Lord, let me replace world weariness for the virtue of heavenly joy. When I am in a weakened state I become depressed and anxious. I get errant thoughts running in my head. They tell me that you do not hear my prayers so I shouldn’t pray. They say you do not really know me or care what I do. I question whether I am really loved, and worry that you are hiding your grace from me. When I entertain these thoughts they lead me to a darkened state and it paralyzes me.
Jesus, when unhappiness overwhelms me I have a hard time doing what I know I need to in order to overcome it. Without the virtue of heavenly joy, I fear there is no way out from under this heavy cloud for me. I suffer so much under the weight of this depression and anxiety. When it comes I become stuck.
What use is my life without any joy? Christians are supposed to have joy and be light to those in darkness. Man was created to find heavenly joy and be holy. I know it, yet I am fighting against the temptation of world weariness almost every day.
I beg you, Holy Spirit, come and breathe into me and give me the grace to have heavenly joy. Help me see how my own transgressions may have led me to this mental state and then guide me out of it. I can do nothing on my own, so I humbly surrender my world weariness to you and ask for mercy.
If my eyes have blinders, humble me and take them off my eyes. I want to recognize the grace you give me and respond to it obediently and with gratitude. I want to recognize your hand in my life and be thankful. Help me be holy, and all my thoughts be holy. Please be merciful to me and heal me of the sins of my mind.
Eternal Father, by the merits of your Son Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and was buried for my sins, I beg you to forgive me of all the sins that have lead me to the vice of world weariness. I ask for the grace to overcome errant thoughts, especially thoughts that tell me I am no good and there is no goodness for me in this life. Please prune what needs to be pruned in me and give me the fortitude to obey you. I beg you for the grace to have a renewal of my mind, a true metanoia.
Please grace me with the virtue of heavenly joy so that my mindset changes from ungratefulness to gratitude, from despair to hope, and from aimlessness to quiet stability. Let me find the courage to begin every day in the newness of grace and fill my life with heavenly desires over earthly pleasures. Let nothing disturb me in this world. I want to know that you watch over me and you take care of all my needs.
AMEN
It remains for the holy people to struggle, with grace from on high, to obtain the good things God promises. In order to possess and contemplate God, Christ’s faithful mortify their cravings and, with the grace of God, prevail over the seductions of pleasure and power.
On this way of perfection, the Spirit and the Bride call whoever hears them to perfect communion with God:
There will true glory be, where no one will be praised by mistake or flattery; true honor will not be refused to the worthy, nor granted to the unworthy; likewise, no one unworthy will pretend to be worthy, where only those who are worthy will be admitted. There true peace will reign, where no one will experience opposition either from self or others. God himself will be virtue’s reward; he gives virtue and has promised to give himself as the best and greatest reward that could exist....” I shall be their God and they will be my people. . . .” This is also the meaning of the Apostle’s words:
“So that God may be all in all.” God himself will be the goal of our desires; we shall contemplate him without end, love him without surfeit, praise him without weariness. This gift, this state, this act, like eternal life itself, will assuredly be common to all.
Replace My World Weariness with Heavenly Joy
Those who Faithfully Believe in God
by St. Hildegard von Bingen
“The earth shall be filled with the fruit of your works, bringing forth grass for cattle and green crops for the service of people, that you may bring forth bread out of the earth, and wine may rejoice the human heart; that faces may be gladdened with oil, and bread strengthen the human heart” [Psalm 103:13-15].
What does this mean?
O God, Whose magnificence is above everyone, by the faith that is the fruit of virtue in Your wisdom, and by which You are truly known, Man shall be filled; one who adheres to faith shall end the hunger of unbelief by taking the way of justice, though he had not known the truth before and had fainted from a dearth of rectitude.
Now he will fulfil his mind’s contrition by doing good works and offer to the simple, knowing their weakness, an example of humility. He will grow and flourish in virtue and show in abundant security a fertility of true righteousness, by which he will serve those who now long for earthly things. For he will labor to be useful to them, and by his services of support and defense lead faithful souls to heavenly joys, as do all who in their strength and protectiveness firmly defend those whom they are set to guard.
