Joy

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  GREGORY OF NYSSA. (Diem Nat. Christi.) Though coming in the form of man, yet not in every thing is He subject to the laws of man’s nature; for while His being born of a woman, tells of human nature; virginity becoming capable of childbirth betokens something above man. Of Him then His mother’s burden was light, the birth immaculate, the delivery without pain, the nativity without defilement, neither beginning from wanton desire, nor brought to pass with sorrow. For as she who by her guilt engrafted death into our nature, was condemned to bring forth in trouble, it was meet that she who brought life into the world should accomplish her delivery with joy. But through a virgin’s purity He makes His passage into mortal life at a time in which the darkness was beginning to fail, and the vast expanse of night to fade away before the exceeding brightness of the light. For the death of sin had brought an end of wickedness which from henceforth tends to nothing by reason of the presence of the true light which has illuminated the whole world with the rays of the Gospel. BEDE. He condescended to become incarnate at that time, that after His birth He might be enrolled in Cæsar’s taxing, and in order to bring liberty to us might Himself become subject to slavery. It was well also that our Lord was born at Bethlehem, not only as a mark of the royal crown, but on account of the sacrament of the name. GREGORY. (Hom. viii. in Ev.) Bethlehem is by interpretation the house of bread. For it is the Lord Himself who says, I am the bread of life which came down from heaven. (John 6:53.) The place therefore where the Lord was born was before called the house of bread, because it was there that He was to appear in His fleshly nature who should refresh the souls of the elect with spiritual fulness. BEDE. But down to the very end of time, the Lord ceases not to be conceived at Nazareth, to be born at Bethlehem, whenever any of His hearers taking of the flour of the word makes himself a house of eternal bread. Daily in the Virgin’s womb, i. e. in the mind of believers, Christ is conceived by faith, born by baptism. It follows, and she brought forth her firstborn son.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  GLOSS. (non occ.) The offences, and, them that do iniquity, are to be distinguished as heretics and schismatics; the offences referring to heretics; while by them that do iniquity are to be understood schismatics. Otherwise; By offences may be understood those that give their neighbour an occasion of falling, by those that do iniquity all other sinners. RABANUS. Observe, He says, Those that do iniquity, not, those who have done; because not they who have turned to penitence, but they only that abide in their sins are to be delivered to eternal torments. CHRYSOSTOM. Behold the unspeakable love of God towards men! He is ready to shew mercy, slow to punish; when He sows, He sows Himself; when He punishes, He punishes by others, sending His Angels to that. It follows, There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. REMIGIUS. In these words is shewn the reality of the resurrection of the body; and further, the twofold pains of hell, extreme heat, and extreme cold. And as the offences are referred to the tares, so the righteous are reckoned among the children of the kingdom; concerning whom it follows, Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. For in the present world the light of the saints shines before men, but after the consummation of all things, the righteous themselves shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. CHRYSOSTOM. Not that they shall not shine with higher brightness, but because we know no degree of brightness that surpasses that of the sun, therefore He uses an example adapted to our understanding. REMIGIUS. That He says, Then shall they shine, implies that they now shine for an example to others, but they shall then shine as the sun to the praise of God. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. RABANUS. That is, Let him understand who has understanding, because all these things are to be understood mystically, and not literally. 13:4444. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. CHRYSOSTOM. The foregoing parables of the leaven, and the grain of mustard-seed, are referred to the power of the Gospel preaching, which has subdued the whole world; in order to shew its value and splendour, He now puts forth parables concerning a pearl and a treasure, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. For the Gospel preaching is hidden in this world; and if you do not sell your all you will not purchase it; and this you ought to do with joy; wherefore it follows, which when a man hath found, he hideth it.

