It’s
one of the busiest seasons of the year and you know what you need… a book
recommendation. (Insert derisive snorts, patronizing chuckles and
semi-hysterical giggling here.) In the midst of worship planning, family
activities, other people’s emotional baggage, your emotional baggage, the
unavoidable calories, the avoided gym and everything else, Christmas needs joy!
Thus I bring you a quick review of James Martin’s new book, Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter are at the Heart of Spiritual Life. (The
letters “SJ” should follow Martin’s name since he is a Jesuit priest. I didn’t,
however, know where to put the apostrophe, so I’m making this note.)
If
you are too busy to read a whole review, here’s the upshot: Good book that
brings together lots of research and writing on laughter, spiritual health and
joy. Definitely church book club material. Mainly Roman Catholic writers
mentioned, with some Protestants. Luther makes an appearance, Calvin and Wesley
do not. Skip down to the comments and share a joke.
Back
to our regularly scheduled programming: Martin begins by pointing out that
people don’t usually associate humor, light-heartedness and joy with Christian
practice. Even though joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, Martin says that
religious people often view God as a “joyless judge” and are thus more
concerned with sin and seriousness, than playfulness and celebration. (9) The popular
conception of religious people in much of contemporary culture is dry and
humorless, with a side of disapproving glumness. All of that AND
self-satisfaction!
Okay,
so I know (and you know) that NO Rev Gals or Blog Pals are like that, but we
might know someone who is. Or, if you’re like me (or James Martin), people from
within and without the church often comment on how surprising your sense of
humor is for a pastor/priest/sister/lay leader/Christian/Sunday School
teacher/church musician/etc. Somehow our joy has to bubble up more loudly and
drown out the droning chorus of judgment that attempts to speak for Divine
Desire.
Martin
discusses the psychological significance of joy in bringing us to a deeper
place of gratitude and awareness of God’s work in the world. In his discussion
of Jesus as the Savior, he skims through the way the Savior is portrayed in the
gospels. Just because there is not documentation of Jesus’ laughter and joy
doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, Martin stresses again and again. Absence of
evidence is not evidence of absence.
In
fact, Martin posits that to deny that Jesus laughed and rejoiced is to commit a
kind of heresy. “If Christians truly believe that Jesus was ‘fully human’ [as
well as fully divine], they must also believe he had a sense of humor.” (54) There
are many puns and plays on common scenarios in the parables that are often lost
on the modern reader. The careful preacher draws them out and explains them,
but it is work to explain and work to receive.
In
some of the best sections of the book, Martin covers how to find joy in your
vocation (the situations to which you are called), in service and in
relationships. He talks about how the joy we draw from each of these scenarios
brings us closer to God, the source of all joy. In a written Q & A, Martin
writes:
What can I do if I live or work in a joyless environment? First, remember that your environment doesn’t define you. One of the most difficult things about living in an environment (home, workplace, religious community) lacking in joy is that you may gradually assume that (a) you should not be joyful; (b) you are not naturally joyful, since you’re experiencing so little joy; or (c) the world is a joyless place. Joy-free persons sometimes seem to be joy vampires, sucking the happiness out of everyone’s life as well.
In these situations, it’s important to remind yourself that (a) it’s okay to be joyful; (b) you do in fact experience joy in other areas of your life; and (c) there is joy in the world, though it may be outside of this house, workplace, religious community… Hang on to your joy as you would hang on to your belief in God. (165)
This
is a good reminder when we all feel swamped by to-dos that seem to suck the joy
out of life. We should cling to our joy as tightly as possibly. On the other hand, I'm not crazy about the fact that Martin does not suggest that being in an environment with joy vampires may not be God's desire for you.
Does
Martin acknowledge that there are times of mourning, darkness or deep
frustration? He does. He stresses the importance of finding support, someone
who may bring joy to you when you feel it is absent within yourself. Most of us
have experienced periods wherein we were afraid or certain that the light would
never return. This happens from personal events, as well as our reaction to
local and world events. Martin writes,
As I’ve said, sadness is an appropriate and natural response to suffering. God desires, I believe, that we be honest about our sadness and share it, in prayer, with God. But even in the midst of great tragedy, knowing that God accompanies us can lead us to a deep-down joy that can carry us through difficult, and sometimes unbearable, times.
Likewise, “rejoice always” does not mean that we should simply “look on the bright side” in the face of injustice. The anger that rises in you over an unjust situation may be a sign that God is moving in you to address that injustice. That is, God may be speaking to your disgust over what you have read, or your shock over what someone has told you. (How else would God move people to action?) (188)
We
need to reclaim joy as our spiritual inheritance. Joy isn’t about silliness
(most of the time), but about truly celebrating what we believe God has done
for the world through Jesus the Christ. I am deeply saddened by the idea that
many people would say they don’t see most Christians living this way. I’m not
convinced that’s true, but perception can become reality.
In
truth, Martin’s insights are great, but the concepts here were not new to me.
However, I could see many people whom I know who would be fascinated by this
book. The concepts of the difference between joy and happiness, the truth about
humor in Scripture, and the jokes in the book would go over well in almost any
church book club I can imagine.
Throughout the book, Martin quotes
many Roman Catholic theologians and saints, as well as other religious scholars
and historical figures. For people who are unused to reading summary
non-fiction (in which an author summarizes other works), it may take some
adjustment to get used to the quotations and, possibly, to not knowing some of
the persons quoted.
For the next few days, take a
moment and remember that you are not the Savior of the world. Furthermore,
you’re not a superhero because superheroes wouldn’t need a Savior. You’re a
person going forth, with the help of the Spirit, to share the good news of
great joy! You are not alone. You will not fail.
And if that doesn’t bring you joy,
consider this: For about 1900 years, Christians have debated the Virgin Birth, but accepted the idea that a
woman who was 40 weeks pregnant rode 100 miles on a donkey.
Share your joyous Christmas memories in the comments!
Martin, James, SJ. Heaven
and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter are at the Heart of Spiritual Life.
HarperCollins, NY, NY: September 2011. All quotations taken from the EPub Edition.
Copy purchased for review.
