Deus RI. Alegria, Humor E Riso Espiritual (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I had an acting teacher who was soooooo "Buddhist," she'd make us meditate for the first twenty minutes of every class - and then spent the rest of the class screaming swear words at me for not playing a fairy well enough to her liking. Yeah, okay. Thank goodness for this book, for I was discovered that I wasn't insane for thinking that someone who really believes everything will be okay, that not only feel comfort with themselves but are able to use that comfort toward others, are also . . . very, very funny.What a lovely surprise! I've seen James Martin on "The Colbert Report" several times, and he had that calm presence I associate with the truly spiritual. In fact, I was pleased he spent a lot of the book discussing those types of people: The truly spiritual, the ones that seem "at one" with a higher power, no matter what you call said power, have a lightness or freedom about them that is just so palpable. There are those that claim to be religious or spiritual and are so miserable - well, who's to bother with religion then? The discussion of why some Biblical stories were originally supposed to be funny were enlightening (pun unintended). Perhaps people who are "in the scene" of religion were familiar with the original language/context of when the Bible was written were more aware, but I'd had no idea. All of it were pieces of information I think a lot of people would benefit from. The philosophical discussions of the benefits of humor in terms of helping one's spiritual practice were lovely and reassuring as well, as well as the more instructional bits on what types of humor are helpful and which are hurting.The real gem, though, of this book - as with any book regarding humor - were the jokes. Father Martin is incredibly good at choosing just the right anecdote or one-liner from a fellow religious leader to set the tone for different discussions. I giggled a lot, and quite frankly, the book is worth it for that. Of course, pairing said jokes with profound, eye-opening thoughts gave it a whole new dimension that took it to the next level.If I had one complaint, it'd be the repetitiveness. Naturally, Father Martin has plenty of jokes for that as well, because he's a Franciscan! The self-deprecation warrants plenty of discussion in the text itself, and he is absolutely not above making fun of himself, so really, I can't say it's a complaint; more of a lesson. James Martin may be the best Jesuit proselytizer of the last few decades. He's enthusiastic, humble, funny, hardworking, and completely unintimidating. He writes a book every year or two, and they're all interesting and read well. As he presents himself via Facebook and appearances on the Colbert Report, I like him very much. But no one can be all things, and one thing he is not—is deep. His is a faith of simple virtues, and one of them, to his great credit, is humor. This book is his attempt to convince and reassure his readers that Christian faith need not be gloomy, and at that, he succeeds well. In fact, if you want to learn forty or sixty new jokes and funny stories about religion, this is the book for you.The trouble is that he doesn't distinguish between the general good-hearted happiness that puts a smile on your face and the deep laughter that can only really arise, at root, from a contrast with the sad. Think of the times you've laughed hardest in your life, and they were probably times when you felt a sense of relief from fear. Or perhaps the hilarity was in the slightly wicked contrast between the gravity of a situation and an irreverent comment. Perhaps your favorite jokes, like many of mine, skewer those you feel really need to be skewered. Maybe you appreciate the black humor of the soldier or the paramedic. The plain fact is that most of the best humor arises from tragedy or occurs at someone's expense. Martin doesn't seem to realize this or its implications—among them, that humor is our way of dealing with life in a wounded world, and that in the kingdom of heaven humor must be greatly diminished.In fact, the funniest jokes in this book are at someone's expense, however gently. I'm thinking of one in which a cardinal pokes fun at the speaker preceding him at a banquet, who couldn't remember a single name without looking at his notes, by himself pretending to forget the name of Jesus Christ. (It's a good story that's a little too long to relate here in full.) Or another where Pope John XXIII makes a surprise visit to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rome. The nun in charge of the hospital, flustered and nervous, says "Welcome, Holy Father—I am the superior of the Holy Spirit." To which John replied, "How lucky for you! I'm only the vicar of Christ!"
What do You think about Deus RI. Alegria, Humor E Riso Espiritual (2011)?
James Martin is very down to earth. This book gave me a lot to think about.
—chinnu
A wonderful reminder to be joyful and not take ourselves so seriously.
—Shanel
