"We are not accustomed to thinking of Jesus smiling, joyful. Jesus was full of joy." "The joy of the Church is to evangelize, to move forward and talk about her Spouse. And also transmit this joy to the children she gives birth to, the children she nourishes".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The peace of Christ is a joyful peace, because our Lord is joyful" and Jesus "wanted his Bride, the Church, to be joyful in hope". This is why "we cannot have a joyless Church", said Pope Francis during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta.

According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis focused his homily on the amalgam of peace and joy. In the First Reading from the Book of Isaiah , he noted, we see the desire for peace that we all have. A peace that Isaiah says, the Messiah will bring us. In the Gospel, on the other hand , "we see a little of the soul of Jesus, the Heart of Jesus : a joyful heart".

"We always think of Jesus when he preached, when he healed, when he walked, went out onto the streets, even at the Last Supper ... But we are not so accustomed to thinking of Jesus smiling, joyful. Jesus was full of joy, full of joy. In that intimacy with his Father: ' He exulted with joy in the Holy Spirit and praised the Father '.  It is the inner mystery of Jesus, his relationship with the Father in the Spirit. It is this inner joy, his inner joy that He gives to us".

"And this joy - observed the Pope - is the true peace : peace is not a static, quiet, calm". No, " the peace of Christ is a joyful peace , because our Lord is joyful ." He is also joyful "when he speaks of the Father, the Father he loves so much that he can not speak of without joy." Our God , he reiterated , " is joyous ." And he " wanted his bride , the Church, to be joyful".

"You can not think of a Church without joy and the joy of the Church is this: proclaiming the name of Jesus.  Saying: ' He is the Lord . My Spouse is the Lord. He is God.  He saves us , He walks with us ' . And that's the joy of the Church, which in this joy of a bride that becomes a mother . Paul VI said, the joy of the Church is to evangelize, moving forward and talking about her Spouse. And transmitting this joy to the children she gives birth to, the children she nurtures".

And so, he added , we contemplate that the peace of which Isaiah speaks to us "is a peace that moves a lot, it's a peace of joy, a peace of praise", a peace we could describe as "noisy, in praise, a fruitful peace in mothering new children". A peace, said Pope Francis, "that lies in the joy of praise of the Trinity and in evangelization, to go to the people and tell them who Jesus is ." "Peace and joy", he reiterated . And he emphasized Jesus' words "a dogmatic declaration", when he says : "for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike".

"Even in matters as serious as this , Jesus is joyful, the Church is joyous. She must be joyful . Even in her widowhood - because the Church has a part of the widow who waits for her husband to return - even in her widowhood , the Church is joyful in hope. May the Lord will gift us all this joy, this joy of Jesus, praising the Father in the Spirit . This joy of our mother Church in evangelizing , in announcing her Spouse . "

 

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