"Rejoice and be glad"

 

"Rejoice and be glad!" Is the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis given in 2018 where he explained the importance and nature of holiness in the Christian Life? He suggested joy and a sense of humor as one of the signs of holiness in the Christian life.

The Catholic Times has this topic as the cover story of its recent edition headlined: Is Cheerfulness Distant from the Life of Catholicism? It is also featured in two articles in this week's paper. In section 122 of this Apostolic Exhortation, the pope said that the saints, who were models of holiness, were always happy and had a rich sense of humor, escaping timidity, sullenness, bitterness, depression, and bored expressions, and requested that the Christian life be joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

A Catholic psycho-spiritual counselor, asks: “Why does the church where he attends Mass every week always have the atmosphere of a funeral home? It is Pharisaism that makes Jesus solemn.” The church has talked only about sin for a long time, and only recently has it started to talk a lot about happiness."

 

The question has long been asked why the church lacks stories of humor and laughter. In the July 12, 1970 issue of the 「Catholic Times」, a philosopher's claim that 'the church has no humor' was published. He argued that the laughter of Jesus is not found in the Bible, that the church history, which was consistent with persecution, was a series of tensions, and that there was no time to find the beauty of humor in the life of faith. 

 

A counterargument to this was published in the August 2 issue. He argued that the Bible is full of parables and metaphorical humor, such as the wedding at Cana, the woman caught in adultery, the rich young man, and the disciples who fell asleep in Gethsemani. In fact, in the midst of suffering and persecution, the positive contribution of satire and humor is greater.

 

Jesus was a man full of sorrow, the tragedy of man falling into sin, the disappointment of those who did not love enough to be worthy of God's mercy, and the devastating fear of the coming Passion and death. However, at the same time, he was also a man full of joy with his extreme love for saving mankind through his incarnation, his unshakable trust in his Father's omnipotence, his affection for his clumsy but loving neighbors, and his hopeful reward for the future salvation of mankind

 

From the very beginning, Pope Francis exhorted us to enjoy the Gospel with joy. The first part of the Apostolic Exhortation, "The Joy of the Gospel", begins with "The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who meet Jesus." Therefore, the evangelist must never look "like someone just returned from a funeral," but must live "a life that shines with zeal, first accepting the joy of Christ".