Sisters and brothers in Christ,

We heard this word: 'Pray without ceasing.' (1 Thessalonians 5:17) . And it is not easy to do, as we must, this word.

But also there is this: 'Rejoice evermore' or 'Be joyful always' or 'παντοτε χαιρετε' (1 Thessalonians 5, 16).

Please, might you in your benevolence to share with me how is possible to rejoice evermore?

To rejoice is to live in a continous joy, or how?

It seems not to be an easy word. And I feel that it is an important word for all of us.

In Christ, your brother, Marian

I believe my Brother, that such joy that the Holy Scriptures refer to, is to have that spiritual, supernatural joy that arises of abandoning ourselves, our lives and our needs in the arms of God.

It is difficult in this world but we as Christians must rejoice on Our Lord; if things in our life come out well, lets rejoice by thanking God who gives us every good we may have in this world; if things go wrong, lets rejoice by thanking God for giving us a Cross to bear with him, as St. Josemaría Escrivá used to say.

St. James said that if anyone is sad, he should pray to Our Lord, and if anyone is happy to sing psalms to Our Lord.

What greater joy could we have, as unworthy servants, to have the constant presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist and to receive him often?

Just my unworthy two cents here.

May Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the Holy Theotokos bless you all.

Bernardo

Bernardo,

Good answer to our brother, Marian's, question. I just want to add:

You show me the path of life, In your presence there is fullness of joy. (Ps. 16:11)

God wants us to be joyful. If one doesn't know for sure what that means, then, I think that as we enter more and more into His Presence in, as you say, the Eucharist, and in Communion with God...we know what that joy is...for truly as the Psalmist says above, in the presence there is fullness of joy. A fruit of the spirit...

Galations 5:22. "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

This joy goes deeper than mere feelings. I know that there have been times when I have been suffering physically or have experienced great disappointment, failure, or loss, that His presence has given me joy. Of course, I have known that joy in other times too.

My two cents,

In Christ and the Theotokos,

Porter..prayerfully.

Bernardo and Mary Jo, my far brother and sister in Christ,

Thank you for your benevolence, answering to my soul. Precious words at the right moment.

I will meditate...

May God have mercy on all this world, and forgive me, please. Since now I will stay out until 15th August, when it is the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. That day it is also my given name day. I feel I used to many words last time, and it seems that a person was affected.

Forgive me, please.

In Christ, Marian, just a soul

Dear Marian,

I don't think you have offended either one of us who have posted thus far on this thread. I think yours was a good and heartfelt question.

Bless you, brother in Christ,

Porter.

Marian,

The injunction to rejoice always is seen by St. Athanasius (Festal Letters 9) as a call to live in the joy of the resurection. By calling to mind this joyful event he says we store up that crown of victory in heaven and connect ourselves with the saints of old. Our lives are lived in the presence of God. Our very actions are a prayer and the spirit of joy in the resurection should fill us at all times.

Both of these injunctions, pray without ceasing and rejoice always, are an ideal that we are called to live up to. Something to keep in the back of your mind during difficult times. St. Basil the Great (Homily 16) bluntly says this injuction to rejoice always applies to our times of adversity.

These injunctions and this patristic understanding of them is why we read of some martyrs singing joyful songs to the Lord as they are put to death.

Steve Puluka

Thank you very much, Steve Puluka, for your good words. Also I thank again Bernardo and Mary Jo.
Good words at a difficult time for me.
May God bless you all and make us worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom. Amin.
In Christ, brotherly, Marian

I am not sure that "joy" has the same meaning today and in english - as it did back then in Aramaic or Greek.

I believe it meant more of a natural "fullness" and true satisfaction to our nature - rather than today's restricted meaning of trasitory emotion pleasure.

The meaning would be similar to how a baby feels when full of mother's milk - rather than more of a pshcological emotion derived when one thinks things are going great.

Annd since the word prayer - is not restricted to mental or vocal speaking - one should not think that one has to keep a running dialog going in the head. The word pray in Aramaic also means - a vow - a dedication - and it also means to-trap something. In other words to "trap" God or catch him.

The contant prayer that is being spoken of here is an attention to conscience. An attentive gaze toward conscience during daily life.

Some call it "the pratice of the presence of God".

Within the Jesus prayer - the deeper part of the prayer is the silence between the words. And a constannt mental dialog with the voice of our phsychological mind can reach a point of being un-natural to our created nature. The purpose of the Jesus prayer is to foster this attention to conscience (rather than our obsessive attention to our thoughts and logic) but unltimatly grace must do it for us and we should not force the issue too strongly as if we might program ourselves to "pray constantly" using only our limited and resticted understanding of what prayer is. We may pratice - but no pratice can lead to perfection. So we must be patient and not do violence to our own nature. Pratice simply helps us to recognise 'the real thing' when it comes alone.

Cheers.
-ray

-ray

RayK,

Thank you for your answer. I agree with you. 'practice of the presence of God'

You know, Saint Basil the Great taught us to have two walls. On the left the thought at our own death, on the right the thought at God. This way we are really aware...

Regarding the Jesus prayer, I agree, it is needed a lot of patience. This prayer is not a mantra, but a relashionship with the Living God, and with the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can pretaste from those beauties...But we must be humble and say this prayer with time and without time.

Thank you again for your benevolence.

In Christ, Marian +

Marian,

I am pleased to see you are continuing to post and not waiting until August 15 as you mentioned above.

God Bless you...

In Christ,

Porter.

Dear sister in Christ,

As you know, from the next week I will be in hospital, at Bucharest, for about 2 or 3 weeks.

I thought to share something from my soul with my far sisters and brothers in Christ. Far as distance.

May God have mercy on us, and make us able to rejoice evermore in that unspeakeble joy of the Ressurection.

Unworthy, Marian +

Yes, rejoicing in the Resurrection with you! I just posted your need as shared here on the prayer thread.

You are loved on this forum by many.

In Christ,

Mary Josephine...