Jesus must have laughed frequently throughout His life on earth, but we have no record of this in the Gospels. Jesus may have been laughing when He exulted in the Holy Spirit (Lk 10:21) after proclaiming that His disciples' names were written in heaven (Lk 10:20). As He rejoiced, He praised His Father for revealing to the merest children what He had hidden from the learned and the clever (Lk 10:21).

Jesus has a sense of humor different than most of us have. We rejoice and laugh for many reasons but usually not for names written in heaven and mysteries concealed from some and revealed to others. We need to "acquire a fresh, spiritual way of thinking" (Eph 4:23), to take on the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), and to have His attitude (Phil 2:5). In so doing, we will laugh when He laughs, rejoice when He rejoices, and cry when He cries.

May each of us be able to say: "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me" (Gal 2:19-20). When we sense His presence in us, we will have His sense of humor.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, June 20, 1996

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 26, 1996