• From Between Us

  Negative interpersonal consequences make happiness an undesirable emotion elsewhere as well. I remember my own mother admonishing me that I should be acting normal, which in her words was “crazy enough.” Excited happiness was not valued in Amsterdam of the ’60s. My upbringing has seeped into the way I experience happiness as an adult. When my son Oliver’s baseball team played well (or the other team made mistakes in the his team’s favor), the happiness of the other mothers at the sideline seemed strong and undiluted. They cheered and celebrated without reservation. I too felt happy when my son’s team played well, but I would never have cheered in the same way, and in fact, I was concerned about hurting the feelings of the six- and seven-year-old boys on the other team, who also tried to play their best. My happiness was less blissful, and I was more reticent to cheer. This is just to say that we do not need to go to “exotic” cultures to find a different attitude towards—and a different experience of—happiness. And if Amsterdam still sounds exotic, then author Barbara Ehrenreich’s description of American settlers may bring home that happiness has not always been, and is not universally, sought out. The predecessor of America’s present culture of happiness was nothing short of an unhappiness culture: The Calvinism brought by white settlers to New England could be described as a system of socially imposed depression. Its God was “utterly lawless” . . . , an all-powerful entity who “reveals his hatred of his creatures, not his love for them. . . .” The task for the living was to constantly examine “the loathsome abominations that lie in his bosom,” seeking to uproot the sinful thoughts that are a sure sign of damnation. Calvinism offered only one form of relief from this anxious work of self-examination, and that was another form of labor—clearing, planting, stitching, building up farms and business. Anything other than labor of either industrious or spiritual sort—idleness or pleasure seeking—was a contemptible sin. We were not there to measure the everyday happiness of American settlers, but we have been able to compare everyday feelings of happiness in East Asian and contemporary white American cultures. To this end, psychologists have used a method called experience sampling, where they ask people several times a day how they are feeling. Using this method, we have found that Japanese and Asian American college students consistently report less happiness (and more unhappiness) than their white American counterparts. They experience happiness less often, and when they experience happiness, it is less intense. Clearly, then, the value attached to happiness has an effect on its prevalence in everyday life.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  HILARY. This treasure is indeed found without cost; for the Gospel preaching is open to all, but to use and possess the treasure with its field we may not without price, for heavenly riches are not obtained without the loss of this world. JEROME. That he hides it, does not proceed of envy towards others, but as one that treasures up what he would not lose, he hides in his heart that which he prizes above his former possessions. GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xi. 1.) Otherwise; The treasure hidden in the field is the desire of heaven; the field in which the treasure is hidden is the discipline of heavenly learning; this, when a man finds, he hides, in order that he may preserve it; for zeal and affections heavenward it is not enough that we protect from evil spirits, if we do not protect from human praises. For in this present life we are in the way which leads to our country, and evil spirits as robbers beset us in our journey. Those therefore who carry their treasure openly, they seek to plunder in the way. When I say this, I do not mean that our neighbours should not see our works, but that in what we do, we should not seek praise from without. The kingdom of heaven is therefore compared to things of earth, that the mind may rise from things familiar to things unknown, and may learn to love the unknown by that which it knows is loved when known. It follows, And for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. He it is that selleth all he hath and buyeth the field, who, renouncing fleshly delights, tramples upon all his worldly desires in his anxiety for the heavenly discipline. JEROME. Or, That treasure in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3.), is either God the Word, who seems hid in Christ’s flesh, or the Holy Scriptures, in which are laid up the knowledge of the Saviour. AUGUSTINE. (Quæst. in Ev. i. 13.) Or, He speaks of the two testaments in the Church, which, when any hath attained to a partial understanding of, he perceives how great things lie hid there, and goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that; that is, by despising temporal things he purchases to himself peace, that he may be rich in the knowledge of God. 13:45–4645. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  Objection 2: Further, according to Gregory (Hom. in Evang. xxxiv), “penance consists in deploring past sins, and in not committing again those we have deplored.” But there is no true penance without charity. Therefore the joy of charity has an admixture of sorrow. Objection 3: Further, it is through charity that man desires to be with Christ according to Phil. 1:23: “Having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ.” Now this desire gives rise, in man, to a certain sadness, according to Ps. 119:5: “Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged!” Therefore the joy of charity admits of a seasoning of sorrow. On the contrary, The joy of charity is joy about the Divine wisdom. Now such like joy has no admixture of sorrow, according to Wis. 8:16: “Her conversation hath no bitterness.” Therefore the joy of charity is incompatible with an admixture of sorrow. I answer that, As stated above (A[1], ad 3), a twofold joy in God arises from charity. One, the more excellent, is proper to charity; and with this joy we rejoice in the Divine good considered in itself. This joy of charity is incompatible with an admixture of sorrow, even as the good which is its object is incompatible with any admixture of evil: hence the Apostle says (Phil. 4:4): “Rejoice in the Lord always.” The other is the joy of charity whereby we rejoice in the Divine good as participated by us. This participation can be hindered by anything contrary to it, wherefore, in this respect, the joy of charity is compatible with an admixture of sorrow, in so far as a man grieves for that which hinders the participation of the Divine good, either in us or in our neighbor, whom we love as ourselves. Reply to Objection 1: Our neighbor does not weep save on account of some evil. Now every evil implies lack of participation in the sovereign good: hence charity makes us weep with our neighbor in so far as he is hindered from participating in the Divine good. Reply to Objection 2: Our sins divide between us and God, according to Is. 59:2; wherefore this is the reason why we grieve for our past sins, or for those of others, in so far as they hinder us from participating in the Divine good. Reply to Objection 3: Although in this unhappy abode we participate, after a fashion, in the Divine good, by knowledge and love, yet the unhappiness of this life is an obstacle to a perfect participation in the Divine good: hence this very sorrow, whereby a man grieves for the delay of glory, is connected with the hindrance to a participation of the Divine good.

