{"id":5518,"date":"2026-04-24T05:46:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turveyabbey.org.uk\/blog\/?p=5518"},"modified":"2026-04-24T05:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:46:32","slug":"eastertide-alphabet-j","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/turveyabbey.org.uk\/blog\/?p=5518","title":{"rendered":"Eastertide Alphabet (J)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

JOY<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 15:9-11<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my <\/strong>
Father\u2019s commandments <\/strong>
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Eastertide we hear a good deal of John’s Gospel. The themes of keeping Christ\u2019s commandments and remaining in his love weave in and out of each other. In today’s text the element of \u2018joy\u2019 is added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I associate pure joy with small children and this in turn reminds me of this passage from the Tales of the Hasidim:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Said the maggid to Rabbi Zusya, his disciple: \u201cI cannot teach you the principles of service. But a little child and a thief can show you what they are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the child you can learn three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2014 He is merry for no particular reason;
\u2014 Never for a moment he is idle;
\u2014 When he needs something, he demands it vigorously.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Being merry for no particular reason is one of the special gifts of childhood. The joy of one young child spreads so easily to others and to adults too. I remember as a child feeling that I might burst with joy and excitement. When you reach adulthood that joy takes on a different shape. It isn\u2019t nearly as frequent and there might be some foreboding mixed in too. The idea Jesus might find his joy in us is something that I don\u2019t spend nearly enough time thinking about. That Jesus wants our \u2018joy to be complete\u2019 speaks to me of the depths of the Paschal mystery: every joy and every sorrow that we experience unites us ever closer to Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you live in Christ\u2019s joy today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: Senjuti Kundu, Unsplash<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read the full extract from The Tales of the Hasidim here: https:\/\/www.jhom.com\/topics\/thieves\/hasidic.htm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOY John 15:9-11 \u2018If you keep my commandmentsyou will remain in my love,just as I have kept my Father\u2019s commandments and remain in his love.I have told you thisso that my own joy may be in youand your joy be complete.\u2019 During Eastertide we hear a good deal of John’s Gospel. The themes of keeping … <\/p>\n

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