Dear Friends,
Tomorrow is the feast of Philip Neri, who is the patron saint of joy and laughter. I wish to reflect with you on this important theme. On May 14, the Feast of our patron Saint Matthias, the gospel reading had this line from Jesus: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” (John 15: 11). In the following chapter, Jesus said, “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (John 16:22). Jesus was a joyful person (though this topic is not often highlighted nor preached about sufficiently) and Philip Neri followed that joyful spirit in his own life. So let us look at each:
Do the gospels contain indications that Jesus was joyful or humorous? Yes. The verse I quoted above (John 15:11) was said by Jesus at the last supper, just before his agony in the garden, all the while aware of his impending betrayal, torture, and crucifixion. He was conscious of the personal joy in his heart, and he wanted to pass it on to his disciples and to us.
Gospels testifies that during his years of ministry, little children came to Jesus, and mothers brought their babies to him, and he took to them easily. If Jesus were to be a serious person, children would not have gone to him. Years ago I read a book titled “The humor of Jesus,” where the author showed how Jesus used the kind of humor prevalent in the Jewish society of that time, which was exaggerated comparison. Things like a “camel going through the eye of a needle,” “a blind leading a blind and both falling down,” or a “log in your neighbor’s eye” were very humorous to his audiences, and we can assume that they roared in laughter.
St. Philip Neri realized that Jesus was truly anointed with the oil of gladness and so wanted to make this joy of Jesus his own. St. Philip Neri was known as the “Second Apostle of Rome” for his extraordinary evangelical work in 16th-century Rome. He was well known to have had a remarkable sense of humor and a great love for laughter. He used to show up to important events with half his beard shaved or give incorrect walking directions to his disciples to have a laugh at their expense. He would read a book of jokes to enjoy himself as well as regale others with laughter. He believed that these behaviors helped him to connect with other people through being present and humble.
St. Philip Neri founded the Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri (Latin: Confoederatio Oratorii Sancti Philippi Nerii), abbreviated C.O. and commonly known as the Oratorians. Theirs is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men (priests and religious brothers), living in community. In our own diocese we are privileged to have the Oratorians at St. Ann, St. Joseph, and Blessed Sacrament Shrine – all in Raritan, and at Holy Trinity in Bridgewater. We wish them a very happy feast of their patron. We can ask ourselves: How can we be apostles of joy today? St. Philip suggests, “Have all the fun you want, but just don’t offend God.” We can also keep in mind the words of St. Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4-6).
We will have a picture of a smiling Jesus in our church so that we can be reminded to keep His joy in our hearts and be joyful as Jesus was.
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Abraham Orapankal