• From Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity (1989)

  Smith is once more attacking the crux of volu ntaris m, wh ich makes God's will something qu ite external to the bent of natur e: If it could be supposed that God should plant a Religion in the Soul that had no affinity or alli ance with it, it would grow there but as a strange slip. But God when he gives his Laws to men, does not by virtUe of his Absolute dominion dictate any thing at randome, and in such an arbitrarious way as some imagine. 8 The major plea of volunta rism was that an "arbitrari ous" wil l had to be attribut ed to God, or else we fail to recognize his absolute sovereignty. To hold a doctrine of natur al good was itself a denial of God 's power, an affront to the honour of God. To this the Camb ridge thin kers replied that volun tarists were projecting thei r own "Peevish ness and Self-will" onto God, as though he were a human tyrant "easi ly entic' d by Flatteries" .9 As Whic hcote put it, "There is that in God that is more beautiful than power, than wi ll and Sovereignty, viz. His righteou sness, His good-will, His ju stice, wisd om and the like " . 10 The Cambr idge thinkers couched thei r opposition to volun tarism in a teleological doctrine of nature as tendi ng towards the good, grounde d in the Platonic school, hence the term they are usua lly known by. As Cassirer ha s pointed ou t, their roots were in the Platonism of the Renaissance, as developed in the fifteenth century by Ficin o and Pico. This was a Platonism very influenc ed by Plotinu s. It was a doctrine in wh ich love pl ayed a central part; not only the ascending love of the lower for the higher, Plato's eros, but also a love of the higher wh ich expr essed itself in care for the lower, whic h could easily be identified with Christ ian agape. The two together make a vast circle of love through the un iverse. 11 Nothin g more at odds with the new Moral Sentiments • .2 Jr me chanical philosophy can be conceived . In their natural science , Cudworth and his allie s were fighting a rear-guard action against the future. 12 But the driving motive of their "Platonism" was a religious and mora l one, and in this domain somethin g new is creeping in. A bran d of Augustinian inwardness is transposing the "Platonis m" into som ething different. This is wh at is reflected in Smith's use of the expression 'inward Nature'.

• From How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety (2018)

  Speaking of making other people more comfortable, as you learn about social anxiety you’ll start to see it everywhere. For example, watch someone stand alone at a party for a moment and it’s almost guaranteed they’ll pull out their phone to quell their internal awkwardness. So kill two birds with one stone by taking on the role of The One Who Puts Others at Ease. Indeed, the vast majority of people prefer that someone else strike up conversation and will be profoundly grateful if you initiate, even if they don’t admit their relief to you. So in the service of making others more comfortable, assign yourself the task of finding someone standing alone at an event and saying hello. Internally, they’ll thank you for it, but what’s more, you’ll come away feeling happier and stronger. A creative 2014 study out of the University of Chicago found that even in the culturally expected silence of the weekday mass transit commute, people who take the initiative to say hello not only brighten someone else’s day but also reap rewards for themselves. The study assigned commuters the task of striking up a conversation with a stranger on their train—the longer, the better. To give them some structure, they were told, “Find out something interesting about him or her and tell them something about you.… Your goal is to try to get to know your community neighbor this morning.” Alternatively, those randomly assigned to the solitude condition were told, “Please keep to yourself and enjoy your solitude on the train today. Take this time to sit alone with your thoughts. Your goal is to focus on yourself and the day ahead of you.” Predictably, participants who were assigned to strike up a conversation were initially reluctant. They expected the experience would be awkward, unpleasant, and unproductive, but the results were exactly the opposite. Surprisingly, commuters who connected with a stranger had a significantly more positive commute than those instructed to sit in solitude. What’s more, the productivity of the trip wasn’t compromised—the group assigned to connect with a stranger reported a level of productivity that was nearly identical to those who kept to themselves. Indeed, assigning yourself the task of saying good morning and making a remark about the weather may end there, which is fine, but it could also lead to pleasant conversation, boosted mood, invigorated productivity, and—most important—another brick added firmly to your building. The only word of caution: don’t choose a structure that allows you to avoid. Helping with the dishes after a dinner party is generous, but if it keeps you in the kitchen while everyone else is chatting over coffee on the stoop your building goes neglected. Volunteering on the fundraising committee for your tai chi group is great structure, but not if the committee communicates only by text.

