Anne Costa - Breaking into Joy: Meditations for Living in the Love of Christ

If the joy of the Lord is really our strength, then we should be wearing our heart and our joy on our sleeves for all the world to see. Breaking into Joy helps us do just that and, in turn, will help us attract more people to Christ and his Church.

TERESA TOMEO , speaker, author, and syndicated Catholic talk show host

Are you feeling stressed out? Flat? A little bland? Then Breaking Into Joy is for you. Its been a difference-maker for me at a time when I really needed a daily reminder to choose joy.

LISA BRENNINKMEYER , founder, Walking with Purpose Catholic womens Bible study program

Anne Costa shares a lifetime of lessonsfrom the Bible, the Catechism, the saints, her friends, and her own lifethat will challenge you and lead you to discover the joy of the Lord in your life.

ANNA MITCHELL , news director/producer, Son Rise Morning Show

This is a treasury of short reflections that will be sure to make you smile even as they make you reflect more deeply on Gods gift of joy to you.

SARAH REINHARD , author and blogger at SnoringScholar.com

Breaking into Joy

MEDITATIONS FOR LIVING IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Anne Costa

Copyright 2014 by Anne Costa

All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press
7115 Guilford Drive
Frederick, Maryland 21704
wau.org

18 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-260-1
eISBN: 978-1-59325-461-2

Acknowledgments begin on page 215.
Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.

Made and printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014944076

To my husband, Michael, and my daughter, Mary, who bring daily joy into my heart and my life.

Contents

Introduction

In preparation for writing this book, I spent an entire weekend contemplating joy. Now, I can tell you that at the beginning of that weekend, I was not feeling particularly joyful; in fact, I was battling an inner gloominess. I thought, how ironic that I should be writing a book entitled Breaking into Joy when I was feeling anything but! God truly does have a sense of humor, doesnt he? Yet I can tell you that by the end of that weekend, I was convinced beyond all doubt of this: that as sure as my life (and yours) will bring times of almost unbearable sorrow and strife, it will also surely bring forth a deep and abiding joy.

How do I know this? Because God says so! His word is filled with promises of joy and examples of how joy reigned in the hearts of his followers against all odds. Still, there may be times when we find it difficult to take God at his word. I know there was a time in my life when I had no idea what joy was or how it could change my life. Joy was as foreign to me as some ancient language spoken across the sea. More than that, it was a language my heart just could not speak, no matter how hard I tried or wished it to be. I was living my life as though I had reached the conclusion that joy was something that was meant for other people and not for me.

Thankfully, the Lord had other plans! Now joy is a constant companion in my life, an old friend. I have received joy as another one of Gods most precious gifts, bubble-wrapped in hope and tied with a ribbon of faith. Joy came into my life through an infusion of grace by the Holy Spirit, little by little, one drop at a time. As the years have passed, I can look back now and marvel at how joy has become like a fountain overflowing in my lifeeven when, like during that weekend, my feelings or mood may have been at an all-time low. Maybe that is how I know for sure that this joy is real, true, authentic, and a direct lifeline from the Lord. You cannot know Jesus and not possess genuine joy. To phrase it another way, to know Jesus is to know joy.

If you are trying to recover or reclaim joy in your life or if you have been seeking it for what seems like your entire life, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will meet you right where you are. They will bring you on a journey, and as you accompany them, it may sometimes feel and look as if you have taken a wrong turn. But hold fast, because just up the road joy will always be waiting for you. Dont be surprised if joy doesnt appear right away because it often takes time to recognize the subtleties of true joy in our lives.

Think of joy as a seashell that has washed upon the shore after a summer storm. You may discover its flash of beauty from a distance, half buried beneath the sand. Just as you may have to dig a little to uncover the shell, you may also have to sift through your feelings and life experiences to find a deeper joy. Just as the magnificent rays of the sun can be seen filtering through the storm clouds, so too can joy break through the sorrows of our lives if we let it happen.

Breaking into Joy was written for you as you travel along your own path toward a deep, abiding joy. These reflections and prayers will help you stay the course as you seek authentic joy, peace, and contentment in your life. It doesnt matter where you are but where you want to be on the road to joy. This book will help you celebrate each step along the way.

Joyfully yours,
Anne Costa

Bearing Fruit

The fruit of the Spirit is joy.

GALATIANS 5:22

Joy is mentioned almost two hundred and fifty times in Scripture, so it must be an important part of being a Christian. However, you might not know it! How many times have you encountered sour-faced Christians who are quick to judge and slow to smile, and who generally walk around as if they have the weight of the world on their shoulders? I have to admit that Ive been one of those Christians at times because I let lifes circumstances steal my joy.

Worries, pressures, disappointments, and stress are the weeds that crowd out the fruit of joy in our hearts. If we think of our hearts as gardens, joy is that beautiful, bold sunflower that can grow to towering heights when we are properly tending the soil. Since joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, its seed is perpetually planted and waiting to sprout in our hearts. Its up to us to nurture that seed.

To be a good gardener, we have to be willing to get our hands dirty. That means getting to the root of those things that are choking off joy. This takes courage and fortitude. If the roots run deep and the weeds have been around for a long time, we may even need professional help to make room for joy. For example, addiction and joy cannot live in the same garden!

Once we have cleared a place for joy, we have to tend to the holes that are left behind. The best way to fill these holes is through the sacraments. The open spaces in our hearts need to be filled with the presence of God, which we encounter most profoundly in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The path to lasting joy is through regular participation in the sacraments.

Finally, a good gardener takes time to admire the beauty that is revealed as a result of his efforts. He lets that beauty seep into his soul so that he can carry it with him wherever he goes. This is the fruit of joy in full bloom, so that regardless of outside conditions, the beauty of joy endures.

Lord, be the Master Gardener of my heart.

Joy Note: How will the fruit of joy blossom in your life today?

Releasing Our Grip

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.

MATTHEW 6:19

Have you ever tried to extricate a toy from the clutched fist of a stubborn toddler? Or wrangle a cell phone from an insolent teenager? Or even attempt to coax the remote from the possession of your beloved spouse? Not easy, is it? All of these instances speak in a small way to the reality that we tend to hold onto things far too tightly and for far too long. The Bible has a word for this: covetousness.