On this first Saturday of Lent, Virginia is contemplating delight. Do you ever think of delight as a duty? I usually think of delight as a bonus joy brings to the table. But, come to think of it, delight is a choice. Delight is also a fruit of joy.

Sowing seeds of despair does not yield delight. (Sowing despair tends to cultivate painful things like ulcers, whereas sowing seeds of joy yields things like delight.)

“How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy. To act lovingly is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others, which in turn makes one feel joyful. I believe we are called to the duty of delight.” Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day spells it out for us: we are to cultivate a spirit of joy. Cultivating something requires effort, energy, and careful tending. As we cultivate joy (carefully and tenderly) we must root out weeds of frustration, anger, and fear that choke our growth as doers of delight for the Heavenly Kingdom.

Lent is a good time to have a go at internal weeds choking our joy, so we can be about the duty of delight.

“Finally, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

grace, peace & duties of delight

Virginia : )