Some preachers start their homilies with a joke. It’s not as common practice as it used to be. I don’t do it myself usually, but I get the point. Humor captures people’s attention. It opens up the heart, the human emotional core. It makes us feel good. We can take ourselves, others, our world, and our faith too seriously at times. It’s good to “lighten up.”
The New Testament does not record Jesus laughing on the morning of the Resurrection, but there is a tradition known as “Risus Paschalis” (“Easter Laughter”) that celebrates the Resurrection as a moment of cosmic joy and divine humor. In his book, “Images of Hope,” Pope Benedict XVI refers to a practice that originated in his native Bavaria. It made its way throughout Germany in the 15th century. The Easter homily and homilies throughout the Easter Season contained a story that made people laugh. Starting with the Fathers of the Church and widely popularized in medieval Europe, the Resurrection was viewed as the ultimate practical joke that God played on the devil. Satan thought he had won by crucifying Jesus, only to be completely blindsided by the empty tomb.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa and Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote about the “ransom theory” of atonement. That is, they described Jesus’s humanity as “bait” and his divinity as the “hook.” The devil took the bait thinking he had successfully defeated God’s plan of salvation for the human race only to be trapped and defeated himself by the hook of the resurrection. It doesn’t seem like a laughing matter, but it makes sense. God got the last laugh.
While the Gospels explicitly mention that Jesus wept, they are completely silent on whether he laughed or even smiled. Isn’t the Resurrection reason to smile? It makes us smile, why not Jesus—the One who rose? If Jesus, God-with-us, shared in everything we experience, except for sin, I think we can presume that he appreciated a good joke, that he had a sense of humor, and that the “lighter” side of life was part and parcel of his everyday experience. Somehow, Jesus himself is God the Father’s smile made visible.
Who wants a God who never smiles? Some think that the closer one gets to God, the more rules, regulations and restrictions apply to one’s life. God places heavy burdens on those closest to him. The thinking is that one cannot experience holiness and happiness; they can’t co-exist. If happiness is freedom, self-determination and self-expression; holiness means doing God’s will, the opposite of freedom.
Saints are often characterized as dour, sad and sullen, long-suffering and severe. Holiness and happiness really go together; they’re a complementary pair. Holiness is simply the fullness of life lived in God. Holy men and women throughout history demonstrate that closeness to God produces a radiant, attractive joy, proving that the closer one gets to the source of all goodness, the happier one becomes. Saint Theresa of Avila famously said, “Deliver us Lord, from gloomy saints.” St. Bernadette Soubirous remarked that “The best way to live is to be joyful and laugh at everything that happens.” Saint John Bosco put it this way, “Let us make holiness consist in being very cheerful.” And Jesuit Father, Teilhard de Chardin, agreed “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.”
God created us for happiness. True happiness is found in humility, mercy, purity of heart and love. As we grow in virtue and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, our capacity to love and be loved expands. Holiness purifies our desires, freeing us from the anxieties of sin and selfishness, which allows us to experience a deep-seated joy even amidst life’s inevitable trials and sufferings.
O God, through the power of your Holy Spirit, gift us with joy and laughter! Come, Holy Spirit!
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit—a deep, lasting contentment that external circumstances cannot change. Laughter in the face of trials is not a denial of the weight, seriousness, and complexity of life and its accompanying sorrows. It can actually be an act of faith. Grace, God’s presence and power within us, can elevate our perspective and help us see through and beyond the chaos of the moment. When we smile through hardship, we mock Satan’s power. We proclaim that suffering does not have the final word.
To be holy is to be happy. To be happy is to give into laughter. Even today, laugh in the darkness. This resilient, peace-filled attitude serves as a powerful witness to a weary world, proving that Christ’s grace is sufficient, his promises are true, and the light of the Holy Spirit will always overcome the darkness. Christ conquered death; no earthly problem is permanent. God’s grace always prevails. And that’s no joke!