• From Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity (1989)

  It [divine love) thaws all those frozen aff rctions which a Slavish fear had congealed and lock'd up, and makes the Soul most chearfull , free, and nobly resolved in all its motions after God. 5 Sm ith opposes a religion of fear, one of "a constraine d and forced obedienc e to God's Comma ndments ", wh ich he sees as one of servilit y, and wh ich treats God as a harsh and capriciou s tyrant and " begets ... a forc'd and dry devotion, void of inward Life and Love". Religion is no sullen Stoicism or oppressing Melancholy, is no enthralling tyranny exercised over those noble and vivacious affections of Love and Delight ... but it is full of a vigorous and masculine delight and joy, and such as advanceth and ennobles the Soul, and does not weaken or disspirit the life and power of it. 6 Smi th puts his contrast as a religion of fear versus one of love, a servile or forced devotion versu s a free one. Religion is "the Moth er and Nur se" of a 2.50 • THE AF FIR MA TI ON OF ORDI NARY LI FE "truly -nob le and divine Liberty0 • Bu t he also us es other images whic h will have a tremendous career in mode rn culture: There are a sort of Mechanical Chri stians in the world, that not finding Religion acting like a living form within them, satisfie themselves only to make an Art of it . .. But true Religion is no Art, but an inward Nature that conteins all the laws and measures of its motion within it self.7 The organic versus the artificial, the living versus the mechanical : Cassi rer was right to see in the Cambrid ge Platonist s one of the originating sources of later Rom anticism. It's as if the battle li nes are already draw n, and Smith has seen the crucial affini ty of mechanism with the whole religiou s outlook he is attacking . An other expressio n wh ich points forward to a central feature of contem porary cultur e is 'in ward Natu re'.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  Reply to Objection 2: Not only the sensitive appetite which is the subject of the passions, is rational by participation, but also the will, where there are no passions, as stated above. Reply to Objection 3: Some virtues have passions as their proper matter, but some virtues not. Hence the comparison does not hold for all cases. Whether there can be moral virtue without passion?Objection 1: It would seem that moral virtue can be without passion. For the more perfect moral virtue is, the more does it overcome the passions. Therefore at its highest point of perfection it is altogether without passion. Objection 2: Further, then is a thing perfect, when it is removed from its contrary and from whatever inclines to its contrary. Now the passions incline us to sin which is contrary to virtue: hence (Rom. 7:5) they are called “passions of sins.” Therefore perfect virtue is altogether without passion. Objection 3: Further, it is by virtue that we are conformed to God, as Augustine declares (De Moribus Eccl. vi, xi, xiii). But God does all things without passion at all. Therefore the most perfect virtue is without any passion. On the contrary, “No man is just who rejoices not in his deeds,” as stated in Ethic. i, 8. But joy is a passion. Therefore justice cannot be without passion; and still less can the other virtues be. I answer that, If we take the passions as being inordinate emotions, as the Stoics did, it is evident that in this sense perfect virtue is without the passions. But if by passions we understand any movement of the sensitive appetite, it is plain that moral virtues, which are about the passions as about their proper matter, cannot be without passions. The reason for this is that otherwise it would follow that moral virtue makes the sensitive appetite altogether idle: whereas it is not the function of virtue to deprive the powers subordinate to reason of their proper activities, but to make them execute the commands of reason, by exercising their proper acts. Wherefore just as virtue directs the bodily limbs to their due external acts, so does it direct the sensitive appetite to its proper regulated movements. Those moral virtues, however, which are not about the passions, but about operations, can be without passions. Such a virtue is justice: because it applies the will to its proper act, which is not a passion. Nevertheless, joy results from the act of justice; at least in the will, in which case it is not a passion. And if this joy be increased through the perfection of justice, it will overflow into the sensitive appetite; in so far as the lower powers follow the movement of the higher, as stated above ([1546]Q[17], A[7];[1547] Q[24], A[3]). Wherefore by reason of this kind of overflow, the more perfect a virtue is, the more does it cause passion. Reply to Objection 1: Virtue overcomes inordinate passion; it produces ordinate passion.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  Whether the spiritual joy which proceeds from charity, can be filled?Objection 1: It would seem that the spiritual joy which proceeds from charity cannot be filled. For the more we rejoice in God, the more is our joy in Him filled. But we can never rejoice in Him as much as it is meet that we should rejoice in God, since His goodness which is infinite, surpasses the creature’s joy which is finite. Therefore joy in God can never be filled. Objection 2: Further, that which is filled cannot be increased. But the joy, even of the blessed, can be increased, since one’s joy is greater than another’s. Therefore joy in God cannot be filled in a creature. Objection 3: Further, comprehension seems to be nothing else than the fulness of knowledge. Now, just as the cognitive power of a creature is finite, so is its appetitive power. Since therefore God cannot be comprehended by any creature, it seems that no creature’s joy in God can be filled. On the contrary, Our Lord said to His disciples (Jn. 15:11): “That My joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled.”

