A few months ago I wrote a piece in the magazine on the essential place of joy, humor and laughter in the spiritual life and in the life of the church. “The Most Infallible Sign” In it I suggested that not only was Jesus most likely a person of great wit, but also that the saints and the great Christian spiritual masters understood the need for joy and laughter in life. As the French author Leon Bloy once wrote, “Joy is the surest sign of the Holy Spirit.” So I was naturally cheered to see that humor is not dead even in the highest reaches of the Society of Jesus. Or even in its official documentation. Here is a report from the latest press release from GC 35, which shows that from time to time God enlivens even the most august of situations with levity. “At the end of the session, the Secretary of the Congregation, Fr. Rotsaert, commented favourably on the efficient and expeditious process pace of the Congregation. If we continue in this way, he said, we may finish our work by March 1st. His remarks were received with a murmur, which some interpreted as a sign of approval, while others thought that it was a sign of wishful thinking…” James Martin, S.J.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, editor at large at America and founder of Outreach.