J
joshrp
Guest
Hi,
I wanted to know what other people think about the use of humor in evangelization? Mother Angelica and James Martin come to mind a lot. Do you know any Catholics who are effective at evangelizing through humor? I think most people become Catholics because they see how joyful certain Catholics are, and they want to be like them. I personally wanted to become Catholic because of the joy of people like Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and of people like Mother Teresa. One of the things that most “caught” me into the Catholic Church was a statement Mother Teresa made in the book “Total Surrender” that “We all must radiate joy to others.” It was always the joy of the saints, and the ability for them to bring others joy, that I could see in the people of no other faith than in that of the people of the Catholic Church, that kept me coming back to the Church, when I doubted Her teachings. It was always that irony, of, "If this is not the Church Christ created and sustains, then why is it that the words and deeds of these great saints and popes are so pure and loving and full of joy. Why is it that people of other faiths or no faith are so upset and miserable about the assertion that Jesus is the Lord God Himself and that the Church is the only true Church built and inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, while the most profound Catholic saints are never miserable that other faiths or Church’s deny this? Catholic saints are always joyful and confident. I can not see this in the saints of other faiths. They always seem to be missing some form of delight that I have only found in the Catholic saints. When I get to know a great saint of another faith, I always get the sense that they would be a supersaint if they were joyfully Catholic and knew the treasure within Her sanctuary.
But this was about humor and joy. How can we radiate joy to others? Do we really know what joy is? Who doesn’t like to tell and laugh at jokes today? HUMor is part of being HUMan I think. I think some of St. Paul’s letters can be quite humorous. He has a great sense of irony. God created humor, and He sanctifies it. I would like to ask God to sanctify our sense of humor, for we all know that humor has been degrraded in this day, mine in particular. But I will open up the thread now. I am excited to see your responses. If you know any resources or writings about humor in evangelization and apologetics, let me know.
Joshua
I wanted to know what other people think about the use of humor in evangelization? Mother Angelica and James Martin come to mind a lot. Do you know any Catholics who are effective at evangelizing through humor? I think most people become Catholics because they see how joyful certain Catholics are, and they want to be like them. I personally wanted to become Catholic because of the joy of people like Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and of people like Mother Teresa. One of the things that most “caught” me into the Catholic Church was a statement Mother Teresa made in the book “Total Surrender” that “We all must radiate joy to others.” It was always the joy of the saints, and the ability for them to bring others joy, that I could see in the people of no other faith than in that of the people of the Catholic Church, that kept me coming back to the Church, when I doubted Her teachings. It was always that irony, of, "If this is not the Church Christ created and sustains, then why is it that the words and deeds of these great saints and popes are so pure and loving and full of joy. Why is it that people of other faiths or no faith are so upset and miserable about the assertion that Jesus is the Lord God Himself and that the Church is the only true Church built and inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, while the most profound Catholic saints are never miserable that other faiths or Church’s deny this? Catholic saints are always joyful and confident. I can not see this in the saints of other faiths. They always seem to be missing some form of delight that I have only found in the Catholic saints. When I get to know a great saint of another faith, I always get the sense that they would be a supersaint if they were joyfully Catholic and knew the treasure within Her sanctuary.
But this was about humor and joy. How can we radiate joy to others? Do we really know what joy is? Who doesn’t like to tell and laugh at jokes today? HUMor is part of being HUMan I think. I think some of St. Paul’s letters can be quite humorous. He has a great sense of irony. God created humor, and He sanctifies it. I would like to ask God to sanctify our sense of humor, for we all know that humor has been degrraded in this day, mine in particular. But I will open up the thread now. I am excited to see your responses. If you know any resources or writings about humor in evangelization and apologetics, let me know.
Joshua