And these works prevail in people by Your will, O God, so that when they are adorned with these virtues You may miraculously give them, out of the fruit of the pure fertility of the earth, the body of Your Son; as Your Only-Begotten, coming in the body out of the womb of virginal chastity, mercifully gave the bread of life to those who believe in Him. And You perform a further miracle: that the blood of Your Only-Begotten, which was shed for the salvation of souls, gladdens the internal strength of people, their souls, by remitting their sins.
How? Because, as once the body of Your Son was offered on the cross for the redemption of the human race, so now his flesh and blood are consecrated on the altar for the salvation of those who believe. And when this is miraculously accomplished in Your will, then this sacrament will gladden the face, which is to say the Church, sprinkling it with the oil of mercy.
For those who believe and embrace mercy with joyous faith appear beautiful in the eyes of the Lord; and when the Salvation of the world hung on the cross and mercifully delivered humanity from the snare of the Devil, He also generously freed people from the bonds of sin, that they might faithfully believe in God with joyful and sincere hearts and never cease with devoted ardor to help the wretched.
And the faithful should burn in this love, so that the bread that offers life to its tasters may strengthen the minds of those who are wavering in inconstancy; and thus the purpose of their hearts may not decline to evil, but ascend in strength to that which is life.
Scivias, Book 2 Vision Six Paragraph 23
Week 35 of the Virtue Meditations Series
Replace My World Weariness with Heavenly Joy
Reflection:
St. Hildegard of Bingen describes anxiety and depression as world weariness. We have all been there. It is a very low energy feeling. We are weary not just from our current situation, but also from what we have done or failed to do that has put us there. And the weight is so heavy we can’t just push it away. It seems immovable.
World Weariness of the Mind
Our minds may tell us there is nothing good in this life and nothing good for us from God. So when we are depressed we begin to see life this way, and world weariness makes us blind to grace. It becomes a vicious cycle of bad memories, regrets, and shame. For some the depression becomes so great that they lack desire and even ability to do something about it. They become trapped under the weight of it. Maybe this is you or someone you love very deeply. What can be done? What is the answer?
The Remedy for Depression is Self-Giving Love
St. Hildegard tells us the remedy is two-fold. We have to pray harder, and we have to do something for someone in a worse condition than ourselves. The Catechism also points to this idea as well. We have to have devotion toward both God and our neighbors in need.
Why?
Love. That’s why. Heavenly joy is about loving God and being devoted to helping other souls. This is where the joy comes from. It is born from having a mission, a purpose, given to you by God and knowing that your desire to please him does, in fact, please him, even if it is not his exact plan for you due to your own sin and negligence. Making an act of charity purely for God’s sake and for the benefit of the other person, with no desire for anything in return, is being like Christ.
Love begets love.
When we can step outside of ourselves and find someone who is suffering more, and ease their suffering we have enkindled a fire. Our focus turns from worrying about our state in life and lamenting about all that we lack toward helping a brother or sister who lacks more and is in a worse state. We become Christ to that person, and in so doing, we bring them heavenly joy. Jesus tells us that our joy will be complete when we choose to live like this [John 15:11-13].
By becoming a temple of the Holy Spirit where God dwells and being Christlike in our charity toward others we begin to feel heavenly joy and see grace all around us. We realize that salvation is from God and he is the one giving us all the good things. And he graces you so that you can give his love to another soul.
Patience and Discipline and You will Bear Good Fruit
Renewal of the mind takes time. Anxiety and depression are often introduced after we’ve sinned against God. St. Hildegard says that through our own transgressions the serpent seduces us into a lake of misery. But Jesus is our salvation. Only Jesus Christ can free us. If you want to have peace you need to discipline yourself in prayer. Make holy hours kneeling before Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. There you will be fed the Bread of Life. You will find food for the journey. Linger there at the Lord’s table and give thanks. If he has forgiven you for your sins then you must forget them and move on. If errant thoughts of past sins come to plague you, begin a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the mercy of God and do not give those memories another thought. Learn to make ejaculatory prayers from your heart that bless the name of Jesus throughout your day.
