Delight

Delight, another word for Joy, is underrated!

Delight is the heart of the human identity, drama and destiny. We are created out of God's delight; so that He could delight in us; and we delight in Him-Them; and delight in each other, and in all of this splendid Creation, in Him. It is all about Delight!

More than that, it is revealed to us that delight is the very inner life of God, the Trinity, even transcendent of Creation. God is selectively mute about His inner life:  He speaks to us directly and transparently rarely, but always to the point.  The two main occasions when the inner Triune life was revealed were the baptism of Jesus and the transfiguration, two of the luminous or we might call them the delightful mysteries of the rosary. He said the exact same thing: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight." Those are probably the most important words the Father ever spoke. Are they the only words? In any case, they are significant. They tell us that God is an event, an encounter, a drama of Delight!

God did NOT say:
- I am the infinite, the absolute, the perfect, the eternal, the all-powerful.
- I am the cause without cause, the first principle, the act of being.
- I am that than which nothing greater can be thought.
- I am the ground of being, the transcendent horizon of consciousness, the ultimate concern.
- I am holy and glorious.
- I am love and mercy.
That's right: He did NOT talk of glory, holiness, mercy or love. He spoke of delight!

So what is delight or joy? It is dense, complex, mysterious. It is a feeling yes, of well-being and satisfaction and peace; but it is far more than a mere feeling like happiness, pleasure or contentment. It brings us beyond our zone of pleasure/pain and into contact with something great and beautiful and true and beyond us.

It is an act of the will, but far more than that. St. Paul commands us:  "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Clearly we can decide to rejoice. It entails our will. But it is not mere voluntarism: an act of choice.

Most fundamentally, Delight is an encounter, an event, an ongoing drama in which we are grapsed (in our feelings, body, intellect, psyche and spirit) by something beyond us, that is fascinating, beautiful, hopeful, true, and perfectly (within its nature) good. The best example is the encounter of Father and Son at the baptism and transfiguration. One of the first and best: Adam sees Eve and exclaims "Here at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." Another good one: the meeting of the two pregnant, threatened cousins at the Visitation. Another: the first and every following Eucharist.

Delight is response to what is Beautiful, Good and True: a flower, a lover, a child, a mountain or ocean scene, a painting or symphony. Delight responds to a "gestalt", a revelation of a  beauty that is surprising and exhilarating, even as it flows organically from a prior history, and moves us expectantly forward into even greater beauty and goodness.

It is important to remember again that the Father did NOT say: "I am Mercy." To us, poor sinful creatures, of course, God is first and foremost mercy. But not in Himself. Mercy is the response of the gracious, the good, the strong to one who is miserable, guilty, inadequate. That would be us: "Let your mercy be upon us as we place our trust in you." There is a trend in popular spirituality, especially under Pope Francis, to say that it God's greatest or essential trait. This is not right. Within God's very own life there is no place for mercy, as there is no misery or guilt, no need for pardon or comfort or salvation. There is only delight. When Jesus took on flesh, of course, God developed mercy towards himself in regard to the humanity of Christ. More remotely, God took mercy on us from the time of creation and the fall. But when we are forever in heaven, in eternal life, in perfect bliss, there will be no need for mercy, because there will be no misery. Of course, as long as the human drama continues on earth and in purgatory, the Holy Ones with God join in divine mercy.

So, how do we rejoice? Delight is both a gift and a response. There is no delight that is not already given and received. But our reception is often so inadequate. I have come to see that joy depends upon the two T words: thanks and trust. So, throughout my day, I like to pause, take a breath, become aware of myself, my place, my body, my thoughts and feelings and all the goodness that envelops, grasps, infuses, sustains and fascinates me...and softly say:  "I thank you...and I trust you...and I love and adore you."

We are given here a clear commandment: Delight! Delight in life, creation, sunlight, friendship, romance, food and drink, rest and action! Delight in the drama, the eventfulness, and the exhilaration of the whole thing. Delight in the merciful love of Christ, the power of  Holy Spirit, and the promise of everlasting life. Delight in all expressions of love and ultimately in that of the Holy Trinity!

There are other commandments, of course: love one another, forgive the enemy, repent, pray, fast, and pray. I suggest that none are more important than, and less practiced than the greatest: Rejoice.

Delightful Reader, I am delighted to share my delight about delight! I will be delighted if you are able, even a little, to delight in these thoughts about delight!  Delightfully and delightedly yours!