Fourth point why Joy is necessary (from R.M. de Lescure)
4. Joy is a vital quality for a fruitful apostolate. We must let others see that we have received the hundredfold promised by our Lord. How can we prove it if we ourselves are sad and lifeless? That is why sadness is such a manifest injury toward our God, while on the other hand, joy speaks for itself and reveals the Divine promise that he will fill our hearts with happiness. More and more we wish to attract souls that we come in contact with to gain them for Jesus Christ, but we know through our experience that a cheerful appearance is more attractive than a prison door. The children come easily to us but it does not suffice for us to have many children and that they pass brilliant examinations (although that must not be neglected, nevertheless that is not the essential). Our greatest desire is to make the Love of God penetrate into hearts, for to touch souls is more difficult that to reach minds. The mind was made for truth and a clear explanation gives it the joy of discovering truth....
We may only allow ourselves to exert on our children a great, intimate, profound influence and that also is not acquired except by joy; the is why joy is, with prayer and sacrifice, the real lever of the apostolate and that is why we must defend our joy constantly against the attacks of the demon.
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