This is something I've been thinking about ever since I read it yesterday. It's from The Journals of Alexander Schmemman, in the entries for December 3 and 26, 1976:
"Joy is not one of the 'components' of Christianity, it's the tonality of Christianity that penetrates everything--faith and vision. Where there is no joy, Christianity becomes fear and therefore torture. We know about the fallen state of the world only because we know about its glorious creation and its salvation by Christ. The knowledge of the fallen world does not kill joy, which emanates in this world, always, constantly, as bright sorrow.
“This world is having fun; nevertheless it's joyless because joy (different from what is called "fun") can be only from God, only from on high--not only joy of salvation, but salvation as joy...”
"The power of sin is not in being tempted by obvious evil, but in the imprisonment of the heart in all sorts of little passions and in the impossibility to freely breathe and live. To fight this prison, it is not enough to advocate to piety and prayer. Piety can be, and often is, petty, and prayer--self-centered. The same question arises, about the treasure of the heart, about joy. Without joy, piety and prayer are without grace, since their power is in joy. Religion has become the synonym of a seriousness not compatible with joy. So it is weak. People want answers, peace, meaning from religion, and the meaning is joy. That is the answer, including in it all the answers."
Of course, you have to take that in context. It's joy in Christ. And it's joy, not giddiness. But what else could we possibly want? And what do we have if we don't have joy?
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