The Gospel for this Third Sunday after Easter is from John 16:16-22. This is one of several selections during Eastertide from the “Farewell Discourses.” In these discourses in John, Christ gives His disciples instructions about who He is and about their discipleship. These instructions may have very well been repeated during the forty days after Easter.
A key verse in our Gospel today is John 16: 20: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Joy is a central theme of the Easter season, but we should take time to reflect on its meaning. Christian joy is not simply ordinary worldly happiness; it is a profound spiritual blessing.
During Lent and Holy Week, we emphasized the way of the cross, the sorrows and sufferings of Christ. And we must never gloss over those realities. However, sin, suffering, and sorrow do not have the last word. Jesus Christ rises from the dead. He wins an eternal victory and brings true joy. This joy of Christ is not some fleeting earthly happiness. While joy may sometimes be expressed through ordinary good times, the joy of Christ transcends transitory manifestations. Christian joy is more than ordinary human happiness. It comes from beyond this world. It comes from the goodness, the love, and the grace of God.
True joy can remain in the good times and the average times of ordinary life. And the joy of Christ can also remain through all the difficult times. It can abide with us in sickness, pain, and sadness- even through the valley of the shadow of death. As believers, we still have both sorrows and joys. But there is one joy which surpasses our earthly circumstances- there is the great joy of knowing the presence of the risen Christ with us!
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