Ave Maria Meditations
Holiness does not consist in putting on long faces or being sad and miserable. Holiness is continuously joyful because it is the possession of God! Do not be downhearted. Have a supernatural outlook and you will see everything in a new light.
Why are you unhappy? Perhaps something is disturbing your relationship with God. Examine yourself at once to discover what it is. You should always be joyful. The road of hope does not allow for traveling in sadness; it is the road that restores joy. How is it that you feel discouraged if you were working for God? The more difficult things are, the happier you should be… When you are successful, give thanks to God and when you are a failure, give thanks to God! Rejoice always! When you fail, you will soon see if you serve God or your own will. To be joyful and courageous in a moment of failure is more difficult than in a moment of good fortune.
How can you rid yourself of sadness? Pray! And why pray? Because in prayer you meet the Lord. “Instead, rejoice in so far as you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings, so that when His glory is revealed you may rejoice and exult.” (1 Peter 4:13).
Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan
