Volume II, Treatise VI, Chapter II

That We Ought to Serve God with Joy—reasons that Oblige Us to Do So

“6 Resoice always in our Lord,” says the apostle, “I say again unto you, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) The Psalmist also recommends the same to us very often: “let the just,” says he, “rejoice in the Lord, and exult with joy, and let those of an upright heart glory in him.” (Psalms 31:14). “‘ Let all those who seek after thee, O Lord, exult and rejoice in thee.”—{(Psalms 59:5)) “Let all the earth rejoice in God; let it serve the Lord with joy, and present itself before him with gladness, —{Pa. xcix. 1.) ‘Let the heart of those that seek our Lord, rejoice.” (Psalms 104:3) He exhorts us also in divers other places to serve God with joy. And when the angel Raphael saluted Toby, he said nothing to him but this, “Jet joy always be with thee.” (Tobias 5:11) St. Francis was wont to say, that the devil and wicked men only ought to bb sad; and that those who are truly religions men, ought always rejoice. ‘The cries of joy only for their salvation, ought to be heard in the tabernacles of the just.“ (Psalms 97:15) And how is it possible we should be sad—we whom God has chosen from amongst so many, to place us in his own house and family?

What I have already said of the effects of sadness, and the care the holy Scripture takes so often to invite the just to rejoice, sufficiently shew how much it imports us to serve God with joy; but that the advantages derivable from it, may excite us the more, I shall here touch on some of the reasons that ought to move us to it. The first is, that God wishes to be served in this manner. For as St. Paul says, “God loves him, who gives him what he has with joy, and not with discontent or constraint.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) The wise man also teaches the same in these words, “whatsoever thou givest, giveit always with a cheerful countenance.” (Ecclesiasticus 25:11) As in the world masters wish to be served by their domestics with joy, and cannot endure they should serve them with sadness; even so God, who is our supreme Lord and Master, desires to’ be served with joy and affection, and rejects those that serve him with chagrin and sadness. The holy Scripture takes notice, that when the people of Israel offered a great quantity of gold, silver, and precious stones, for the building of the temple, they did it with “an exceeding great joy; and that David gave public thanks to God for the zeal and good will of the people. It is properly this that God esteems; he regards not so much the present that is made him, as the good will and affection with which it is made. Do they not even in the world, say, that they think more of the good will than of all the rest; and it is that gives an infinite value even to the smallest things, whereas without that, even considerable services are not at all grateful, but rather dix pleasing? They are good viands but dressed in such a manner, as spoils them and quite takes away their taste and flavour.

The second reason is, that when we serve God with joy, we promote his honour and glory; because we shew we do it with affection; and that all we do is nothing, in comparison of what we wished to do. It is not so with those that serve God with sadness. One would say, that they think they do very much; because they groan under the burden, and would seem, as it were, oppressed by the heaviness of the yoke. Now this extremely displeases God, and is a very bad sign; and it was on this account, St. Francis was always displeased, when he saw any of his religious sad; because sadness is a sign of a will much indisposed, and of a burdensome body. On the contrary those that serve God with joy and promptitude, seem to say, that all they do is nothing in comparison of what they have a wish to do. “All that I do for you, O Lord,” says St. Bernard, “‘seems scarce to take up an hour’s time; or if it takes up more, love hinders me from perceiving it.”——(Serm. xiv. sup. Cant.) But see what God requires of us when he says, “take care, when you fast, of being sad, as hyprocrites are; who make their countenance pale and disfigured, that men may perceive they fast; but for thy part, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash. thy face, that none may perceive thee to fast.” —( Mat. vi. 16.) It is good to take notice here, by the bye, that some imagine, that to preserve decorum and religious modesty, they ought always to keep their eyes fixed upon the ground, and shew sadness in their countenance: but they are deceived herein. “Religious modesty,” says St. Leo Pope, “ought to be holy, but not sad.”— (Ser. iv. Quadrag.) Their modesty therefore ought to be mixed with cheerfulness and their cheerfulness tempered with modesty; which, when joined together, have a good effect, and are graceful in a religious person.

