True Catholic Joy

Excerpts by Fr. Roger Landry - April 24, 2009

It was Archbishop Dolan's Christian joy — even more than his incredible talent as a preacher of the Gospel — that was most on display during the installation festivities. During my years in seminary, he once gave a rector's conference on joy in which he stressed that joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God within. He said that a man of God who is not joyful is an oxymoron who makes the Good News seem like a lie. He stressed that joy is a gift of God, a fruit of the Holy Spirit that flows from the conviction that God loves us, dwells within us when we're in the state of grace, sustains us with his providential care, and answers our prayers. He predicted that if Catholics were really joyful, people would be busting through the doors to invade our churches. The world is longing for this joy that the world can't give and take away, he asserted, but often does not find it in us.

In an op-ed in the New York Daily News on the morning of the installation Mass, Archbishop Dolan explicitly wrote about his joy and how the Catholic faith makes him — and should make us — joyous. "I aim to be a happy bishop, sharing joys and laughs with you. … Being Catholic is not a heavy burden, snuffing the joy out of life; rather our faith in Jesus and His Church gives meaning, purpose and joy to life. I love being a Catholic, I love being a priest, and I fully intend to love being archbishop of New York while loving all of you in the Church in New York."

From: http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/landry/00741.html

Emphasis mine.