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The Christmas Practice of Joy

The Christmas Practice of Joy

Last updated on: December 15, 2024 at 3:35 pm by Rob Giannamore

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The Christmas Practice of Joy 2024-12-15T15:35:44-05:00 Rob Giannamore

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Christmas has never been my thing. I was a real pill as a kid. We did not know much about ADHD back in the 80’s, it was still treated as a retardation and had not quite made it to a learning disorder or behavioral health concern it is today. In my most recent training on Autism, the presenters even put ADHD under the umbrella of neurodivergence. Needless to say, I was often overstimulated, often hollered at and my family put the fun in dysfunctional.

As an adult, I find all the commercialization and the romanticizing too much. But, there are some very special parts of the season that I feel are important. Contemplating on the Advent themes in lectio and embodying them in contemplatio are perhaps some of the most meaningful ways we can celebrate the season.

This week in Advent, we consider Joy.

The Inter-relatedness of Compassion and Joy

As I was sitting with my thoughts around joy this week, my mind was drawn to the interconnectedness joy has with compassion. I feel we cannot have one without the other. Let us imagine joy as a light that shines from within, illuminating the world around us, while compassion acts as a gentle embrace, comforting those it touches. Together, they work in harmony to deepen our connections with others and enrich our own lives.

Joy often arises when we practice compassion. When we embody compassion and extend this towards others, we will begin to sense the interconnectedness of these two practices. In this practice, our feelings of joy will rise as we become aware of how we are contributing to the well of the others in our space. In turn, this joy fuels our compassion, making it an abundant and self-replenishing resource.

Conversely, when we experience personal joy, it can open our hearts even wider, allowing us to be more receptive and empathetic to the experiences of others. This joy creates a space within us where we can hold the suffering of others with genuine care and tenderness.

Moreover, joy and compassion both challenge us to be present, mindful, and fully engaged. They invite us to rise above aversion and separation, as Sharon Salzberg remarks in her writings on compassion. Together, they guide us towards a life where authenticity, kindness, and peace are central.

Joy as a Spiritual Practice

In my previous post on joy, I looked at three aspects of joy: The psychology of joy, the practice of joy and finding joy when we are struggling to find meaning in a complicated world. This time, I want to focus on the act of being joyful.

The world appears for some to be a dark place right now. All the news seems to be bad. As a mental health clinician, I often engage my clients with the therapeutic practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is a process of looking at our thoughts and through questioning, teaching the clients to be aware of thinking errors and then challenging them to reframe negative thoughts. When I tie in mindfulness, I teach my clients to notice the thoughts and then let them pass on by. There then is an element of understanding that comes with all of this. In all of this is a process of being active. Joy is an active process that requires cultivation.

Philippians 4:4-7 offers these thoughts:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I want to draw our attention to two points from this text, rejoice and do not be anxious. Both of these attitudes are states of being. Both teach us two attitudes we can have in times of trouble; they are two sides of the same coin. Rejoice or be anxious. I am always careful when talking about these sort of things with my clients. Some of this can come across as dismissive.

In many of the mystical traditions and in contemplative work we often talk about learning to let go of our ego state. At the highest levels of cultivation in both practices, we will find that there are no binaries, no good or bad, just experiences that create feelings that we then assign emotions to. All of these are culturally and historically constructed. For example, in these days, we are bombarded by notions of what rights the other should have. We are told that the other is going to take our jobs, are “woke” and in general undermine the morality of our society. None of this is true unless we attach to these notions.

Rejoicing or being anxious are postures we choose to take. Philippians challenges us as do other passages in the bible to pray to God, to rest in God, to trust in God.

Finding Joy in Jesus

In Jesus, we have an example of the posture we can take. I have talked before how the way the story of Jesus is told, it shows that Jesus was a nobody from nowhere. To make matters worse, he lived under incredible oppression and political strife. Despite all of this, Jesus shows us that it is okay to being okay with everyday strife. We can find joy in Jesus because he leads by example how to deal some of life’s toughest challenges.

Here are five examples

Jesus Laughs

If you take the bible literally, you will not find any direct references to Jesus laughing, there is no Mathew 17:41 (yes, not a real verse)that says, “Jesus laughed”. However, if you dig deeper into the cultural moments that writers share about Jesus, you will find him at weddings, playing with children and mocking the Pharisees. See also this link.

Jesus shows us it is okay to cry

The idea of Stoicism would have been familiar to Jesus, Seneca was a contemporary who lived around the same time and Stoicism had been around a while by the time Jesus came onto the scene. Jesus was an incredibly emotional person, and this is demonstrated throughout the Gospels. While culturally appropriate for his time in first century Palestine, Jesus demonstrates for us that is okay to cry, to weep today.

Jesus shows us how to forgive/accept

As a clinician, I am not into provoking or helping someone work through forgiveness, I feel that this is a personal journey. Acceptance though is something I do help people work through. This is not a pie in the sky, everything is okay acceptance, it is recognizing the situation as it is. Jesus, again, possibly influenced by Stoicism, his Jewish roots and probably Greek thought demonstrate that is okay to “let thing go and let God.”

Jesus Shows how to trust (providence of God)

Jesus’ wilderness experience and the garden of Gethsemane, nothing else to say here.

Jesus shows us how to celebrate diversity

While Jesus is demonstrated having strong words towards ethnicities such as the Syrophoenician woman, calling another woman a dog. It is important to always read these stories through the cultural context within which they are told. Yes, Jesus does say some pretty rough stuff, but he also pauses, and celebrates the Canaanite woman’s faith. He finds the commonality that he and the woman share.

This Advent week 3, let us reflect on the point that Jesus gave us joy through his teachings, actions, and ultimately, through his sacrifice on the cross. His message of love, forgiveness, and salvation brought hope and joy to those who believed in him. Additionally, Jesus performed miracles, healed the sick, and brought comfort to the broken-hearted, bringing joy to those who witnessed his power and compassion.

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