Your Sorrow will turn to Joy

In today’s Gospel Jesus explains to his disciples that they will weep and lament at his death. The world will rejoice because it wanted his death. Jesus promises them that their weeping will be turned into joy at his resurrection.  This weeping and joy centred on the fact that Jesus had to leave them in order to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus then presents a parable of a woman in childbirth who suffers pain when the hour of her childbirth arrives but then experiences joy that a new person has been born into the world.  Then Jesus applies this to himself, explaining that the disciples are now sad at his coming suffering but he will see them again in the resurrection and then they will rejoice. At that time no one will be able to take their joy away. They will be glad when they see the risen Lord.

The only way we can lose our joy is by neglecting prayer, ignoring repentance, and growing lax in our devotion to scripture.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you sent your Spirit to reveal the glory of Jesus Christ to all who would believe in him. Teach me to rejoice in the Spirit’s coming. May I hunger for his presence within me and seek him out in prayer and your word.