v. Joy, Delight, Rejoicing
Deu 28:47 you did not serve Jehovah .. with g of heart
Neh 8:10 for the g of the Lord is your strength
Job 20:5 brief, and the g of the wicked for a moment
Psa 48:2 g of all the earth is mount Zion
Psa 119:111 testimonies .. they are the g of my heart
Pro 15:8 but the prayer of the upright is their g
Ecc 9:7 and eat your bread with g, and drink your wine with
Isa 35:10 and forever shall it be upon their heads
Isa 51:3 joy and praise will be found in her
Isa 60:15 I will cause you to be .. g of all ages
Isa 61:3 g oil instead of mourning robe
Isa 61:7 double honor, and they shall have perpetual g
Isa 66:10 Fill ye with it with g, all ye that ye
Jer 25:10 disappear .. the voice of g and the voice of
Jer 31:12 and they will come with cries of g on top of
Jer 31:13 I will change their weeping to g, and I will comfort them
Lam 2:15 is this the .. the g of all the earth?
Matt 13:20; Mark 4:16; Luk 8:13 hears the word, and receives it with g
Mat 25:21 said: Well .. get into your lord’s g
Mat 28:8 with fear and great g .. to break the news
Luk 2:10 for behold, I bring you tidings of great g
Luk 8:40 Jesus returned, the crowd received him with g
Luk 10:17 the seventy returned with g, saying
Luk 15:7 there will be more g in heaven for one sinner
Luk 24:41 as yet they, from g, did not believe it
John 3:29 husband; so this mi g is done
John 15:11; John 16:24; 17:13
see JOY
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
(complete satisfaction).
It differs from “joy” and “pleasure” in that it does not depend on external things, since it can and should be had even in suffering. Mat 5:12, Col 1:24, Phi12Ch 1:29.
– Christ came so that we might have complete joy, Joh 17:13, Joh 16:24, Joh 15:11.
– The “secret” is to pray without ceasing; giving thanks to God “for everything” and “in everything”, 1Th 5:16-18, Eph 5:20.
– The only way to live like this is to have Christ in our hearts, Gal 2:20, 1Pe 1:6-8, 2Pe 4:12-14.
– It is the second fruit of the Holy Spirit in Gal 5:22.
– Nothing and no one can take it away from the Christian, Rom 8:35-39.
– Paul, in the “Letter of Joy”, in Philippians, was filled with joy to overflowing, and he was in prison!: (Phi12Ch 4:18) and, whipped, with Silas, he sang and praised the Lord in prison in Ac 16:25.
– Heaven is the culmination of joy, for an eternity!, Ap.21 and 22.
See “Beatitudes”.
Christian Bible Dictionary
Dr. J. Dominguez
http://bible.com/dictionary/
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
The G. it is a situation of the soul (†œmovement of the mind† , says the Dictionary of the Royal Academy) produced by complacency because of a pleasant event or because of something that is had or is expected. A multiplicity of words express the idea of g. and joy in the OT, but in all cases that idea is accompanied by a sense of morality and righteousness, something very different from the practice of the pagans. God is the origin and object of g. for the believer (Ps 43:4). His salvation produces g. (Ps 51:12), who gives strength to him who believes (Neh 8:10).
The news of the gospel is “of great g.” (Luke 2:10). “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but justice, peace and g. in the Holy Spirit† (Rom 14:17). that g. it is experienced “in believing…by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13), which produces it as a fruit (Gal 5:22). Believers are encouraged to rejoice in the Lord (Phil 3:1). that g. it is of such a nature that it can be enjoyed even in the midst of tribulations (2Co 7:4).
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
type, DOC
see, Joy is what man yearns for, and what he seeks; he finds it when he finds God, and only then. He retains this joy in proportion as he grows in the knowledge of God. God is the author of true joy, as of all good gifts. He being perfectly good and above all evil. He is presented as finding his own joy in the repentance of the sinner who returns to seek him. Since sin has entered, and man has thus been alienated from God, his idea of joy is to become as happy as he can be without God and alienated from Him (see the story of the prodigal son in Lk. 15). But the only result of such a course is disappointment and bitterness here below and eternal pain hereafter. However, when the light of God’s love, revealed in the gift and death of his Son, shines in the heart, it is filled in the act of “joy ineffable and glorious” (1 Pet. 1: 8 ). “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Likewise, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and other beautiful characteristics, and it is produced in the heart of the believer by the Spirit for the glory of God (Gal. 5:22, 23). The apostle wished for the Romans that the God of hope would fill them with all joy and peace in believing (Rom. 15:13). Also the Thessalonians had received the word “in the midst of great tribulation, with joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:6). Many more passages could be cited to show how joy is one of the main characteristics of those who have been led to the knowledge of God. The only Man who ever had to be led to this knowledge, for his delight had always been in God, as God’s was in Him, He who had been called “man of sorrows”, this perfect and blessed man had his own joy in fellowship with God in dependence on Him. And He desires for His own in this world that His joy be theirs as well (Jn. 17:13). True joy is not known in the world in its present state; but the day will come when pain, suffering, death, and all the tragic fruits of sin, will be removed, when God himself will wipe away all tears, filling the universe with an eternal and shadowless joy. This day is described in Rev. 21.
