resolute, generous, energetic, and so he easily overcomes the difficulty of perseverance.”

1. Our gratitude requires it. We have an obligation to be thankful for the spiritual goods we possess. How will we ever show enough appreciation for them unless we really enjoy them and celebrate them?
2. Our honor demands it. How can we rejoice and show gratitude [for spiritual goods] if we are sad and melancholy? One would enjoy, most certainly, being favored by a prince, receiving worldly riches and the hope for even more. Do we have any excuse for not enjoying being favored by God, receiving spiritual riches and the well-founded hope of eternal riches yet to come?
3. Sacred Scripture testifies that God’s manifest desire is our joy. Here are some of the Lord’s invitations:
• “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
• “Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
• “I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12)
• “Nothing is more delightful than joy of the heart.” (Sirach 30:16)
• “Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, because your works are pleasing to God.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7)
• “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; exult, all you upright of heart.” (Psalm 32:11)”

“Spiritual joy is experienced when one ponders the spiritual goods it possesses. What are these goods? Participation in the divine nature (as children of God), union with Jesus Christ, being in the bosom of the Church as her children, God’s special protection, the gifts of the theological virtues, the Sacraments, the communion of saints, grace, friendship with God, the merits of our actions, the glory of heaven that is already almost ours by the firm hope we have (as a son already almost possesses the inheritance that awaits him from his father).

This is the joy that we must seek. Few possess it, because they fail to call these
goods to mind and fail to understand how valuable they are. They are like people who never stop to look at a beautiful painting, or to listen to beautiful music, and really enjoy them. They are like children who possess precious things but do not realize how valuable
they are. Such people fail to ponder and take delight in the state of grace.

Unlike worldly joy, spiritual joy is true joy; it is not based on anything false or illusory. It is to be preferred to all else, because it is good, holy, and superior to anything temporal. Spiritual joy is angelic, because the angels themselves experience it. It is real, and it strengthens.”