"Today is Holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep; for today is holy to the Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!" Nehemiah 8: 9, 10
My first reaction was: "Who has the right to tell me not to be sad? Who has the right to tell me not to weep?"
But my heart whispered "But today is holy to the Lord, and the Lord is your Strength and your Protector. The Lord is with you and for you 100%, 24-7, 365 days of the year. Isn't that something to rejoice about?"
Of course it is! I don't think the Lord wants us to stop mourning over those we've loved who are dead, those we've loved who are ill, those who have left us and abandoned us. God doesn't expect us to stop having heavy or angry hearts over cruel situations in our lives, or death sentences from our Doctor, or false accusations that could ruin our reputations. How can we not mourn? Or feel fear? How can we not grow angry? Jesus felt all of these emotions. Jesus - and we - are human, after all. But, in spite of enduring all of these painful emotions with us, Jesus takes our hands and unfailingly walks us in the direction of joy.
Like Jesus, if we truly trust in our heavenly Father, we can walk forward with strength and confidence, even into the valley of the shadow of death. For God is with us to carry us and comfort us. Even when the shadow of our own cross falls upon our shoulders, we know God prepares us for all things.
Rejoicing doesn't have to mean big smiles and a "No Problems!" attitude. Rejoicing can be a deep peace in the depths of our hearts like the quiet in the depths of the ocean, well underneath the surface fury of the storm that lashes the waves. Peace comes when we abandon ourselves into the arms of the One Who is Peace, the One Who is Truth, the One Who is Justice, Mercy, and Love.
Jesus came to teach us how to rejoice even as we live human lives full of pain and uncertainty. For us, as for him, the Divine lives within us, our never failing Light in the darkness, Who leads us on our journey even when we are walking blind.
How often, even after Pentecost, the disciples must have pondered over Jesus' words to them at the Last Supper: "Do you understand what I have done for you?" The key to rejoicing is understanding all that Jesus did for his disciples, and does for us, through his example.
"Do you understand what I have done for you?" Jesus could have been referring to his entire life of activity on the road with his disciples, which was an object lesson in how to teach, preach, and serve others through the strength and love that comes from our Father. He could have been saying to his disciples, and also to us, "Do you see how you have grown and changed through being with me, living with me? Rejoice, because I have taught you how to live."
After Jesus' death, he could have said to them, and to us, "Do you understand what I have done for you? I have shown you how to suffer and die, in the flesh or in the spirit, for telling the truth fearlessly to power. I have shown you how to endure your daily deaths, your daily crosses, through uniting your suffering to mine. I have shown you how to die without bitterness or anger. I have put your sins to death with me on the cross through forgiveness. I have shown you that, like I have, you must die as you have lived, with loving forgiveness and acceptance. Rejoice because I have taught you how to die."
After Jesus' Resurrection, he could have said to them, and to us, "Do you understand what I have done for you? I have shown you that after death there is eternal life waiting for you, in one of the mansions I go to prepare for you. Rejoice! My life and death have given you new life, and a way through death to eternal life!"
When we grow sad and frightened, in many ways we are like the disciples of Jesus who probably cried "Do not abandon us!" as he prepared to ascend and return to his Father. Jesus told them that they had to wait for his Spirit to come to them to give them courage to go on. His Spirit which they would receive at Pentecost would remain with them, and with us, always. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, a pledge of his Presence and our everlasting glory if we remain in him as he remains in us.
Jesus had to go in order for the Spirit to come. Jesus may appear to "go" from our lives, but that is only so that he can reappear in our lives eventually in a deeper, more blessed, and profound way, through the presence in us of his Holy Spirit. He never truly leaves us - he is always with us and for us - but sometimes we lose our way, our vision, and we do not see him. If we keep searching, we will re-find him and rejoice at how he brings good out of evil for those who love him. The Holy Spirit dances through our lives, gifting us with unexpected joys and consolations, bringing us light when we suffer in darkness, filling us with enthusiasm when we are about to faint in the desert, giving us our community, Christ's Body, our joy, and the hugs, kisses, and loving and affirming words and actions that make us whole.
In the midst of our pain and suffering, which threaten our ability to rejoice, we need to hold on with all our might to the truth that God is for us. God is for us in our Father, Who rejoices in us because He made us. God is for us in the gift of Jesus, who rejoiced in the love of his Father through tears, pain, humiliation, and death - and resurrection! And Jesus rejoices in us as his brothers and sisters of the same Father. God is for us in the Holy Spirit, Who gives us the gift of joy, fruit of trust and hope, Who builds up our communities of support that grace our lives. Rejoice, even through tears and sadness, in our Father, Son, and Spirit, always with us and for us forever.