The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
In 2016, I was given the title “Warrior of Joy” by the Holy Spirit in prayer. That title just kept coming to me over and over again. At first I assumed it’s because I’m already a joyful person; I get that sometimes in life, you have to fight for joy, and it is so worth fighting for. I prayed with this title for years, but it wasn’t until a couple of months ago that the Lord revealed a different aspect of this title. There was an image of Jesus laughing as He goes into battle because He knows the battle has been won. There is great strength in that kind of joy. It’s deeper than just being happy: It’s a deep knowing and deep rest that the battle you’re trying to fight so hard has been won. And all you have to do is rest in the Father. This type of rest allows me to “continue my pursuit” of the heavenly calling on my life. This type of rest makes a way in the desert, in the wasteland, and rivers. It’s God going into battle with joy and laughter because He knows the outcome already. It’s God that opens the seas and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army.
That’s the type of relationship God is offering you. Not one of strife, but one of rest. That is what it means to be a Warrior of Joy. It’s not that I am fighting for joy. It’s that I go into battle WITH joy- laughing and dancing and singing because I know my enemy has been defeated. I can live a life where Jesus looks at me and says, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now do not sin any more.” And as I walk in this confidence, I am truly filled with joy because God has done great things for me.