Joy keeps people young and healthy

The timing couldn’t be better, the Catholics had a new leader in Pope Francis last Easter! Many cast a lot of hope on the new pontiff as he is of many firsts. His humility and simplicity, among many admirable traits, inspire and attract many.   

After the Palm Sunday Mass, Pope Francis climbed his pope mobile to mingle and touch the hundreds of thousands who participated in the two-hour celebration.  The tight Vatican security has to adjust to the ways of this new charismatic pope. 

In his homily, Pope Francis said that in the triumphant welcome of Jesus into Jerusalem, “He awakened so many hopes in the heart, above all among humble, simple, poor, forgotten people, those who don’t matter in the eyes of the world.”

Since being elected by a conclave of cardinals last March 13, Pope Francis has placed the poor as the focal point of his mission, perhaps keeping up with his Jesuit roots. He is the first ever pope to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi, who gave up a privileged life for poverty and simplicity to preach the message of Jesus to the poor. 

He reminded us in his homily that Christian joy “isn’t born from possessing a lot of things but from having met” Jesus. He said that kind of joy should keep people young. “Even at 70, 80, the heart doesn’t age if one is inspired by Christian joy,” the 76-year-old pontiff said. 

Joy doesn’t only keep people young, it also makes them healthy. According to one of my favorite authors, Dr. Christiane Northrup, “When you move toward that which is most fulfilling and life-enhancing, with joy and pleasure, healing follows.”

“Life is meant to be joyous! We are pleasure-seeking creatures by nature. Joy makes us younger, smarter, more intuitive and healthier — with better hormonal balance and immune system. Joy even positively affects our metabolism,” she added.

Dr. Northrup has a CD (sold by Amazon) where she provides a 10-step prescription for bringing joy into our lives every day. She shares a strategy to overcome habitual patterns of negative thinking, guilt, and pain to evoke the power of joy.

The Bible is also full of promises that the right spirit, one that joyfully shouts God’s love, can bring health and healing as expressed in the following quotes:

Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true and everyone should accept it. 1 Timothy 4:7-9

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick. Proverbs 17:22

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? Proverbs 18:14

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.