Just a few quotes from the Saints, Scripture and fellow Christians to remind serious-minded Catholics to laugh. Somehow the average Catholic does not associate joy with holiness but believes holiness is synonymous with misery and suffering. However, suffering is not miserable when we are suffused with the love of God and filled with His Spirit. In this post, I will simply overwhelm you with quotes all affirming the fact that joy is at the core of our spirits when we live in, with, and through Christ.
St. Ignatius of Loyola understood the power of God’s joy when he invited believers to, “Laugh and grow strong.” He understood, “The joy of the Lord IS our strength.”
Teilhard de Chardin reminds us,”Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.”
C.S. Lewis had an amusing way of describing Christian joy as the serious business of heaven.
Pope Francis radiates the joy of God and challenges us to embrace it.
Pope St. John Paul reminds Catholics that God made us for JOY!
Pope Benedict also tried to get through to us.
She laughs.
St. Teresa of Avila prayed, tongue in cheek,“From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord deliver us.”. Apparently this saint had a delightful sense of humour; when a donkey through her into a stream of cold water with her heavy, sodden habit she yelled at God. ” If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few.”
Even before Christ freed God’s people from sin and death and and filled us with the Holy Spirit, the Old Testament proclaimed the reality of joy of the Lord.
St. John Vianney was not exaggerating
when he said if we really under
stood what was happening at Mass, we would die of joy.
St. Faustina thought she would die of joy after an intimate moment of experiencing God’s kindness.
Of course, Blessed Mother Therea had something to add,
As Father Nouwen explains, we must choose joy
connecting with theology is a verb 
joy of nine9 