A few weeks ago I wrote about the book I was reading, 'The Heart of Christianity', by Marcus J Borg.

A good friend of mine, jackslack, asked:

I'd be fascinated to know how you view the relationship with this 'right perspective' Christianity (as opposed to 'right belief' Christianity) with atheism; is it possible to be a Christian Atheist? (Genuine question; I'm curious!)

Here I will explore that a little.

Well, 'a Christian Atheist' - there's a term! BAM!
An oxymoron if ever there was one.

Formation Notes 12
JOY

In the first story in the formation notes, Francis says that even if every person were to enter the Order, it would not bring true joy. Nor would having converted all non-believers to the faith bring true joy. Even being granted the power to heal the sick and to perform miracles would not bring true joy.

These were the things that would have been dearest to St Francis’ heart. For us, perhaps being debt-free is something we think would bring us ‘true joy’, or being successful in business, or undertaking exciting trips. Whatever external circumstance or outcome that we imagine would bring us happiness is not the root of true joy. “True joy,” Francis says, “does not consist of any of these things.” 

The happiness we derive from external circumstances wanes. Even if we are still pleased to have a good job, for how long can we experience joy from that? The excitement wanes, and we fall back into plain old neutral.

True joy is not a product of external circumstance, nor does is it born from the manifestation of our desires. There may certainly be some level of happiness and gratification should the external world reflect our will, but true joy is something else entirely.

Which makes me wonder – does true joy even have anything to do with happiness?

To explain true joy, Francis tells a story of being freezing, injured, insulted and turned away from shelter. In this situation where we would understand and expect misery, yet herein, Francis says, lies true joy. “If I had patience and did not become upset, there would be true joy in this.”

He does not say he would be glad and rejoice at the aspersion (although, knowing Francis, he very well could) and that to be treated such would bring about the emotional response of happiness.  The true joy the Francis describes in this instance manifests itself as patience and emotional stability.

What’s more, Francis illustrates that true joy is not dependent upon external events. No wonderful situation has arisen outside of him – in fact the opposite. The joy Francis describes springs internally, and is unshaken by external realities. In the face of adversity, true joy does not give way to misery, but rather it proves itself. 

Unlike the positive emotions that are triggered when we get what we want, true joy (or ‘spiritual joy’, as the formation notes also call it) is tended by virtue. This idea of true joy springing from virtue is described on in the fourth excerpt in the Formation Notes: “Since spiritual joy springs from the heart’s innocence and purity of incessant prayer, these are two virtues we need to acquire and keep”.

So, we are told exactly which virtues are needed in order to develop true joy.  Although, ‘the heart’s innocence’ is a somewhat vague description, I would guess it is a virtue that goes hand in hand with ‘incessant prayer’. Incessant prayer is not, of course, incessant internal yabbering. Petitions and sending words to God is not something that could really be incessant, so I am taking ‘prayer’ here in the sense of ‘communion with God’.  So! We achieve true joy through incessant communion with God. This fits right back in with another line in the formation notes: “This joy is a divine gift, coming from a union with God in Christ...”

Since this true/spiritual joy emanates from our communion with God – the infinite and unending – then it stands to reason that this true joy would be absolutely dependable.  Every external item, circumstance or relationship could crumble, and our joy would live on, because its source would be unaltered.

I don’t think this means that nothing would ever sadden us again.  If possessing true joy meant we could look upon the suffering of others and just continue on feeling happy, then that wouldn’t be much of an attribute. True joy wouldn’t cancel out our emotional capacity, but it would uphold us through difficult times. No matter how horrible things become, if we are in communion with God, we are that one step back, protected from the full impact, able to witness without losing ourselves in troubles. Something within us would be united with something stronger and more lasting than any trouble, and that faith is an aspect of true joy.

So if having this true joy doesn’t mean being chirpy 24/7, then what actually is it? And what’s the point of it?

My guess is that true joy is the sense of security that comes from a deep faith in God, much the way the supportive and selfless love of a mother (ideally) can imbue you with a sense of security in the world and in yourself. We may not always remember it, but there is nothing more nurturing to the human soul than the sense of being loved. The knowledge that you are loved can give you comfort even during times when nothing seems to be going your way. Too often we neglect the significance of being loved – life carries us away with a million worries and desires. But when you look at it, if we felt unloved there would be no joy in anything. Knowing you are loved, joy will live always in your soul. True, infallible, eternal joy must then come from true, infallible, eternal love, and there is only one place where we can find that – hence the importance of incessant prayer/communion with God in attaining true joy.

Tonight I spoke with my Novice Counsellor over my 12th and final set of formation notes.
This set was on Joy.
As usual, my Counsellor made me feel completely comfortable, and welcomed my understanding of the notes.

There were two things about my most recent report about how I have been keeping the Rule that she questioned. One was that I admitted I have been having trouble getting to Chruch. She asked about that, and I explained, and she did seem to understand, but I do know I have to work to prioritise.  But even this week end, I am putting up a friend of my grandma and he needs me to take him to catch a train - right in the middle of when Church is on. And last week I was helping my chap pack up and move out of his house in Sydney... So I do have good reasons for not going.... but perhaps it needs to become more that Church is a good reason to say no to those other things.

The other comment she made was that most of my Study seems to be books about other religions and beliefs, and perhaps a needed to read a bit more straight down the line material, more Christian material, as well. I hardly ever know what to say on the spot like that - usually I only think of it much later, but for once I knew my response straight away!  I said that I picked up many Christian books in the past and I found that more often than not I just had to put them back down again - too often Christain books turn me right off. They can be so didactic and to narrow-minded and so judgemental and so arrogant and so limiting and so... not me. Perhaps if I held the same ideas I would find them very moving, but most 'Christian' books I come across leave me cold at best, or at worst leave me questioning whether I am even Christian at all.  So I read books about other faiths and I find so many of them inspiring, and so many of them move me and . . . I recognise wisdom in so many of them. Or, if I disagree, I am comfortable disagreeing becuase the book isn't trying to define my spirituality. I did tell her about having found Marcus Borg's book though, The Heart of Christianity, and what about it I liked and appreciated.

My Novice Counsellor understood that and said she would see if she could find some material that might appeal to me.

Phew!

So tomorrow is a big day for me. My final Formation notes have been received, read, responded to, shared and discussed. There will be no more.  And tomorrow my 3 year novitiate will come to an end.  Tomorrow I am to be professed as a full Tertiary in the the Third Order of the Society of St Francis. It will take place in a mud brick Franciscan monestary that used to house the Second Order of Poor Clares, but which is now used as a place of retreat. My mum will also be there tomorrow to join us as I take my vows.

So tonight and tomorrow morning will be prayerful for me as I prepare to make my vows.
I am so looking forward to declaring my devotion in such a way, and to feel the Profession Cross around my neck.

That is why Love is worth the effort, worth the pain, worth the suffering. To grow closer to God, it is necessary to cultivate our compassion so that we can live the unifying Love that is God.

    "Who are we?

     Where are we?

     Why are we?

     And what are we doing?

     It’s the question – the question. Always in the question. Never live in the answer.

     The moment you have an answer to anything or imagine that you do, the exploration,
      the expansion, the possibility of being greater than you were before is over.

     You become as great as you can be.

     We must always live within the question.
     It’s the question, the question, always the question.
     Never the answer

    And every great explorer, every great researcher, everyone who’s really accomplished anything
   of extraordinary outcome in this life has come to that conclusion – you must live inside the question.

    Of course it’s no man’s land. It’s at the edge of our comfort zone that life begins."

- Neale Donald Walsch