Where’s the joy, you might ask, living through this coronavirus pandemic which is getting worse by the day? How can one find joy in seeing more and more people suffering from this dreadful disease or dying from it? These are legitimate questions to ask, indeed must be asked, if we are to appreciate the gift of joy Jesus wants to bring to completion in our lives (Gospel of John 15:11).

The simple answer to these questions is that joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit that cannot be undone by suffering or man’s devising.

What would Christmas be like without joy? Joy is a feeling of elation, a sweet vibration caused by something exceptionally good. Christmas is exceptionally good for it is about a miraculous birth, the miracle of God coming down to earth to be born in a manger. The joy of this miraculous birth becomes our joy when we allow Jesus to be born in our hearts.

Christmas is all about joy, and the hope it brings to a broken world.

How often parents have told me about being drained over the Christmas! How their kids didn’t appreciate the gifts they gave them and how their hopes for a warm, uplifting, family union got lost in a blur of bickering and discontent.

What went wrong? Nothing really as far as effort and preparations are concerned. No doubt, they did everything they thought would please their children. So, what caused their disappointment?

Christmas is not about pleasing others, even your children. Its about possessing the joy Jesus brought into the world, the joy of loving one another the way He loves us, the joy of spending time with one another, the joy of giving without remembering and the joy of receiving without forgetting, the joy of being sensitive and helpful regarding the needs of others, the joy of spending good times with family and friends.

If you don’t possess this joy, how can you share it with others?

This gift of joy comes from making peace with who you are and is cultivated internally. You can always carry it with you wherever you go, in good times and in bad. It differs from happiness which is triggered externally by people, places or things, but is ultimately fleeting.

The joy of the children of God is a sharing in the joy of Christ who cares deeply for us, and wants to spend time with us. There is a beautiful story in the gospel of Luke 10:38–42 where Jesus was visiting the home of friends. One of His friend’s, called Mary, wanted to do nothing more than spend time in His presence.

There is a time and place for everything, and spending time with your friends is a Christlike thing to do. This is an invaluable use of your time anytime, but particularly at this Advent Season. Visit a friend at home, in hospital or in prison (if this is possible during the pandemic) so you can spend time together.

The gift of joy wells up from the deep recesses of the human soul. It is not to be achieved by living on the surface but by penetrating the deepest truths of ourselves through the grace of God. It is a quality that finds a home in the bosom of the Lord’s kingdom.

The joy the Lord gives us is the grace to go beyond appearances, to examine our life styles with a view to making them more Christ-like. The sacrifices we make to follow Christ in order to enter into His joy are worth it for He gives us a new spirit: the Holy Spirit. To experience this new spirit we must be prepared to put aside old ways and old habits that are selfish, dysfunctional, joyless. What joy we bring to others when we show them love instead of hatred, pardon rather than injury, reconciliation rather than disunity.

Joy flows into an unlimited, variety of experiences and new awakenings. Our renewed spirits are aroused by the many experiences of new life: the incredible beauty of nature, the sights of people celebrating their unions together, the dignity of unselfish lives, the vision of innocent children frolicking on beaches or schoolyard playgrounds, the gracefulness of those who embrace life without fear of death.

This is the joy the Lord calls “complete” as it encompasses and transcends all other kinds of joy. It is an abiding habit of the heart.

Make it your special project this Advent Season to spread joy wherever you are, wherever you go, and with whomever you meet. Do not hide it, but let it shine for all to see.

Rejoice always, as St. Paul says (Philippians 4:4).

—Fr. Hugh Duffy