catapult magazine

vol. 8, num. 16 :: 2009.07.31 — 2009.09.03

“I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,” goes the Sunday school song. Many who grew up in the Church wonder whether they really learned the reality of that song, or just a tune with accompanying words and gestures. How does one “get the joy”—or get it back when it’s been lost?

Feature

Joy and melancholy

by Larry Edward Kamphausen

Sifting through St. Paul's letter to the Philippians in an effort to discover what it means to "rejoice in the Lord always."

Editorial

Joy and…

by Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma

A difficult summer prompts reflections on the problem of joy.

Articles

Four old nags from Moody

by R. Ashleyne Seitz

On witnessing a legacy of friendship, sorrow and laughter.

Recovering joy

by Sophie Blanc

What can we do when we discover our joy has been stolen from us?

Bubbling over

by Matt Gerrelts

Joy tends to overflow to the point of sharing -- and yet sometimes it doesn't.

Shades of joy

by Marie Lewis

A mother reflects on her children's faith journeys and the complexities of joy for Christian parents.

Summer came early

by Mimi Goacher

Reflections on experiences and lessons in joy, looking back on a life in the midst of death.

Lifting the paradigm

by Joy McCarnan

A daughter considers the legacy of her name in light of an encounter.

Conversation: “Getting the Joy”

by The *cino Community

Your opportunity to contribute thoughts about joy.

Gallery

In case you missed it the first time

Paradise wanted?

by Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma

Summer vacations past provoke reflection on a love-hate relationship with ‘perfect’ places.

Reclaiming Mardi Gras

by Marty Sartini Garner

A Louisiana native provides a closer look at Mardi Gras, a traditional time of celebration before Lent.

Weaving the web

Finding Happiness

Orion Books

An interview with Abbott Thomas Jamison, author of the book Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life.

daily asterisk

Even in a country you know by heart
its hard to go the same way twice
the life of the going changes.
The chances change and make a new way.
Any tree or stone or bird
can be the bud of a new direction. The
natural correction is to make intent
of accident. To get back before dark
is the art of going.

Wendell Berry
“Traveling at Home” from Traveling at Home

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