“The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages of ages.” - True Christian Religion §791
Kempton New Church

December
12

Sources of Joy

And Mary stood up in those days, and went with haste into the hill-country, into a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she exclaimed with a great voice and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for gladness. And happy is she who has believed that there shall be a performance of those things which were spoken to her from the Lord. (Luke 1:39-45)

[An angel was once asked,] “What is heavenly joy?” and the angel replied briefly: "It is the delight of doing something which is of use to oneself and to others; and the delight of use derives its essence from love, and its existence from wisdom. The delight of use springing from love by means of wisdom is the soul and life of all heavenly joys. In the heavens there are most cheerful companionships, which exhilarate the minds of the angels, are pleasing to their spirits delight their breasts and recreate their bodies. But they enjoy these delights after they have performed the uses of their employments and occupations. (Conjugial Love 5.3-4)

Angelic happiness is in use, from use, and according to use, that is, it is according to the goods of love and of charity.. (Arcana Coelestia 454)

He who lives in good, and believes that the Lord governs the universe, and that all the good which is of love and charity, and all the truth which is of faith, are from the Lord alone; nay, that life is from Him, and thus that from Him we live, move, and have our being, is in such a state that he can be gifted with heavenly freedom, and together with it with peace; for he then trusts solely in the Lord and has no care for other things, and is certain that all things are tending to his good, his blessedness, and his happiness to eternity. (Arcana Coelestia 2892)

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