Joy to the World” is a popular Christmas carol with Scripture-based words written by Isaac Watts about the year 1730. The music for this may have drawn some of its inspiration from George Handel (1685-1759). Most of us have joined in singing this hymn during the Christmas season. The words of the first verse are:

“Joy to the world ! the Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.”

After four weeks of intense activity and preparation — gift buying and wrapping, parties, family gatherings for those who will not be together at Christmas, travel to be with family members who live elsewhere — I think the gift that many people seek for Christmas 2008 is joy. Joy is a profound feeling of inner peace, of gladness and delight. During a time of struggle and turmoil — particularly the past six to 12 months — each one of us needs this quality of joy in our lives. Joy has a permanent and enduring quality about it.

Joy is very different from pleasure, which tends to be short lived and may be experienced from food, alcohol, sexual activity and drugs. The quest for pleasure is ongoing, and although frequently experienced, the desire and attraction to it is never satisfied. In the extreme situation, a person’s life and energy may be addicted to it.

The prophet Isaiah, frequently proclaimed in church services during the Advent and Christmas seasons, calls on the people of Israel (and each one of us) as the end of their exile in Babylon was approaching, to rejoice in the Lord. Later he declares they are rejoicing because they are back in their homeland. Although on their return, the people found their homes, their places of prayer and their lands devastated by the foreigners, they rejoiced that they were home.

One thing we learn from this is that we can have joy in our lives even when our life is in turmoil. For example, a person may be burdened by grief and a sense of loss at the death of a loved one and yet experience joy in knowing that person is gone to God. Parents may be stressed by the expectations and demands of their children and, at the same, derive joy from seeing them as God’s gift to them.

St. Paul (1Thessalonians) calls on the early Christians to be joyful always. His readers were becoming impatient that the second return of Jesus had not happened, and Paul is telling them to rejoice that Jesus has come the first time, rejoice that He has promised to return again and rejoice that Jesus is faithful to his promises. Paul is reminding them not to lose sight of what has taken place, and he urges them to pray always and to be constantly grateful.

Living busy lives as so many people do in our time, it is easy enough to lose our sense of joy. In recent months, many people are stressed because of economic woes, anxiety over loss of jobs and the consequent fear of not being able to care for ones family, pension funds being undermined and the protracted general election campaign.

Jesus described his own mission with the words from Isaiah “to bring glad tidings (good news) to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives.” His fulfilling that mission offered hope and joy to the people, and even if their material circumstances were often harsh, they had His words that brought them hope and joy. We as his 21st century followers are also called to bring joy to our neighbors and to our world.

Today as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, we are clearly aware of our grief, loss of loved ones, two frustrating wars, illness, economic concerns, anxiety and unfulfilled longings. This feast day is a reminder to us that Jesus’ coming brought hope and joy to a troubled world when he came as an infant. We are promised that same hope and joy as we prepare ultimately for his second coming. Take a few minutes in prayer this day to lift up the joy that may be hidden in your life.

My wish and prayer today is that you experience anew this joy that comes from Emmanuel (God among us).

Rev. David O’CONNOR is the pastor of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption Catholic Churches.