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Between Heaven and Mirth : Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life - James Martin

Between Heaven and Mirth

Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life

By: James Martin

Paperback | 11 September 2012

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Joy is an essential element of a healthy spirituality. Yet many people believe that being religious means being deadly serious. This is all the more surprising when we look at the great biblical heroes and heroines, and the lives of the saints and world's spiritual masters, and see how the theme of joy, humor, and laughter runs like a bright thread through the spiritual life.

Readers will learn how to discover joy in their spiritual lives, how to live as joyful believers, how to laugh at themselves, and even how to relate to God with a smile.

The book will make use of relevant (and overlooked) stories and characters from Scripture (Abraham and Sarah, Zacchaeus, Nathaniel, Eutychus), insights and teachings from the lives of the saints (St. Philip Neri, the "joyful saint," St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed John XXIII), the writings of spiritual masters from a variety of traditions, and the author's own personal experience.

Practical, how-to advice on incorporating joy, humor, and laughter into your daily life will be included throughout the book. All this will be done in an upbeat, user-friendly, and humorous way with many stories, examples, quotes, asides, boxes, and (funny) footnotes.

Industry Reviews

"Winsome and comical but also provocative and thoughtful, Martin's book is a breath of fresh air for those who would take religion--and themselves--too seriously." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Martin's book suggests numerous ways to foster the strength of gracious good humor and makes a wonderful case for replacing suffering and sadness with an abundance of levity and joy." -- Booklist

"Between Heaven and Mirth couldn't come at a better time since both individuals and religious institutions are feeling the pressure of hard times. Joy and a playful sense of humor are great antidotes to hopelessness and helplessness." -- Spirituality & Practice

"Between Heaven and Mirth is delicious, well-crafted and well-paced. Martin draws on his own experience as a priest and demonstrates both a light touch and an impressive command of his subject." -- Harvey Cox, the Washington Post Book World

"Between Heaven and Mirth uses biblical passages, personal anecdotes and saints' stories to show the importance of humor to the spiritual life." -- Catholic News Service

"Holy people are joyful people, Martin says. The author suggests ways that humor and laughter can be incorporated into prayer. This is a book that will make you laugh. Sprinkled throughout are many funny stories and jokes." -- Christian Century

"If you ever got in trouble as a child for laughing in church, prepare to be vindicated." -- Scott Alessi, U.S. Catholic

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