Among the virtues of the Holy Spirit, joy remains one of the most fulfilling. There are many times in our lives where people experience happiness without experiencing true joy. Joy in the context of the Church looks outward of one’s self rather than looking in and satisfying self-centered goals.

My family has instilled in me the desire to manifest joy in Christ. Therefore, I experience this virtue when I am with them. For example, my older sister wrote a poem that was published in a literary journal at Louisiana State University. My parents and I drove up to Baton Rouge to attend the release party where the authors would read their works. We took her to dinner where she expressed that she may not even be reading the poem as she told the editor that she did not want to. We went to the event and took our seats and I could feel everyone’s nervous energy. I looked around and recognized no one, but somehow I felt welcome and knew that something special was about to take place. The energy in the room was full of pride and joy because all of these young people achieved a great accomplishment. My family patiently waited for my sister’s poem to be read as author after author got up to read. My sister was certain that she would not be reading that night, but still she was very nervous. I took her outside and gave her a pep talk expressing how proud I was of her and how happy I was. Surprisingly, her name was called to go up to the microphone and introduce herself and read her poem. I instantly became overwhelmed with pure joy. I watched her nervous hands fumble to get to her poem as she walked to the microphone. Then, she introduced herself and the crowd laughed along with her as she made a joke to warm up the crowd. I could not believe that she had completely transformed into a new, confident person. She began reading her poem which was about free will and how fulfilling our God truly is. My mom’s eyes welled up with tears and my dad was beaming. I could not help but feel joyful for my sister, for my family, and for being present in that moment. Not only was this a joyous occasion because my sister accomplished something really impressive, but also because she publicly proclaimed the virtues of our faith. I immediately hugged her when she sat back down next to me. The rest of the authors continued to read as I repeatedly told my sister how proud I was. I do not know if my smile could have been any bigger or if the sparkle of joy in my eyes could have been any brighter. The physical signs of our affection and pride sparked joy within her, as she was extremely grateful that God gave her a family willing to drive to the event and support her. Joy was present in that room because of the shared celebration of my sister’s achievement, and in her reading about her view on her faith as it relates to the modern world. I knew this feeling was more than happiness and was true joy because it lingered for the remainder of the night and was felt within each of my family members.  

I realized through this event that joy is not merely about myself or the things that happen to only me, but it is more about celebrating the people around me in communion with the Holy Spirit. Joy is so much more special when it is created and shared with people you love. The virtue of joy can be spread out from within myself and should be shared with others whenever I am able to do so. Everyone has the ability to spread joy and experience joy in communion with loved ones as well as God.