Laughter, Humor, and Joy

One of my favorite spiritual books, "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life" by James Martin, S.J., recounts the importance of maintaining a sense of lightheartedness in our lives as Christian disciples. We, as Christians, are not supposed to be rigid and sour-faced curmudgeons, but joy-filled witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The light of Christ reaches all corners of our lives, including our funny bones!

Here, then, are but a few quotes from various figures throughout the Church's history who have expressed the importance of not taking ourselves too seriously:
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"Smiling Jesus"

"Lord, give me the gift of chastity...but not yet!" 
- St. Augustine of Hippo (before his conversion to Christianity)

"I am more afraid of one unhappy sister than a crowd of evil spirits...what would happen if we hid what little sense of humor we had? 
Let each of us humbly use this to cheer others."      
- St. Teresa of Avila

"Christian joy is a gift from God flowing from a good conscience."
- St. Philip Neri

"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly."

Pope St. John Paul II 

- G.K. Chesterton

"About half of them."
- Pope St. John XXIII (response when asked how many people worked at the Vatican)

"An evangelizer must never look like somebody who has just come back from a funeral!"                 - Pope Francis

"Nonsense and laughter are very important to a community. 
Lord, preserve us from being too solemn, or severe or pretentious. 
Humor is a sign of the best of our humanity. 
You don't find any laughter in prejudice, no joy in intolerance. 
Where there is a rigid and closed mind, there is no smile. 
Humor kind of blushes us with a touch of humility that we need."
- Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan

MLK Jr.

The following are the last lines of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech given by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in August of 1963. We are still peacefully striving for this vision of freedom and equality in our nation and in our world:

...And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up the day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 
Free at last!
Free at last! 
Thank God almighty! 
We are free at last!

Love. Always Love.

In these days of so much hurt and anxiety, we are called to compassionately walk with each other.
We are called to accompany our brothers and sisters in their pain, to walk with them in love.

Sometimes, amidst suffering, there are simply no words that can be said.
As Pope Francis recently told the crowds of people in the Philippines who suffered heavy losses in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda: "Some of you lost parts of your family; all I can do is keep silence, and I walk with you all with my silent heart...I have no more words to tell you."

And so, all we can do is love, even in silence.
The Christian poet Spencer Reece puts it this way: "It is correct to love even at the wrong time." 

Love. Always love.

My Top 5's List: Fine Arts Edition

The arts make up our culture; the best of the fine arts can inspire and move us. It is good then, from time to time, to recall our favorite films, books, songs, and artwork. The following is just a small listing of those pieces of art that have stuck with me throughout the years:

My Top 5 Favorite Movies (Comedy)

1.) Dumb and Dumber 

2.) Tommy Boy 

3.) Wayne's World

4.) Happy Gilmore 

5.) Young Frankenstein 

My Top 5 Favorite Books (Non-Fiction)

1.) "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Henri Nouwen    

2.) "John Adams" by David McCullough

3.) "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl

4.) "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand 

5.) "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom 

My Top 5 Favorite Music Albums

1.) The Blue Album by Weezer

2.) The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem

3.) The Doors by The Doors  

4.) Meteora by Linkin Park 

5.) A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio 

My Top 5 Favorite Works of Art (Painting) 

1.) Madonna of the Poor by Roberto Ferruzzi 

2.) Head of Christ by Rembrandt 

3.) Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent 

4.) Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell

5.) Christ of the Breadlines by Fritz Eichenberg

Peace

"Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice."  So declared the bishops gathered at the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960's. It seems as though our world is always in some state of turmoil. War, violence, conflict, and hatred continue to be inflicted upon our brothers and sisters.

At the root of these calamities is a lack of peace and justice. When justice is lacking, there cannot be peace. We are in great need of working together, crossing boundaries and borders to encounter the "other" and to discover that our differences do not necessarily divide us. Justice demands that we see each individual as a human being, created in love by God and endowed with rights to life and the pursuit of human flourishing. If we want peace, we must work for justice among all peoples.

We need peace! 

