If we are Christians, joy should not be elusive, even in the midst of a pandemic. That’s because true joy has its roots in gratefulness and no matter what hardships we have had to endure, there are always blessings to be found! I say this with certainty because anything good that happens, a clearly recognizable good, as well as the harder-to-see-good that comes from struggle or suffering, is still good, a gift from God, the ultimate Enabler, if we allow it to transform us — will we choose to grow in humility and gratefulness as we remember that no one has ever suffered more than Christ did when he died for all humanity on the Cross? Will we choose to unite our sufferings during this pandemic, both big and small, to our Redeemer and humbly acknowledge our failures to him in sincere repentance? If we follow this path, joy will appear like an oasis in the desert, ready to refresh our souls . . .