To rejoice _always_--this is my duty, because the Lord is nigh. When joy
is absent from me, it is because faith in His nearness is absent. When
clouds hide the Sun of Justice, and I am disposed to be sad and
despondent, let me make an Act of Faith in His Presence: My God, I know
that Thou art within my soul, because I have reason to believe that I am
in the state of grace. My JESUS, I believe that Thou art there in the
Tabernacle. My God, I believe that Thou art truly present behind every
person and every circumstance and every trial. My JESUS, I believe that
it may be to-day that Thou wilt summon me to stand before Thee as my
Judge.... I shall find that Acts of Faith, such as these, will help to
dispel the despondency and send me on my way rejoicing. How can I do
anything but rejoice when I think of the Divine Inhabitation? Can I be
sad when I realize the presence of JESUS in the Blessed Sacrament of the
Altar and all that means to me? Can I allow circumstances and trials to
depress and crush me when I know with what infinite love and care they
have been arranged for me by Him who hides _Himself_ in each one of
them? And if the thought that the Lord is nigh in judgment can hardly in
itself be a thought that brings joy, yet, when I know how much value He
sets on joy, I should like Him to find me rejoicing when He pays that
always unexpected visit to my soul. The Lord is nigh, therefore
_rejoice_. To rejoice _in the Lord_ is always possible, it only means a
realization of the supernatural, and as soon as that is realized,
everything is seen in a different light. "In Thy light we shall see
light" (Ps. XXXV. 10), and "at Thy right hand are delights even to the
end" (Ps. XV. 11). It is just because the Lord is nigh that I cannot but
rejoice, and it is only when I forget His Presence that the clouds have
the power to chill and depress me and rob me of my joy. St. Paul is
afraid that I _may_ forget, and so he adds: "_Again_ I say: Rejoice."