From impossible gold to possible joy

In the Middle Ages, alchemists roamed entire kingdoms searching for the legendary philosopher’s stone, the one that would turn any metal into pure gold. They rode, they researched, they ruined themselves… chasing a dream they never found. Today, we know that stone doesn’t exist. But Benjamin Franklin gave us another: joy. And that one is within our reach.

Many married precisely because they fell in love with their partner’s smile, with that spark of joy that lit up everything. With time came the real problems: children, bills, illnesses, family worries, the daily grind. Even those who aren’t married or childless (like me, a priest) bear their own crosses: the parish, the ministries, the people who suffer. Life spares no one.

And yet, in the midst of the turmoil, there are still people who radiate peace and joy. I think of Saint Paul writing joyful letters from prison, or Mother Teresa of Calcutta smiling among the poorest of the poor. They discovered the secret: joy doesn’t eliminate problems, but it transforms them.

Check your face before entering the house

Before you get home from work, before you knock on the door of friends you’re visiting, you do something automatic: you straighten your clothes, fix your hair. And your face? That needs checking too. Wear a genuine smile. Your husband, your wife, your children, your parents, your friends… they all deserve to see that radiant version of you.

A cheerful person is contagious, lifts the spirits, and finds the positive without denying reality. It’s not about being a naive “go-getter” who ignores pain, but about someone who chooses to face their cross with a peaceful soul. You can experience the same problems with a somber expression or with a profound joy that overflows and brings relief to others.

Joy cannot be bought or manufactured: it must be asked for.

Let’s not fool ourselves: joy doesn’t appear because “I have money,” “I have health,” or “everything is going well for me.” If that were the case, billions of poor, sick, abandoned, or grieving people would be condemned to perpetual sadness. And that’s not true. I’ve seen people who have lost everything and still shine.

It’s not enough to simply resolve, “From today on, I’m going to be more joyful.” That lasts about as long as a New Year’s resolution. Deep joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s a gift, like faith, hope, or love. You can read a hundred books, take courses, listen to lectures—it all helps, but the gift comes from God.

That’s why we must ask every day: “Lord, give me your joy.” Jesus promised it clearly: Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Many people spend their time asking for health, work, money (good things, no doubt), but the Gospel says that the first thing is the Kingdom and its righteousness, and the rest will be given to you as well… if it is for your good.

Sometimes we ask God for millions, and He knows they would ruin our souls. On the other hand, asking for faith, hope, love, and joy is never a risk. No one has ever been corrupted by having too much joy. No one has ever strayed from God by smiling too much.

May your joy shine

Within the family, we will have to face tremendous pain: serious illnesses, deaths, bankruptcies, betrayals. We can endure them with a heavy heart or with an inner joy that, far from denying suffering, transforms it into an offering and comforts those around us.

Today, I invite you to do something simple: before entering your home, check your smile. Ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of joy. And when you receive it, don’t keep it to yourself: share it freely.

Because the true philosopher’s stone isn’t in a medieval laboratory. It’s in a heart that has learned to rejoice in the Lord… always.

May God bless you with that joy that turns even the hardest things in life into gold.