Going Further:
If you’d like to go further, take some time to read and prayerfully meditate on Matthew 11:28-30. Spend some time contemplating the words and then take a few minutes in silence to listen to what the Lord wants to tell you. If you believe the Lord is speaking to your heart, write it down in your journal.
The Gentle Mastery of Christ, Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Let us Pray:
Now that we understand the virtue of heavenly joy, let’s begin with a prayer of petition for it.
Virtue of Heavenly Joy
Prayer of Petition
Eternal Father, I am the work of your creation, made in your image and likeness but too weak to conquer the devil by my own power. I ask you for the grace to grow in virtue, surrendering all my thoughts, words, and deeds to you. Please help me resist the devil and all his tricks. Jesus says that whoever believes in him will do the works that he does and that whatever we ask in Jesus’ name he will do so that You may be glorified. Heavenly Father, you sent us your Son to show us what it means to have perfect virtue in life. Jesus is fully human and fully divine and has perfect virtue. Father, have mercy on me and please give me the grace I need to grow in heavenly joy so that I might grow in holiness and imitate Christ in my thoughts, words, and deeds. AMEN.
Now let’s contemplate the Lord by listening to him speak to us in the Gospels. Slowly meditate on the following passage, reflecting on his virtue of heavenly joy. Take your time. Pause over a word or phrase that speaks to your heart. Reread the passage again, and then ask Jesus to show you how you can grow in the virtue of heavenly joy and better overcome world weariness. Choose a word or phrase from this passage to write in your journal, and add your thoughts. Go back and prayerfully re-read it throughout the week.
Virtue of Heavenly Joy
Parable of the Lost Sheep
from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15:1-7
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them he addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.”
Reflection:
Jesus, Let me know that you love me. Please, in your mercy take the blinders off of my eyes and let me see all the grace so I can glorify your holy name and praise you before all men. Let me be free from the vice of world weariness. Jesus, I want a renewal of my mind. Please help me to love you with a pure heart of gratitude and let me love all those you have put into my life, especially those in grave need. Let me know my mission that you have given me, and then give me the courage and the fortitude to obey you and follow your will, forsaking myself for the sake of love. I desire heavenly joy and I want to bear good fruit in my life that will last throughout eternity.
AMEN.
Virtue of Heavenly Joy
A Prayer for an Increase in Virtue for Others
Lord Jesus Christ, you say that when two or more are gathered in your name, you are with us. Jesus, in your name I lift up every person who has joined this prayer challenge or will join it in the future. I ask you to give us all the grace we need to grow in virtue and holiness so that we may love and serve you in our lives and through the people we love and care for. Help us in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Guide us all by your Holy Spirit and give us the strength to overcome every temptation from the evil one. We ask all this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Together as a group we will pray for each other and strive to make good resolutions and keep them. Remember, it’s your heart that God wants to capture. Your efforts are out of love for him and a desire to imitate him as best you can in holiness.
If you fail, do not quit trying. Be merciful to yourself. Just take it one day at a time, and stay in the present moment with Jesus. Being virtuous is a process. No one is perfect, so just start anew every time you fail.
How do I Practice Virtue?
You’ve learned about the 35th Virtue, and you’ve prayed for God to give you grace. Now what? Let’s take a look at the Catechism for some guidance on how we can make Week 35 a successful effort.
"The transmission of the Christian faith consists primarily in proclaiming Jesus Christ in order to lead others to faith in him. From the beginning, the first disciples burned with the desire to proclaim Christ:
“We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And they invite people of every era to enter into the joy of their communion with Christ:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.
Making Resolutions
Take a moment to reflect on the virtue of heavenly joy. What are the ways you can freely practice this virtue this week? Ask the Lord to give you opportunities, and when you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you, take action. Write down your resolutions for this coming week in your prayer journal. Remind yourself to complete these resolutions daily for this entire week, and as the Spirit prompts you, feel free to write about your experiences with this virtue throughout the week.
In My Thoughts:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my thoughts by… (make your intention).
In My Words:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my words by… (make your intention).
In My Actions:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my actions by… (make your intention).
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