• From The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes (2020)

  The utilitarian ethos of the Industrial Revolution further robbed Christmas of its magic. That changed during the Victorian Age thanks to Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert (who helped bring Germanic traditions such as the Christmas tree to England) and Charles Dickens’s beloved A Christmas Carol (1843), whose main character, the miserly Scrooge, learns to honor Christmas in his heart and to treat it as a time of joy and renewal.1 {Click here to go back to N4 in text} [image file=Image00011.jpg] [image file=Image00001.jpg] 1. For more information about the influence both Prince Albert and Charles Dickens had on Christmas traditions, see Christine Lalumia, “Scrooge and Albert,” History Today 51, issue 12 (December 2001), https://www.historytoday.com/archive/scrooge-and-albert. TWELVE: Prometheus T welve [image file=Image00010.jpg] Prometheus Z eus and his Olympians might not have defeated the Titans had they not secured the help of Prometheus (pro MEE thee us), a Titan himself whose name in Greek means “forethought.” Believing that Zeus would be a more just and civilized God than Kronos, Prometheus agreed to help Zeus in his bid for power and dominion. Alas, when Zeus, like his father before him, began to act cruelly and vindictively, Prometheus feared that he had chosen the wrong side in the conflict. His fears intensified as he watched Zeus’s ill treatment of the newborn race of men. Prometheus, though an immortal god, took pity upon man, and swore he would help and defend him from the injustices of Zeus. This he did when a great contest was held between gods and men to see who would get what part of a sacrificial ox. Prometheus knew Zeus would swindle mankind, taking the best part for himself and leaving only the offal behind. To prevent Zeus from robbing man of needed sustenance, Prometheus devised a ruse. He took all the best meat from the ox and hid it deep in the ox’s belly. Then he built a finely woven structure of bones around the belly and disguised it with fat. As Prometheus hoped, Zeus chose the outer portion of the ox, winning for himself and his fellow immortals only fat and bones. The mortals, instead, won the most useful parts of the ox, enough meat to sustain them and help them grow strong. Zeus, angry at the trick, sought to punish mankind by keeping from him the secret of fire. But Prometheus once again defended his beloved mortals. Stealing quietly into the throne room of Zeus, Prometheus seized the secret fire and gave it as a gift to man. With fire in his possession, man could now hold back the darkness of the night, warm his home, cook his food, and ward off the wild animals that stalked him day and night. With fire, too, he could explore the arts and sciences: from pottery to glass blowing to metallurgy. Fire would ennoble man and allow him to flourish past the limits that jealous Zeus had set for him.

• From How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian (2015)

