The joy of God can also be a form of resistance against evil. It expands our hearts and breaks down our defensive walls, making us more vulnerable. However, as Saint Paul teaches, this vulnerability or weakness overcomes the seeming power of evil. And since we suffer out of love, joy becomes a kind of guarantee of the goodness of God's redeeming action, a guarantee that good absolutely prevails over every evil. Joy does not come only when we manage to avoid something evil; rather, it is a response to evil. Joyful trust in God's victory is a participation in that victory which God has won for us in Christ, even though it opens for us the possibility to complement "what is still lacking in the sufferings of Christ" through our lives.
(Mary David Totah, OSB /1957–2017/, The Joy of God)
