Dcn. Ken Liu - OCAN Exec. Dir.

Although I’m not an huge fan of ice skating, like many viewers around the world I was mesmerized when American skater Alysa Liu (no relation to me!) took to the rink at the Milan Winter Olympics. Fans and commenters gushed over her effortless performance leading to the first American gold medal in women’s figure skating in over two decades.

One word was repeated over and over again on social media and in news reports about her performance:  “Joy.”

One fan wrote, “There was a joy I witnessed that was so incredibly profound it made me want to live the remainder of my life full of passion and wonder.” Another said, “I've never felt any emotion watching figure skating... until now. What we saw was a manifestation of pure joy.”

How often do we feel such joy in our lives? Has anyone ever looked at us and thought that we exude pure joy? If not, why not?

If an athlete can find that much joy gliding across a sheet of ice, how much more joy ought we find being in communion with the Creator and Lord of the universe?

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Phil. 4:4)

Jesus called his followers to “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven…” (Mt. 5:11). He said that when we abide in His Father’s commandments, His joy would be in us and our joy would be full (Jn. 15:11).  St. Peter said that though do not see Christ now, we believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible joy (1 Peter 1:8).

Like the saints who were persecuted, we are called to rejoice even in the midst of pain and through trials.  St. Paul said that we are to “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings…” (Rom. 5:2) So we who know Christ ought to be exuding joy every day in good times and bad.

Joy is not an emotion we have only when we are happy and circumstances are good. For Christians, joy is not a mere feeling -- it is both a gift and an invitation, a promise and a command. We are given joy by God, but we are also called to be joyful.

For Alysa, skating was actually not always enjoyable. After becoming the youngest U.S. figure skating champion in history at age 13, the sport eventually became a chore and a burden. At age 16, she became so burned out she quit skating altogether. It wasn’t until two and half years later that she returned to the ice with a new mindset—one driven by a pure love for the sport rather than outside pressure or the drive to win medals. Instead of a job, skating was a passion.

When I was a young attorney, I struggled with the question of whether I had chosen the right profession. After a few drab years of drafting interrogatories, poring over law treatises, and working exhausting hours as a junior associate, I considered quitting the profession.

But inspired by a Christian attorney mentor, I started to think more deliberately about how I could serve God as a lawyer. I began serving the needy through a Christian legal aid program. Through my law firm I helped churches and Christian ministries (both pro bono and as paying clients). And I started to see all my clients (both Christian and non-Christian) as people given to me by God to serve. I started to see the practice of law as part of God’s plan for my life. And my godfather, Pdn. Peter Danilchick, wisely advised me to “bloom where you’re planted.” 

Eventually, the law became to me more than just a job, it became a vocation. Yes, legal work can still be a grind, but each step of my career became more meaningful and joyful. As Fr. Thomas Hopko wrote, “God has made us who we are. He has put us where we are, even when it is our own self-will that has moved us. He has given us our time and our place. He has given us our specific destiny.”

Our career may not always pleasant. It can be downright grueling. Our lives may be a struggle and full of pain and heartache. But like athletes who must push themselves to succeed, so do our struggles push us to grow spiritually. And through it all, we can be joyful because, as we proclaim in the Matins service, it is through the Cross that joy has come into all the world. True joy comes not from our circumstances, but from our decision to join ourselves to Christ, the giver of life and the source of all good things.

-------------------------------------------

We invite you to join our OCAN National Retreat on April 24-26, 2026 to explore the topic of 

"Law, Calling, & Renewal of the Soul"

© 2026 Kenneth Liu