  What greater and more gracious act of divine justice is there than to distribute to all the human race an internal identity and destiny as God’s own image and likeness? The next comment is that not the slightest hint of threat or sanction, possible penalty, or potential punishment exists in this ecstatic vision of creation. Indeed, if one invokes internal identity and destiny rather than external decree or command, any rejection or default would beget internal consequences rather than external punishments. As I use those two terms, by the way, consequences flow internally from an act, whereas punishments flow externally from it. For example, a drunk driver hits a tree and is killed by the impact—that is a consequence; a drunk driver hits a tree and is fined by the police—that is a punishment. The final comment is that in the utopian perfection of God’s creation-dream, no blood ever stains the ground. All alike, animals and humans, are vegan and eat only “every green plant” (1:29–30)—hence, that “peaceable Kingdom” of Isaiah 11:6. I return to this understanding of Genesis 1 later in the chapter, but now I consider the character of that Sabbath God who created humankind in God’s own image and likeness. “So That Your Ox and Your Donkey May Have Relief”I BEGIN WITH THE Sabbath Day. Within the section known as the Book of the Covenant in Exodus 20:22–23:19 is a decree about the Sabbath day that clearly spells out its purpose and intention: Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed. (23:12) This command and its “so that” purpose are later repeated and expanded to include “your son or your daughter . . . or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns” (Deut. 5:12–14). We might not think today of equal rest for all as a matter of basic distributive justice (unless, of course, you experience or think about certain jobs, shops, or factories where inadequate rest pushes some people beyond human endurance into violent reprisal). The purpose, reason, and intention of the Sabbath day was to give all alike —householders, children, slaves, animals, and immigrants—the same rest every week. It was not rest for worship of God, but rest as worship of God. In other words, the Sabbath day as rest in Genesis 1 is both a part and a sign of something far deeper than itself—namely, that the crown of creation and the destiny of humanity is distributive justice in a world not our own. The Sabbath day placed distributive justice—where all God’s people get a fair share of all God’s earth—as the rhythm of time and the metronome of history.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  Reply to Objection 3: Comprehension denotes fulness of knowledge in respect of the thing known, so that it is known as much as it can be. There is however a fulness of knowledge in respect of the knower, just as we have said of joy. Wherefore the Apostle says (Col. 1:9): “That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Whether joy is a virtue?Objection 1: It would seem that joy is a virtue. For vice is contrary to virtue. Now sorrow is set down as a vice, as in the case of sloth and envy. Therefore joy also should be accounted a virtue. Objection 2: Further, as love and hope are passions, the object of which is “good,” so also is joy. Now love and hope are reckoned to be virtues. Therefore joy also should be reckoned a virtue. Objection 3: Further, the precepts of the Law are about acts of virtue. But we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord, according to Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Therefore joy is a virtue. On the contrary, It is not numbered among the theological virtues, nor among the moral, nor among the intellectual virtues, as is evident from what has been said above (FS, QQ[57],60,62). I answer that, As stated above ([2583]FS, Q[55], AA[2],4), virtue is an operative habit, wherefore by its very nature it has an inclination to a certain act. Now it may happen that from the same habit there proceed several ordinate and homogeneous acts, each of which follows from another. And since the subsequent acts do not proceed from the virtuous habit except through the preceding act, hence it is that the virtue is defined and named in reference to that preceding act, although those other acts also proceed from the virtue. Now it is evident from what we have said about the passions ([2584]FS, Q[25], AA[2],4) that love is the first affection of the appetitive power, and that desire and joy follow from it. Hence the same virtuous habit inclines us to love and desire the beloved good, and to rejoice in it. But in as much as love is the first of these acts, that virtue takes its name, not from joy, nor from desire, but from love, and is called charity. Hence joy is not a virtue distinct from charity, but an act, or effect, of charity: for which reason it is numbered among the Fruits (Gal. 5:22).

• From The Great Transformation (2006)

  In Israel, the seventh century was a watershed that saw the beginnings of the religion of Judaism. Hezekiah had left a grim legacy. Determined not to repeat his father’s mistakes, his son Manasseh (687–642) remained a loyal vassal of Assyria, and Judah prospered during his long reign.94 The Assyrians did not expect their allies to worship Asshur, their national god, but inevitably, some of their religious symbols became highly visible. Manasseh was not interested in the worship of Yahweh alone. He rebuilt the rural shrines that Hezekiah had destroyed, set up altars to Baal, brought an effigy of Asherah into the Jerusalem temple, set up statues of the divine horses of the sun at the entrance of the temple, and instituted child sacrifice outside Jerusalem.95 The biblical historian was appalled by these developments, but few of Manasseh’s subjects would have found them very surprising, since, as archaeologists have discovered, many had similar icons in their own homes.96 Nevertheless, there was widespread unrest in the rural districts, which had been devastated during the Assyrian invasions.97 Even though Hezekiah’s nationalist policies had been so disastrous, some may have harbored dreams of a golden age when their forefathers had lived peacefully in their land, without the constant threat of enemy invasion and domination by foreign powers. This smoldering discontent erupted after the death of Manasseh. His son Amon reigned for only two years before he was assassinated in a palace uprising led by the rural aristocracy, whom the Bible calls am ha-aretz (“the people of the land”).98 [image file=image_rsrc5K0.jpg] The leaders of the coup put Amon’s eight-year-old son, Josiah, on the throne; because his mother came from Bozkath, a small village in the Judean foothills, he was one of their own.99 Power had shifted away from the urban elites to the leaders of the countryside, and at first everything seemed to be going their way. By this time, Assyria was in decline and Egypt was in the ascendancy. In 656 Pharaoh Psammetichus I, founder of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, forced the Assyrian troops to withdraw from the Levant. With astonishment and joy, the Judahites watched the Assyrians vacating the territories of the old northern kingdom of Israel. True, Josiah had now become the vassal of Egypt, but Pharaoh was too busy taking control of the lucrative trade routes in the Canaanite lowlands to bother about Judah, which—for the time being—was left to its own devices.

