“The joy I feel in being with you is no less great than that which I felt when I was with My Son Jesus during His mortal life” (Father’s Message to Sr. Eugenia Ravasio).
Who could please our Father as much as His only-begotten Son, who was obedient to Him even unto death? And what a joy it must have been for the Father to hear the Virgin Mary’s “yes” to His Will!
Nevertheless, the Lord is also referring to each one of us in pronouncing these profound words. The Father wants to delight in being in our midst, just as He delighted in being with His Son during His earthly life. He means you and me! The Lord wants to share with us our small and simple life, and to accompany us everywhere. God seeks communion with humankind. We are His joy!
This can have very profound consequences… We like to make others happy and avoid being a burden to them. As long as we do not let ourselves be carried away by our passions, we will normally try to behave in such a way that brings joy to others who encounter us. Kindness, for example, is an attitude that easily builds a bridge to others.
Now, if we hear that our Creator and Father loves to be with us and that we can give Him the joy of always welcoming His presence with an open heart, what prevents us from making this our life principle? Living for the joy of God! Could there be anything more beautiful?
But it is not only a matter of us expressing our love for Him in this way… Are not these words of the Father an inexhaustible declaration of His love for us? Does He not show us how valuable we are in His eyes? In light of these words, can we not set out and leave behind all our limitations? Will they not help us to stop looking always and everywhere for confirmation that we are loved and that our life is valuable?
Is it not enough that God seeks to be close to us? Can this certainty not become the consolation that always accompanies us? But what happens when we feel that our life is useless or we have the impression that many things we do are useless and fruitless? Then the words of the Father will comfort us: “The joy I feel in being with you is no less great than that which I felt when I was with My Son Jesus during His mortal life”.
That is enough for us!