![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Laughter reminds us of all that is good in the world. Satan fell by the force of gravity.” Faith and Fun It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. For solemnity flows out of men naturally but laughter is a leap. It is much easier to write a good Times leading article than a good joke in Punch. It is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one’s self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. It would be a heresy, but a much more sensible heresy, to say that seriousness is a vice. A man ‘falls’ into a brown study he reaches up at a blue sky. One ‘settles down’ into a sort of selfish seriousness but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. Pride is the downward drag of all things into an easy solemnity. But the kings in their heavy gold and the proud in their robes of purple will all of their nature sink downwards, for pride cannot rise to levity or levitation. “The tattered cloak of the beggar will bear him up like the rayed plumes of the angels. Chesterton elaborated on his above statement very thoroughly. And what happens when you are unburdened? You can fly! “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Chesterton once wrote in Orthodoxy that “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” What he meant by that was that angels are so secure in the love and friendship of God that they are burdened by nothing. He is a loving and merciful God! As such, the more we laugh, in good cheer and faith, the closer we can come to Him. But we were not delivered from death just so that we could worry ourselves out of friendship with God. Worry can lead to all sorts of vices like scrupulosity and even anger. We have been delivered, so while salvation and our souls are very serious matters, we need not worry. Laughter is an integral part of a healthy spiritual life for just this reason. We laugh because we have the hope of the Lord. “He who dwells in Heaven is laughing at their threats the Lord makes light of them.” (Ps. ![]()
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