The Humor of the Saints

Catholic Exchange, Fr. Aloysius Roche: Someone said, “Good humor is nine-tenths of Christianity.” Of course it is not, nor anything like it. This is a “smart saying” whose value lies not in the saying but in the smartness. But a sense of humor has an important part to play in the spiritual life. Fr. Benson did not hesitate to call St. Teresa’s gift of humor “a divine gift.” Wisdom is from above, and it is the gift of the Holy Spirit; and humor is part and parcel of wisdom. Humor is the salt of life, and to some extent it is the salt of the religious life, preserving it from decay. G. K. Chesterton says of St. Francis of Assisi, “The sense of humor salts all his escapades.” More here.