The Colors of Lent
We continue to prepare ourselves using various colors of Lent. This fifth week of Lent, let’s think about the color Rose, which represents Joy.
Rose is a delicate, subtle color. Like the virtue joy, rose is as fragile as the laughter of children or the blossom of a wildflower.
Joy is a close kin to humility; it is an enemy of pride and a solution for despair.
If joy seems to be missing in our lives, we must take care how we seek this shy, elusive virtue. If we pursue it selfishly, it escapes our grasp. If we focus our attention on it, it seems to disappear. But if we acknowledge its inaccessibility to us and try instead to bring it to others, we suddenly realize that it has become ours!
Joy cannot exist alone; it flourishes only in the presence of other virtues.
Joy can be present in the midst of hardship, or absent in the midst of prosperity. Joy comes, not from what is around us, but from what is inside us, the firm assurance that God loves us.
Our very nature is to be joyous. However, we may become so caught up in our hectic world that we can forget to be joyful. We can neglect taking time to be grateful for God’s gifts. We can bury joy under anxiety and worry. And sometimes we need to be reminded that being sad or solemn or serious is not more “Spiritual”.
Joy restores and sustains our capacity for wonder. It brings enthusiasm. It heals and strengthens. Our greatest joy is in knowing that God loves us.
Prayer
Each time I see the delicate, subtle color of Rose, remind me to be joyful of all the wonderful gifts that are available to me in God’s world and not to take these gifts lightly. Amen.
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