Catholic Writing

Discover the Surprising Connection Between Laughter and Holiness

/ chicoinematt

Did you know that laughter can bring you closer to God? 🙏

Okay, okay, hear me out: as someone who has suffered from serious-syndrome, I used to think that holiness and humor were mutually exclusive.

Then I encountered a quote by Maya Angelou:

“I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.”

😳😮😆

Bold claim I know.

But it got me thinking.

Laughter Leads to Joy

Smile like Pope Francis today. 🙂

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that laughter is essential to a joyful and holy life.

This occurred from I was reading The Wizard of Oz to my daughter.

I witnessed the delight of whimsy and wonder in my child’s eyes as I was reading about Dorothy’s strange journey.

Telling her about the cyclone, Kalidahs—hybrid bear-tiger creatures, yes these are a thing that the movie left out…

(maybe that’s where the ♫ Lions, and Tigers, and Bears…oh my! ♫ came from)

…and the encounter with the Witched Witch renewed my own spirit of wonder and awe.

When life throws curveballs, sometimes the best thing to do is laugh it off, just like Mark Twain said, “The human race has only one effective weapon and that is laughter!”

And let’s be real, life throws a lot of curveballs.

Humor is a Shield during a Stressful Week

Some weeks feel like every day is a “Monday”. 😭

But I’ve found that humor can help us face those challenges with grace and joy.

That’s why I’m passionate about creating Catholic content that is both faithful and fun.

Laughter limits one’s pride and makes others comfortable around you. More open to receive the Good News. 🙏

From reading “The Wizard of Oz” with my daughter to discovering unexpected moments of wonder and awe, I’ve experienced firsthand how humor can lead to holiness.

There’s no better saint that combined faith and funniness than Philip Neri. 😆🙂🙏

Saint Mother Therese put it this way, “Joy is the net of love by which we catch souls.”

Did Jesus call his disciples (then and now) to be fishers of men (humanity)?? 🤔

If you want unboring content that’ll make you laugh and bring you closer to God and capture your audience’s attention faster than 🐻🐻 to 🍯, DM or email me at chicoine.matt@live.com.”

P.S. You’ll only regret it if you’re a curmudgeon.

 🌟😂🙏

Thank you for sharing!

Introducing Two New Creative Content Series for The Simple Catholic

/ chicoinematt

Saint Philip Neri wrote, “A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one.” He is the patron saint of laughter and humor. Humor has acted as a spiritual aid during many times of doubt and trial in my life.

When I started as a writer in my college and graduate school years, most things I wrote were serious in nature. Research papers, books reviews, and theological theses.

There definitely is a place for serious and academic writing but over the years, and especially since becoming a parent, I’ve realized humor can be a means to holiness.

You catch more people’s attention with honey than with vinegar. I have applied this sentiment to evangelization: you can cast a wider net with humor and can include aspects of the faith within funny memes or theological jokes.

Along with Catholic Meme Mondays, I am planning on including two additional creative weekly post series: Holy Haikus and What If Theology.

These will largely feature on my social media accounts (Instagram and Twitter). Here’s a preview on what to expect with these new content series:

Is humor a path to holiness?

Share your favorite Catholic joke and/or comedian in the comments section. 😆🙏

Thank you for sharing!

The Simple Catholic Named One of Top Catholic Blogs in 2019

/ chicoinematt

I was pleasantly surprised and very humbled to receive the news that my blog The Simple Catholic was recognized by Feedspot.com as one of the top 120 Catholic blogs for 2019 (#102).

Thank you for support

Thank you to all the people who helped me with encouragement, writing guest posts, and engaging with my content on this platform. You my readers are the reason I write. I humbly use this platform as a means to inform and entertain you about the Catholic faith and my journey as a parent with special needs children.

Special shout to my wife Jennifer she was instrumental to my success: she proofread my articles, gave me time to write, and listened to me brainstorm my ideas 💡

It is also her birthday and I had a unique and cool surprise for her—stayed tuned later as I will reveal that later today. 😊

Thank you to William Hemsworth M.Div, Orlando U Javien Jr., Andrew Garofalo, and Megan Naumovski for your guest posts and to Keith A. Little for your future content on my site. Please visit the Guest Posts page to read these stellar works by these gifted writers.

Thank you to Pete Socks for reaching out to me with help in promoting visibility of my writing services.

I am a blessed man. I am nothing without your help and ultimately the grace of the Holy Trinity.

Here is a link to the top Catholic blogs if you are curious about the list. There are excellent blogs to follow so please check those out. 👍

https://blog.feedspot.com/catholic_blogs/

#catholic #catholiccontent #chicoinecontent #gratitudeisouroxygen #gratitude #success #catholicblogs #catholicwriting #writing

Thank you for sharing!