By Clement Harrold
May 7, 2026
G.K. Chesterton described joy as the gigantic secret of the Christian.
St. Paul lists it as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (see Gal 5:22).
Pope Francis reminded us that joy is a “pilgrim virtue,” without which Christianity is not credible.
But what resources do the Scriptures offer us for better understanding what joy is and how we can grow in it?
The Joy of Salvation
A key biblical idea is that joy comes through the knowledge that we have been delivered from sin and death.
This becomes the basis for King David’s plea in Psalm 51, following his murder of Uriah the Hittite: “Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12).
Among the prophets, Isaiah is especially interested in the theme of spiritual joy that arises from God’s saving action: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3).
In chapter 35, Isaiah offers an extended canticle reflecting on how God will bring His people safely home:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a hart,
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert . . .
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:5–6, 10)
This motif is picked up in Christ’s preaching, and particularly in the three parables He offers in Luke 15: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son.
Each of these uses the language of rejoicing to describe the appropriate response to redemption: “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
The New Testament also makes clear that it is specifically the work of the Holy Spirit that causes the joy of salvation to fill our hearts:
- And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52)
- For the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17)
- And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 1:6)
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Joy Amid Suffering
Another important lesson from Sacred Scripture is that joy and hardship are not entirely incompatible.
St. Paul provides the model for this in his Epistle to the Philippians, which he wrote during his final imprisonment in Rome, just a couple of years before his execution. Even so, this text is known as the epistle of joy, and near the end of the letter St. Paul offers a timely instruction: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil 4:4).
In John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of a supernatural joy that overcomes worldly sorrow:
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:20–22)
We find an echo here of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus concluded his eight Beatitudes with an exhortation for His followers to “Rejoice and be glad” even when we face persecution on account of His name (see Matt 5:11–12).
Another noteworthy episode in the Gospels is the Ascension, when Jesus makes His bodily departure from the earth in order to return to the Father. While we would expect this to be a source of immense grief for the disciples, somehow they manage to remain joyful even amidst their sense of loss:
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:50–53)
In this passage, we see how closely the disciples have been conformed to their Master and Friend—the one whom the Epistle to the Hebrews describes as “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).
Just as Jesus could endure the Cross for the sake of infinite joy, so His disciples have learned to view their disappointment in light of the joy of the Gospel. In this respect they have discovered the truth of the psalmist’s words: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Sharing the Master’s Joy
Central to the biblical understanding of human fulfillment is that our joy is found in God alone:
“Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fullness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11; cf. Isa 65:19; Zeph 3:17).
In the Gospels, Jesus reveals Himself as the incarnate God who invites us to share in His Trinitarian joy:
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).
Joy is also the high point of the famous parable of the talents, in which the property owner praises his faithful servants:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:23).
As Christians, we have been given the power to rejoice in the Lord always because we realize that we were made by and for joy. We already taste that joy during our earthly pilgrimage, and we will experience it fully in the eternal wedding feast that awaits us in heaven:
“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Rev 19:7).
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Further Reading
Chris Stefanick, Living Joy: 9 Rules to Help You Rediscover and Live Joy Every Day (Emmaus Road Publishing, 2020)
Does God Have a Sense of Humor?
Scott Hahn “The Joy of the Gospel” at Mundeleine Seminary, 2016
About Clement Harrold
Clement Harrold earned his master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, and his bachelor’s degree in theology, philosophy, and classics from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2021. He is a columnist for The Catholic Herald, and his writings have appeared in First Things, Word on Fire, Catholic Answers Magazine, Church Life Journal, Our Sunday Visitor Magazine, Crisis Magazine, and the Washington Examiner.