• From The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes (2020)

  Rome was a place of law and order, of duty and obedience, but during the Saturnalia, all those strictures were loosened. All the desires and longings that lay latent in the hearts of the sober citizens of Rome were released, and life bubbled over into song and dance. It was during this week, on the actual day of the winter solstice (which, under the Julian calendar, was December 25), that the Romans celebrated the birth of the unconquerable sun (Sol Invictus ). The days leading up to the solstice carried terror with them: Would the sun continue to lose its power and its potency? Would darkness seize the land? But no. After the solstice, the tide would turn, and the days, slowly, would begin to lengthen. When the Saturnalia ended, everyone would return to his labors and the social hierarchy would be reestablished. But all would be stronger at heart for recalling the golden days when the gods dwelled with men and peace and justice reigned on earth. — Virgil, Aeneid , Book VIII R eflections How does one build a Christian bridge over which pagans can cross smoothly and naturally into the Church? In chapter 6, I suggested that Paul and Jesus both built such bridges to help facilitate the conversion of pre-Christian Greeks: Paul when he quoted pagan poetry in Athens (see Acts 17:28); Jesus when he used imagery that would have had a special and deeply personal meaning to devotees of the Eleusinian mysteries (see John 12:23-24). In the fourth century, Constantine faced a similar challenge, and on a large scale. How could he get Rome to transition from a pagan empire to a Christian one? Even if the pagans were eager and willing to convert, how could the Church engage their emotions, desires, and dreams in a positive and affirming way? One of the chief methods the Church found for touching the depth of the pagan heart was to place Christmas at the intersection point of the Saturnalia and the birthday of the unconquerable sun. {N1} {N2} {N3} I know that some Christians have faulted the Church for making this decision, even going so far as to accuse it of being syncretistic or of watering down the faith. But that was not the intent. The Saturnalia was not based on a Corn King myth, nor did it speak of a divine child, but it drew on the same wellspring of joy as did the story of Christ’s birth.

• From Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done

  By doing this, Digby helped me build credibility with my new colleagues. He took action as an ally, using his position of privilege to sponsor me. His shout-outs made a difference, and definitely made me feel great.” What we learn from this is twofold. First, Digby Horner is probably the coolest name ever. And second, more on point, when allies take on the role of sponsor, they vocally support the work of colleagues from underrepresented groups in all contexts, specifically in situations that will help boost their reputation. This can’t be pandering but has to be honest promotion of people’s expertise. The goal for leaders is to support and promote those from oft-marginalized groups. For example, for several years Adrian has been asked to deliver keynotes on corporate culture at the Women’s Foodservice Forum, an industry group with the goal of advancing female leaders in foodservice. Three thousand attendees arrive each year to hear messages from luminaries such as Brené Brown and Maya Angelou. Adrian has been inspired by those attending and found it significant that about 10 percent of the attendees are senior male leaders—there to learn and champion the women in their organizations to greater success. These men are not benevolent benefactors, but wise leaders who intentionally invest in and rely on the skills of their protégés to achieve greater things for their organizations. Method 3: Stand Up Good allies don’t hide in the shadows, says Isaac Sabat, assistant professor of organizational psychology at Texas A&M University. Instead, they show their support through actions, even by seemingly small things like attending events, adding comments on Slack, or affixing stickers to their cubicles. He said, “Research shows that confronting bad behavior in the moment—responding to someone’s insensitive remark or calling attention to the lack of representation in the room—can be more effective when it comes from an ally.” If a person of color, for instance, calls out a microaggression, other teammates might see them as complaining or self-serving, he added, but when allies initiate a similar confrontation, others typically view it as objective. “If you can signal your allyship identity, then it shows people that you are supportive and that you are there for them if something goes down.”

• From Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Deutero-Canonical Books (2018)

  the opening chapters of Genesis (the others are in Ben Sira and the Dead Sea Scrolls). The view of marriage that it expresses, which emphasizes the role of the wife as helpmate, is much more positive than what we find in Ben Sira. We cannot be sure when or where Tobit was written. That it was current both in Hebrew and Aramaic in the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests that it can be no later than the second, or more likely the third, century B.C.E. Tobit’s prediction of the course of Israel’s history at the end shows no awareness of the upheavals in Jerusalem in the time of the Maccabees. This is one of the most entertaining stories in the biblical corpus, and we must assume that entertainment was one of the purposes for which it was composed. The author of the story as we have it used the entertaining romance as an occasion for conventional moral instruction. In his deathbed speech in chapter 14, Tobit assures his son that righteousness is rewarded and wickedness punished. And so it is in this story, but only if one takes a long-term view and watches out for bird droppings along the way.

