Martin was interviewed at Duke Divinity School's Faith & Leadership blog when this book came out. In that interview, he said "We feel drawn to religious leaders with a sense of humor. It shows us that they understand their essential poverty of spirit and their own reliance on God. It shows humility, which is also essential in the spiritual life. You take God seriously, Jesus seriously and the gospel seriously, but you shouldn't take yourself too seriously."Rev. James Martin was on The Colbert Report promoting last night this book, which I briefly referenced a few days back. Again, I recommend the book, in part since it is "approachable, humorous and entertaining." The author is a Jesuit (the meaning of "S.J." next to his name), but the title underlines his unilateralist message (shades of the Universal Life Church?*). Some are not comfortable with the word "religion," but (as Carla Gugino noted on a Craig Ferguson appearance to promote the movie I just spoke about) say they are a "spiritual" person. Wikipedia (with an equally open-ended discussion of "religion") notes:
-- from Amazon Review of Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.”See also, the discussion here. The point being that the message of the book is broad indeed -- the importance of joy, humor and laughter to a strong religious and/or spiritual life, which is basic to a good life. This brings to mind The Mighty Macs as well, the nun explaining how she was told that "Jesus liked to dance." After all, the official start of his ministry can be said to be a wedding -- where he turned water to wine. Oh, let me quote the review, since it says it well:
While the film never veers into preaching territory (thank, God), there are a few lines with profound spiritual import that have stayed with me and that I have played over in my mind ever since. One of them is delivered by Sister Sunday at a roadhouse bar where she slips off her habit's head-covering while enjoying a post-victory beer with Rush. Sunday tells the coach a bit of her back story -- including her romantic history before becoming a nun -- and passes along wisdom from one of her mentors. "Jesus liked to dance," she said. What a marvelous image -- Jesus dancing and celebrating with other guests at the wedding in Cana and turning water into (really good) wine so that they party could keep on rolling.
Stephen Colbert underlines the value of humor and how it can be used as a good tool to teach and be part of a well rounded life. Colbert is a Roman Catholic and Sunday school teacher, after all, and his seriousness does come through sometimes on his show, including his charitable causes. Many probably would not get a taste of the diversity offered by his many guests, promoting a diverse number of books and causes. As they say, a bit of honey helps the medicine goes down, including the medicine of life.
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* Looking into to it, NYC does allow ministers of this church to preside over weddings, the state as a whole having stricter rules (at least now). So, when Conan O'Brien did so for a same sex wedding involving a staff member, it was legit. That is, if he got the proper paperwork.
The whole idea of such an easy ministry seems like a joke, but I think it's legit too. It is somewhat akin to marriage. In a way, true marriage is internal. You swear your love and support to another. The state or whatever makes it legal. But, the true thing is personal. A church that recognizes this respecting one's place in the universe seems right.