Martin fully understands that some religious organizations seem more concerned with sin than with virtue. In Catholic culture, for instance, suffering is more often linked to spirituality than is joy. But he believes that God wants us to experience a joy-filled life, and thus his book becomes "an invitation, a challenge... to rethink the importance of humor and laughter in the life of believers" who seek to live out their spirituality in the modern world.
Martin delivers an uplifting, affirming, interfaith testament of how joy is the foundation of the spiritual life. He refreshingly veers away from dogma and scholarly arguments to present an accessible historical examination of humor via the Bible (notably the Psalms and the Gospels), the lives of the saints and biographies of other notable spiritualists. He illustrates how the parables contain bursts of the absurd and "comedic hooks," and how numerous Biblical passages portray the playfulness of Christ and those who encountered Him.
Between Heaven and Mirth is an enriching, inspiring read, leavened with humorous personal stories, jokes and anecdotes that give believers strategies to deepen their faith by cultivating a sense of delight and good humor in their own lives and church communities.
Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spritual Life by James Martin, SJ
HarperOne, $25.99, Hardcover, 978-0062024268, 272 pp.
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
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Please note: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review (in a slightly different form) on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (10/11/11), click HERE.