the last laugh
“Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, ‘Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?’ ” —Genesis 17:17
Abraham and Sarah laughed at jokes God didn’t even tell (Gn 18:12). We often laugh when God is serious. God is serious about fulfilling His promises. He’s serious about healing the leprous (Mt 8:3) and those incurable by medical standards. Many times doctors and Christians have laughed at God before He healed the terminally ill or even raised the dead (Mt 10:8).
The Lord is also extremely serious about saving us. Nobody in their right mind cracks a smile at the foot of the cross. He’s serious about cleansing us of our sins in His blood. Shed blood is no laughing matter.
However, the Lord isn’t all serious. He laughs at the learned and clever who take themselves too seriously (Lk 10:21; cf 1 Cor 1:25). He gets a laugh out of mighty nations who think they’re something more than a moment in time (Ps 2:4). He considers our preoccupation with money and material possessions ludicrous. It would be even more hilarious if we weren’t so foolish (Lk 12:20).
The Lord laughs a lot and even cries (Lk 19:41). We do the same. Yet do we laugh and cry for the same reasons as He does?
Prayer: Father, teach me to laugh when You laugh and cry when You cry (Jas 4:9).
Promise: “Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him and said, ‘I do will it. Be cured.’ Immediately the man’s leprosy disappeared.” —Mt 8:3
Praise: Robert maintains an Internet ministry that encourages Christians to be on fire with the Word and let it shine in society.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the period from June 1, 2021 through July 31, 2021. Reverend Steve J Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 20, 2021"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.