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
As a natural gift, it is a psychological trait possessed by positive, serene and mature temperaments, who prefer to see the positives in life and objectively situate the risks, sufferings and difficulties.
As a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, it is the participation in the eternal happiness of God, insofar as we know that we are loved and saved forever, and I count that persuasion translates into feelings of personal and community rejoicing.
By nature the catechist and the evangelical messenger must live joyfully, since they are bearers of words of salvation. The texts of the New Testament are strewn with the word joy, synonymous with joy, joy, happiness, enthusiasm, rejoicing, jubilation, pleasure and contentment. Up to 138 times the verb to enjoy or the noun joy (in Greek jairo or jara) appears. The meaning extends from the birth of Jesus: “I announce to you a great joy, that the Savior has been born to you” (Lk. 12.10), to the promise that “the final sadness will turn into joy.” (John 16.21)
This message is conditioning for any task of spiritual education and therefore should be viewed with preference by every educator.
Pedro Chico González, Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy, Editorial Bruño, Lima, Peru 2006
Source: Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy
the true joy
Joy and happiness begin to be felt when the person achieves a good that can satisfy the deepest aspirations of the heart. It is not enough to achieve the objective of some desires, but it is necessary to glimpse the realization of the same person in all its integrity. The simple denial of desires cannot be a source of joy and happiness. There are simple and partial joys, of every day, that support this walk towards full happiness, which is the deep desire of every human person. Peace and joy of heart are born when we make right use of created gifts. Life is beautiful because it shows that God is good.
In the revealed Word of the Old and New Testaments, peace, joy, and happiness are continually spoken of. The heart is invited to open up to God’s plans for history, in order to be happy. Jesus invites this joy, even in the midst of difficulties, announcing the “joyful news” that “the Kingdom of God is near” (Mk 1,15).
Easter joy communicated by Jesus
In the life of Jesus there is an Easter tension, under the action of the Spirit, which fills him with joy “At that moment, Jesus was filled with joy in the Holy Spirit and said I praise you, Father”. (Lk 10,21). It is the joy of spousal love, which assumes adverse events as a “cup” (wedding) “prepared by the Father” (Jn 18:11; cf. Lk 22:20).
Christianity does not exist without joy, just as it does not exist without the cross, which is the “step” towards the resurrection. That “Easter joy” (PO 11) is only possible when human circumstances, including those of pain, are transformed into donation. It is the attitude of the “beatitudes” (“joyful”). This joy is the gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 4,27; Gal 5,22), which “no one can take away” (Jn 16,22). The joy and peace, which are a gift of the Holy Spirit, begin to be “felt” in the heart and in the evangelizing group, when it is glimpsed, through the “dark” faith, that it is still possible to do the best to give oneself like Christ in Bethlehem and on the cross “The sincere gift of self to others” (GS 24).
Thanks to the evangelical message, it is glimpsed that the definitive blessedness of the other life begins to be anticipated in the present life, when the heart experiences the peace and joy of giving to God and to the brothers. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus describes the most painful situations of humanity, to proclaim “blessed” those who, in those circumstances, even suffering, know how to react lovingly (Mt 5,1-12.44-42).
If “bliss is the only good of man”, and “happiness” is the possession of the good known and loved (cf. Saint Thomas, I-II, q. 31, a.3), that happiness already begins in this earth, when we experience the joy of receiving temporary gifts from God as coins to change them into imperishable gifts. This daily exchange produces the joy of hope, because one trusts in God and tends towards him. “Hope leaves no one confused” (Rom 5,5). It is the joy of the nearness of Christ who comes “Rejoice in the Lord always; I repeat, rejoice. Let the whole world know your goodness. The Lord is near” (Phil 4:4).
Evangelize announce salvific joy
“Evangelizing” (Lk 4,18; Mk 1,15) consists in announcing (“angello”) the joy (“eu”) that Christ brings true peace, “the great joy” of the birth of the Savior (Lk 2, 10), who died and rose to redeem mankind. Joy is an essential part of the evangelical proclamation. True joy is found only in God, who has made man to participate in his own infinite joy.
“Evangelizing”, in this Easter context of hope, means announcing this “joyful news” that human life now has meaning, thanks to Christ the Redeemer. It is the proclamation of the “beatitudes”. Jesus calls “joyful” those who live by faith…