The conduct of the Apostles after the Ascension was rather unusual but strikingly eloquent; once they were convinced that Jesus had left them, left them definitely, they returned to Jerusalem, as the Gospel notes full of joy.
One would think that since their Good Master had disappeared forever, sadness rather than joy would overcome them.
No! they were experiencing what Our Lord had disclosed to them, what He had promised to them particularly at the Last Supper - the knowledge that joy, not earthly joy, but divine joy would accompany them in all their trials and sacrifices.
How often I have felt this joy of the Lord, especially after some little act of fidelity, and have I not experienced that this profound joy is possible, yes, that it even goes hand in hand with very real sufferings, and such as are serious and keenly felt.
May You be praised, O Jesus, for having brought joy into this valley of tears, the joy of the children of God, the joy the angels sang over Your cradle, the joy which Your Gospel reflects and teaches, this joy which in the land of glory will change into eternal beatitude.
An author describes in one of his dramas, a teacher who although her work is very difficult keeps in the midst of her tribulations a joy which nothing can change. In the evening after a particularly laborious day, she always said, "Although I am tired, exhausted, I feel so happy today." One does not necessarily lose his happiness because of exhaustion.
Joy in spite of all and above all, that is the characteristic of those to whom Jesus is everything.
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
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