On the day of Consecrated Life 2011 the Holy Father quotes Simeon who declared Jesus as a “light of revelation to the gentiles”. This light of Christ is meant to shine in our world today in the people who seek God’s will above all. The charism of a religious congregation can be pictured as a prism which transforms God’s pure white light into many various “colors”, each highlighting a particular part of the God’s infinite beauty.
From her writings we can deduce that the charism most valued by Mother Franziska, the quality she hoped would always be part of her congregation is joy.
The Holy Father speaks of the joy of seeking the will of God by living as Jesus did, totally dedicated to the Father’s will.
True joy does not mean an absence of suffering, sorrow or stress. Mother Franziska writes of a terrible disappointment that threatened the very foundation of her young community. She shares in a private writing that she could not stop weeping and did not know where to turn after a betrayal by a trusted co-worker. At the same time she knew that she owed her sisters a spirit of joy and before them made the effort to be serene and smiling.
How can we be joyous when the disappointments, hostilities, pain of life assail us? When we suffer truly deep depression it can seem that there is no way out of the endless darkness. We can reach for a tranquilizer or mood altering drug or drink or try a worldly, flashy entertainment which finally leave us even deeper in the painful abyss. Or we can turn to Jesus who loves us and who said that he would give us the Holy Spirit if we only ask. One of the greatest gifts of the Spirit of God is a joy that the world cannot understand nor extinguish. It is the joy of the Lord that Scripture tells is our strength. This is also the gift, once received, that becomes the greatest good that we can give generously to all we meet and thereby bring beauty and light to our sad and conflicted world.
