Holy Joy and Apostolate
Let all remember also that if they lack the characteristics [of holy joy and spiritual cheerfulness], they will bring few people to God, because their external looks will discourage others from following our Lord Jesus Christ. (OOCC, II, p. 164)
For St. Vincent Pallotti, the virtues of holy joy and spiritual cheerfulness have a great role to play in making the apostolate of a person and that of a community effective and fruit bearing. If a person lacks joy and cheerfulness as he goes about doing his apostolic tasks, he gives the impression that he is not happy about what he does, bored with the mission entrusted to him, or it is a burdensome task. If the person doing the apostolate gives such an idea to others about his apostolic task, his apostolate may not bear the intended fruit among the people for whom it is done. If there is no enthusiasm, joy, and cheerfulness in the manner of doing the apostolic endeavor, there may not be many people interested in what one is doing. In this manner, lack of joy and cheerfulness in the apostle slows down the pace of progress in the apostolate, makes it unattractive, undesirable, and not beneficial. Thus, when cheerfulness and joy are not an inherent part of a person’s way of doing the apostolate, he brings very few people to God, as he, with his disinterested attitude, discourages many who otherwise would have turned to God through the medium of his apostolate. On the other hand, if an apostle were cheerful and joyful in his communication of God’s love through his apostolic endeavor, he would bring abundant fruit in and through his apostolate.
Do I manifest the gifts of joy and cheerfulness in my apostolate? Do I make the apostolate unattractive and undesirable due to my lack of interest? Do I drive people away from God and his kingdom due the absence of a spirit of joy and cheerfulness?
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them … with diligence … [and] with cheerfulness. (Rom. 12: 6 – 8)