Serve the Lord with Laughter

"Run, jump, have all the fun you want at the right time, but, for Heaven's sake, do not commit sin."

St. John Bosco

To be in the Heart of God and know that we are loved completely and are known fully by Jesus Christ, is great cause for joy. To know that Jesus Christ died for our sins in order to save us and bring us to Eternal and Un-ending happiness with Him in Heaven is great cause for joy. We have every reason to be happy. Truly, we are called to serve the Lord with laughter and joy Who Alone brings genuine happiness to the heart.

"Try to laugh a lot, because life is funny, and everybody today is too serious, the only tragedy in the world today, is sin."

Mother Angelica

To know that you are in a state of sin and are obstinately chasing after worldly pleasures, is a great cause for sadness and despair. Living at enmity with God is darkness and misery. Sin separates the soul from God. The great tragedy of mankind is sin. However, God's love for mankind was too great that He would leave us in our depravity. His mercy was too deep to be quenched by sin. Thanks be to God that through the fount of His inexhaustible mercy, He has used the means of our downfall as the means of our salvation, by becoming man in order to save us from sin. Only through the Blood of Jesus can we be saved. Only by His cross and resurrection are we redeemed. He has instituted the sacrament of Reconciliation, where through the hand of His Representative (the priest), He absolves the soul from all of their sins. Only God can forgive sin and make the sinner anew in His Precious Blood. Yet, He has chosen that the means of forgiveness should only be accomplished through the priest, persona Christi, which means "In the Person of Christ". The sacramental graces that come from reconciliation are truly life-giving and healing. Behold, the inexhaustible fount of God's love and mercy.

God created the human person out of pure love and desired to live in communion with us forever. His love is one that not only did He create us out of mere nothingness, but He has given us life and He continues to give us life each and everyday. His love not only forgives us of all of our sins through His own death and burial, but His love redeems us and sets us upon unimaginable heights. This is the Good News, my brothers and sisters, and it should make our hearts exalt with joy as it did for Our Blessed Mother, "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Luke 1:47

One of my favorite saints is St. Faustina. Her love for Jesus was so admirable and humble. She was totally consumed and overwhelmed by the love of Christ. Her heart was one that continually prostrated itself before God in awe of His goodness and mercy. Her whole entire life was one of continuous praise and thanksgiving. She was known to bring joy and laughter to all those she encountered. The young girls that she babysat before entering the convent were graced with her holy humor and jokes. Her joy and happiness were fruits of her intimate relationship with Jesus.

“When I received Holy Communion, I said to Him, ‘Jesus, I thought about You so many times last night,’ and Jesus answered me, And I thought of you before I called you into being. ‘ Jesus, in what way were You thinking about me?’ In terms of admitting you to My eternal happiness. After these words, my soul was flooded with the love of God. I could not stop marveling at how much God loves us.” (Diary, 1292)

Joy is a gift from the Holy Spirit. One can be in the midst of great struggle and pain but have a resounding peace and joy deep in their spirit. There is such thing as "good fun", even though the world would try to tell you otherwise. The "fun" the world offers you does not truly satisfy and bring the soul happiness. Rather, it drains the soul and puts it at enmity with God.

"When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: sexual vice, impurity, and sensuality, the worship of false gods and sorcery; antagonisms and rivalry, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels, disagreements, factions and malice, drunkenness, orgies and all such things. And about these, I tell you now as I have told you in the past, that people who behave in these ways will not inherit the kingdom of God. On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control; no law can touch such things as these. All who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified self with all its passions and its desires."

Galations 5:21

True joy comes from God and "good fun" is where friends and family can come together in Christ, and share their happiness with each other. Some of the funniest people I know are practicing and devout Catholics. I remember reading how St. Padre Pio would make his friends laugh so much at the dinner table that they would have to excuse themselves. Truly, with God there is true joy and happiness.

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

Nehemiah 8:10

The same goes for couples. People who are in relationships, who are dating, can have such great joy and laughter with each other without injuring each other's purity. To live in accord with God's law brings a deep peace that can only come from above. Life with Jesus is everything wonderful and I assure you from life experience that only in Jesus can one find true happiness.

"I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance."

John 10:10

St. Faustina, pray for us.

Notes:

Diary of St Faustina