We cannot continue jumping from conflict to conflict, violence to violence. If only we worked together for justice in our world, then their would be peace. But this desire for peace and justice cannot be achieved by us alone. It requires an openness to the "other" and a willingness to embrace the vision that the Lord has for all humanity.

And so, in light of the terrible events unfolding in France...

Agneau de Dieu, qui enlèves le péché du monde, prends pitié de nous,

Agneau de Dieu, qui enlèves le péché du monde, prends pitié de nous,

Agneau de Dieu, qui enlèves le péché du monde, donne-nous la paix.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us - grant us peace!

Brother André

Today, January 6, we celebrate the feast day of St. André Bessette, C.S.C. of Montreal.

Brother André the Doorkeeper

Born in 1845, André Bessette was a sickly child; he also lacked a formal education. However, his holiness was obvious. In the 1870's, André was admitted into the religious order of the Congregation of Holy Cross as a lay brother. (The Holy Cross priests and brothers were noted for the rapid success of their educational apostolates, especially the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.)

Numerous primary and secondary education institutions were also founded by Holy Cross. Those priests and brothers who were educated became teachers and instructors. The uneducated members of this order did menial tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and tending the door. At the Notre Dame College in Montreal, Brother André was assigned as doorkeeper. In André's own words: "My superiors showed me the door and I stayed there for forty years." 

Although André performed simple tasks, such as answering the door, retrieving the mail, and cutting the students' hair, he quickly became a role model for many.  Brother André greeted all who came to the doors of Notre Dame College, including the poor, the despairing, and the ill. Brother André became the face and hands of Jesus. He offered gentle words of comfort and instructed visitors to pray to St. Joseph, the foster-father and protector of Jesus. Soon, thousands of miracles were being attributed to Brother André.

Abandoned crutches:  testimony to Br. André's healing power

Brother André also raised the funds to build a shrine to St. Jospeh. Today, the Oratory of St. Joseph can still be visited by tourists and spiritual seekers in Montreal. When André died in 1937, his body was visited by one million people, paying their respects to the "Miracle Man of Montreal."

André never wrote a book nor taught a single class. This simple brother could barely write his own name! Yet, millions were touched by his love and holiness. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI declared Brother André a saint for the Catholic Church.

In a beautifully paradoxical way, this little, uneducated, and unassuming religious brother would become Holy Cross' first officially-declared saint. God chose to work through the simple and child-like. Brother André lacked the prestige and learning of his confreres. However, André was willing to be an instrument of the Lord and opened the door to all who were suffering and in need of healing. We are blessed to have Brother André as a saintly example of the healing power of love and the primacy of standing at the door, waiting to welcome all who seek and knock. 

Epiphany 2015

Each year during the Christmas season, we mark the revelation of the Christ-child to the magi from the East. This event, recorded for us in the Gospel of Matthew, is significant as it is the first time in the Gospels that Jesus is pursued and adored by foreign, non-Jews. In Jesus, the God of Israel has become one like us and is accessible to all people, Jew and Gentile alike.

The sojourn of the "Three Kings" (though we don't know exactly how many wise men followed the Christmas star) remains good news for us today! And it is relevant too! Each one of us is invited to "follow the star to Bethlehem," that is, we are all capable of discovering Christ in our midst. The Lord does not hide from us. Rather, God's light shines amidst our dark world. The love and mercy of Jesus Christ is present today, here and now.

All people, both believers and non-believers alike, can experience the joy of Immanuel, God-with-us. This is especially true in our relationships. We may not see a bright burning star, but we experience the glow of that everyday love expressed by family and friends. We may not meet foreign kings, but we do encounter newcomers, strangers, immigrants, and travelers along the way. We may not touch those exotic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but we are indeed touched by others' gifts of hospitality, joy, and acceptance.

The magi were wandering seekers of truth. Like the magi, we also pursue truth. For those of us who
are Christians, we pursue the Truth: Jesus Christ. Everyday, in our prayer, our work and sanctification of the world, our family lives, and in our participation in the sacraments, we re-discover Jesus.

During this year of 2015, we can see each day as an Epiphany of our Lord. Our lives are filled with graced moments. All we need to do is seek the Lord, just like the wise men, and open wide our hearts to the wonderment that comes as a result of faith.