To the soul who truly belongs to God, it will be the fulfilment of every hope and the never-ending source of every joy.  And joy is the one quality above all others which characterises the life of Heaven and of the blessed Saints; not a dreamy happiness but an active and conscious bliss vividly portrayed in the words of Holy Scripture, “…they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they…” (Jerusalem Bible, Wisdom 3:7).

This theme runs through the Scriptures, “In your presence there is fullness of joy…”, says the psalm (NRSV, 16:11, our emphasis).  And the Gospel echoes it, “…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God…” (NRSV, Luke 15:10).  And the same is true of Our Lord himself, “…who for sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross…” (NRSV, Hebrews 12:2) and it is Our Lord’s own joy that the faithful are called to share, “…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21).  And so Jesus pictured the climax of his work of salvation as a marriage supper with himself as the Bridegroom and his Holy Church as his Bride, each rejoicing in the other.

God has made human beings in his own image to share his eternal glory, and when individuals enter into that glory they have found the ultimate secret of life.  For all who truly seek after Our Blessed Lord shall be rewarded by him for so doing; and the reward is to find and to keep him whom they seek.