How is it that out of sorrow joy can come?

How is it that out of sorrow joy can come?
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In grammar sorrow is the opposite of joy.

But in practical life sorrow is the mother of joy.

Sorrow gives birth to joy.

Sorrow is the cause of joy.

Joy follows sorrow.

No sorrow, no joy.

Today is my younger son, Salette's birthday.

Still I remember the labour pain my wife was undergoing at the time of his birth.

Her screaming out of pain for about an hour is still ringing in my ears.

Not only my wife but also all of us were undergoing the pain, she in her body, we in our heart.

My elder children, Prakasam and Alphonsa were on their knees, throughout the time saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus....."

After an hour came, " qua, qua" sound turning our pain into joy.

Sorrow at pain turns into joy at end of the pain.

No labour, no child.

No sorrow, no joy.

I just go back to my High School days.

Once in every year we would have three days Retreat, in strict silence.

On the morning session of the third day our preacher would take us all to Hell to show us the torture the lost souls undergo there.

We would be trembling with fear at the  thought of what would be our lot if we happen to go there.

Our faces would reflect the sorrow our hearts were full.

Feeling sorry for our sins and with a contrite heart we would make our confession.

You must have seen our faces at the end of the Retreat, joy dancing on them to the music of  our  internal purity caused by our contrition and confession.

This is the experience of all the students who were with me.

To experience real Spiritual joy we must feel sorry for our sins and confess them to a priest.

No worldly joy can equal this Spiritual joy, born of contrition.

No sorrow no, forgiveness.

No forgiveness, no joy.

So,

No sorrow, no joy.

There is another kind of sorrow, in which one feels sorry for the sins of others.

Our sins are against God.

God cannot feel sorry for our sins.

So He became man.

Only man can make amendment for the sins committed by man.

So, Jesus in His human nature took all our sins upon Himself and amended for them by His painful death.

Jesus was sorry for our sins, amended for them and requested His Heavenly Father to forgive them.

Here Jesus' sorrow for our sins has brought about forgiveness and joy for us.

Our Lady herself is known as 'Mother of sorrows'.

She had no sin to feel sorry for.

Our sins were the cause of her sorrows.

We are duty bound to feel sorry not only for our sins but also for those of our neighbours.

When we say Rosary, we must offer it as amendment for 'Our sins and for those of the whole world'.

There is another kind of sorrow which brings about joy in our daily life.

Whenever we happen to wound anyone of our neighbours by our word or act,  we must feel sorry for our word or act and express it to the person wounded, "Sorry brother.''

This single sorry will work wonders  by filling us with joy.

Sorry, if I have wasted your time.

Lourdu Selvam.