• From How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety (2018)

  She smiled. “If you had said ‘never again,’ I wouldn’t have done my job. My job is for you to have a good experience.” She squeezed his hand and disappeared to find her next student. Jim leaned against the wall. He had done it. Yet again, he was experiencing The Moment. Thinking back, he remembers, “It was one of the greatest moments of my life.” * * * A couple of days later, Mayumi handed him the envelope from the judge. “Does it say I’m a mess? If he could have seen inside my brain he would have seen that I was a mess.” Mayumi looked at him. “You always assume that you’re the only one who’s anxious and no one else is.” “But they look so calm,” he protested. “So do you.” She ripped open the envelope and put the paper in his hands. At the top of the page, in big letters, was written: “VERY RELAXED.” Jim never would have guessed that, at fifty-two, he would essentially start living a new life. He thought it was too late, that the lessons of Dorchester and decades of avoidance would have settled in irreversibly. But it’s never too late to move forward. Whether you’re thirteen or eighty-three, an old dog really can be taught new tricks. Jim’s story still isn’t over. He keeps in touch with Deena, holding strong their shared connection and mutual respect from over forty years prior. It’s unclear what the future will bring, but for now Jim is satisfied with the turns his life has taken. From Dorchester to the dance floor, Jim’s journey over the mountain of social anxiety and down the other side is one he never knew was in him. * * *

• From This Boy's Life: A Memoir (1989)

  That story reminded Pearl of Chinese checkers. Dwight and Skipper refused to play, but the rest of us joined in. First we played as free agents and then in teams. Pearl and I played the last round together. It was close—very close. When Pearl made the winning move we jumped up and down, and crowed, and pounded each other on the back. DWIGHT DROVE US down to Seattle early the next morning. He stopped on the bridge leading out of camp so we could see the salmon in the water below. He pointed them out to us, dark shapes among the rocks. They had come all the way from the ocean to spawn here, Dwight said, and then they would die. They were already dying. The change from salt to fresh water had turned their flesh rotten. Long strips of it hung off their bodies, waving in the current. Taylor and Silver and I sometimes hung out in the bathroom during lunch hour. We smoked cigarettes and combed our hair and exchanged interesting facts not available to the general public about women. It was just after Thanksgiving. I told Taylor and Silver and a couple of weed fiends who practically lived in the bathroom the story of how I’d killed the turkey in Chinook. “I mean I blew it off , man—I blew his fucking head right off!” At first nobody responded. Silver did the French inhale, then slowly blew the smoke toward the ceiling. “With a .22,” he said. “Fuckin’ A,” I said. “Winchester .22. Pump.” “Wolff,” he said, “you are so full of shit.” “Fuck you, Silver. I don’t care what you think.” “All a .22 would do is just make a hole in his head.” I took a drag and let the smoke come out of my mouth as I talked. “One bullet, maybe.” “Oh. Oh, I see—you hit him more than once. While he was flying. In the head.” I nodded. Silver howled. The other guys were also manifesting signs of disbelief. “Fuck you, Silver,” I said, and when he howled again I said, “Fuck. You. Fuck. You.” Still saying this, I went over to the wall, which had just been repainted, and took out my comb. It was a girl’s comb. We all carried them, tails sticking out of our back pockets. With the tail of the comb I scratched FUCK YOU into the soft paint and once more told Silver, “Fuck you.” The two weed fiends ditched their cigarettes and cleared out. So did Silver and Taylor. I threw away the comb and followed. During the first period after lunch the vice-principal visited each classroom and demanded the names of those responsible for the obscenity that had been written in the boys’ lavatory. He said that he was fed up with the delinquent behavior of a few rotten apples. They had names.

• From Love & Sex: A Christian Guide to Healthy Intimacy (2018)

  What a task God gave to Adam! I believe part of what God was doing here was to help Man develop an awareness of his aloneness. I imagine as Man named the animals, he must have noticed there were two of the same kind—one with male parts and the other with female parts. I also imagine he watched them frolic and mate and wondered where his playmate and partner was. We humans often don’t notice a need until we become aware. God didn’t assign a random task to Adam, but created a life changing event for the dawning of awareness of Man’s desire for a complementary counterpart. God loves to meet our needs, so He proceeds to put Man into a semi-coma. “God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man” (Gen 2:21–22). I can only imagine Man’s thrill at God’s presentation. As a matter of fact, he exclaims, “Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh! Name her Woman for she was made from Man” (Gen. 2:23–24). Can you hear his joy? At last, finally, he has someone like himself! He then prophesies, “Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). He recalls the animals and how they are partnered with one like themselves, but slightly different from each other. He must have envied how they had one another, a companion, a sexual partner who brought not only pleasure, but offspring. Now God has made him one of these. He is delighted and can instantly imagine how this partner will cause him to change his priorities to make room for her in his life. I think he also recognizes her as his sexual partner and must be experiencing sexual arousal for the first time. Then Scripture tells us, “The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame” (Gen. 2:25).