A Full and Lasting Joy

By uniting themselves to the divine will, the saints have enjoyed
paradise by anticipation in this life. Accustoming themselves to
receive all things from the hands of God, says St. Dorotheus, the
men of old maintained continual serenity of soul. St. Mary Magdalene of
Pazzi derived such consolation at hearing the words “will of God,” that
she usually fell into an ecstasy of love. The instances of
jangling irritation that are bound to arise will not fail to make
surface impact on the senses. This however will be experienced only in
the inferior part of the soul; in the superior part will reign peace
and tranquility as long as our will remains united with God’s. Our
Lord assured his apostles: “Your joy no man shall take from you . . .
Your joy shall be full [John, 16:22 & 24] .” He who unites his will to God’s
experiences a full and lasting joy: full, because he has what he wants,
as was explained above; lasting, because no one can take his joy from
him, since no one can prevent what God wills from happening.

Uniformity With God's Will
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori