Between Heaven And Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life [Hardcover]

The nicest compliment I ever received came from a Catholic deacon at a parish in Iowa. My family and I were getting ready to move out of the area (my one-year fellowship at the local Catholic hospital was ending) and he was explaining why our family would be missed: "It's been so nice having you here. You and your family live the faith joyfully."

This compliment came back to me while reading Jesuit Fr. James Martin's new book, Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life, which hits shelves today. Fr. Martin has crafted a wonderful book highlighting the rich tradition of faithful humor and joyful spirituality. He takes dead aim on the gloomy, pessimistic side of Christianity, arguing that it is not only antithetical to the teachings of Christ, but hurtful to the Church's mission of evangelization.

If you're looking for a quick summary of Fr. Martin's insights, skip to chapter four (helpfully entitled "Happiness Attracts: 11 1/2 Serious Reasons for Good Humor"). This is a similar list to the keynote talk I heard Fr. Martin give at the 2011 NCCL conference. At the top of the list is the fact that happiness and humor are ways to witness to our faith:

"Joy, humor, and laughter show one's faith in God. For Christians, an essentially hopeful outlook shows people that you believe in the Resurrection, in the power of life over death, and in the power of love over hatred. Don't you think that after the Resurrection Jesus's disciples were joyful? 'All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well,' as the fourteenth-century mystic Blessed Julian of Norwich said. For believers in general, humor shows your trust in God, who will ultimately make all things well. Joy reveals faith."

This may seem self-evident, but the number of dour and humorless Christians would seem to indicate that it bears repeating. Fr. Martin goes to on extol humor's virtues in the area of health, spirituality, hospitality, play, and interpersonal relations.

What's more, the book is funny. Fr. Martin sprinkles jokes and humor from the saints liberally throughout the text, including stories about Pope John XXIII; Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ; Dorothy Day; various Jesuit saints; and, of course, Jesus!

In fact, I think his look at humor in Sacred Scripture (both Old and New Testament) will be especially eye-opening for many people. As Fr. Martin points outs, it is easy to overlook the humor in the Bible:

"We've simply heard the stories too many times, and they become stale, like overly repeated jokes. 'The words seem to us like old coins,' [Elton Trueblood] writes, 'in which the edges have been worn smooth and the engravings have become almost indistinguishable.' Trueblood recounts the tale of his four-year-old son, who, upon hearing the Gospel story about seeing the speck of dust in your neighbor's eye and ignoring the log in your own,laughed uproariously. The young boy readily saw the humor missed by those who have heard the story dozens of times."

Besides the Bible Fr. Martin recommends numerous books on humor and spirituality (he admits up front that his book is not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject) and even gives a list of his favorite funny movies.

A quick note about the book's intended audience: some Catholics may wonder why a book about spirituality by a Catholic priest includes insights from other Christian traditions as well as Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. Fr. Martin writes for a broad audience, and I hope that his Protestant and non-Christian fans from the Huffington Post and the Colbert Report will pick up the book; I think many would be surprised at the relevance of its subject.

I heartily recommend Between Heaven and Mirth for anyone interested in furthering their own spiritual journey -- or just looking for a few new jokes from their repertoire. The Church's rich tradition of faithful joy is a treasure that deserves to be shared, for humor is a gift from God.

Or, as Hilaire Belloc so succinctly put it:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There's always laughter and good red wine.
At least I've always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book for free from TLC Book Tours.

Sometimes you'll find a book written by precisely the right person. When you see such a book you know that the author was born to write it. For instance, with all of its beauty and intelligence, Catholicism had to be written by Fr. Robert Barron. Likewise, nobody else could have compiled The Future Church like expert journalist John Allen, Jr.. And only a dreaming philologist like J.R.R. Tolkien was capable of producing The Lord of the Rings.

While these books are rare, one new title fits the mold. Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life (Harper One, hardcover, 263 pages) was written by Fr. James Martin, one of the funniest, joyous, most light-hearted religious figures in America and the perfect person to write it.

Martin is the rare priest who personifies levity. Whether writing articles in America Magazine or exchanging one-liners with Stephen Colbert--Martin is the official "Colbert Show chaplain"--he just exudes happiness wherever he is.

Between Heaven and Mirth captures this attitude and shares it with the rest of us. The pages are full of humor and the jokes roll one after another.

But the book isn't just a collection of jokes. An early section, for instance, explores the humor of Jesus. Many people see Jesus as a joyless judge, a sober teacher unconcerned with humor and laughter. Part of this is because many of Jesus' jokes are tinged with first-century Jewish wit and therefore fly right over our heads. To fix this misconception, Martin provides some context to many of Jesus' stories and quips, making them much more lighthearted and, yes, even funny.

In another section, Martin turns to the saints. "A sad nun is a bad nun," says St. Teresa of Avila and Martin provides plenty of alternatives. From St. Francis' gleeful conversations to Pope John XXIII's regular wisecracks many saints were full of mirth.

But how can we acquire a similar joy? Martin answers in the final chapter by explaining how we can integrate joy, humor, and laughter into our own spiritual life. Through practical tips and time-tested advice, Martin's spiritual wisdom is on full display here.

Also, on a related note, while the book's content is stellar from beginning to end, I can't tell you how much I love its cover. The cover is full of smiling saints, which is strange since saints are rarely depicted as cheerful. Most statues, stained-glass windows, and mosaic portraits show saints with their hands folded, their eyes downcast, and their morose faces fending off a smile. But this cover beams with holy joy. Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, St. Francis, and more make sanctity seem less like penance and more like fun. If "joy is the infallible sign of the presence God", these look like saints who understand the Divine.

G.K. Chesterton famously wrote that, "Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly." Like the angels, Martin floats through life with levity, making jokes, laughing regularly, and never taking himself too seriously. Between Heaven and Mirth shows us all how to live this way and is the perfect guide to spiritual joy.

Looking for the perfect gift for your priest, minister, spiritual director or cranky relative? This informative and hilarious book will delight them. Get a copy for yourself, too. If you're like me, you're not sure sometimes what humor is appropriate, when you can laugh in church or even what's funny. Fr. Jim clears it up with serious reasons for good humor, and he clarifies what's good. Fascinating historical anecdotes speak of the humor of many holy people from various times and faiths. Plus, there are really good jokes and lots of joy, the kind that comes from God. Did you know that God has a sense of humor? Get the punch line in "Between Heaven and Mirth." You really need to know this before the Apocalypse.