The third reason is, that God is not only hereby more honoured, but that our neighbour also is more edified, and the esteem of virtue more increased: for those who serve God with joy, prove to worldlings that on the road of virtue there are not so many obstacles and difficulties as is imagined; and as men naturally love joy, they willingly travel the road whereon they expect to find it. But we, above all—we, whose profession particularly engages us in the help of souls, and consequently in worldly commerce, ought exercise our functions with joy, as there is nothing more proper than this to inspire the love of virtue and perfection in others; and it has often happened, that the joy visible in the countenance of true religious, has been the cause that many have embraced a religious state. All the world seeks to live contented, and if they did but know the satisfaction a true religious enjoys, the world would,soon become a desert. But this satisfaction is a hidden manna, which our Lord discovers only to those, whom he is pleased to make choice of. He has discovered it to you, and has concealed it from your brother; which is the reason that he remained in the world, and that you entered into religion; and this favour ought also oblige you to render continual thanks for it to Almighty God.

The fourth reason, for which we ought to serve him with joy, is, that our good actions gain hereby a greater merit in his sight, and become more holy and perfect; for it is a maxim in philosophy, “that joy perfects a work, and sadness corrupts it.” And do we not daily see, that there is a great difference between him that does a work with cheerfulness, and another that performs it unwillingly, and with regret? It seems that the one does it slightly and superficially, and only to be able to say that he has done it; but the other applies himself to do well what he does, and to acquit himself of his duty in the best manner he is able, Add to this, what St. Chrysostom says, that joy and contentment give strength and courage to perform good works; wherefore the royal prophet spoke thus to God, “I have run the way of thy commandments after thou hadst dilated my heart.”-—(Psal. cxviii. 32.) But it is joy which dilates the heart, and it is joy also that hinders the just from feeling pain in whatsoever they do.—“That they run, and are not at all tired, that they walk and feel no difficulty therein.” —(Isa. xl. 31.) Sadness on the contrary shuts up the heart, and takes from it, not only the desire, but even the force of acting; and causes that which before was very easy, to become very hard and insupportable. Aaron felt this weakness in himself, when having lost his two sons, whom the fire of heaven had destroyed; and being reprehended by Moses for not having entirely consummated the sacrifice, “how was it possible,” says he, ‘I should please God, carrying along with me so sad a heart to these ceremonies?”—(Levit. x. 19.) And the children of Israel also in the captivity of Babylon cried out; “How is it possible we should sing canticles to our Lord in a strange land?’—(Psal. cxxxvi. 4.) Lastly, experience daily teaches us, not only that ‘sadness dejects the mind,” (Proverbs 15:13), as the wise man says, but that it weakens the body also to such a degree, that it seems to have neither force nor vigour: and it is on this account the saints counsel us not to let ourselves be dejected by sadness in time of temptation, for this does nothing else than discourage us, and render us less able to resist it.

The fifth reason, why it is extremely to be wished, that Christians, but above all, religious, would serve God with joy, is, because, when one begins in this manner to serve him, there is all the reason in the world to hope for a perseverance therein; whereas when one begins in a different manner, there is reason to fear that they will not go far or persevere. When we see a man that is loaden, walk heavily and uneasily, and that he seems out of breath, and stops almost at every step to rest himself, or replace and refit his burden anew, and that lets sometimes one thing, and sometimes another fall down; we judge presently that he is a man who is_ quite spent, and able to do no more, seeing him even ready to fall under his burden. But on the contrary, when we see another who steadily carries his burden, and sings all the way he goes, we conclude he will carry it on, and that he will not fail upon the way. It is the same with religious; those who have sorrow imprinted on their foreheads, whilst they perform the duties of their profession; and seem to groan under their burden, give no flattering hopes of perseverance; for to ply continually the oar as a slave, is a task difficult to be performed for any length of time. But those who bear the yoke of our Lord with joy, and perform with cheerfulness even the meanest duties, and the most painful exercises of religion, and who find nothing too hard, give great hopes of remaining always faithful and constant in their vocation.

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