6 Avraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, three measures of the best flour! Knead it and make cakes.” 7 Avraham ran to the herd, took a good, tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds, milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it all before the men; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. 9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “I will certainly return to you around this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah heard him from the entrance of the tent, behind him. 11 Avraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, “I am old, and so is my lord; am I to have pleasure again?” 13 Adonai said to Avraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and ask, ‘Am I really going to bear a child when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for Adonai? At the time set for it, at this season next year, I will return to you; and Sarah will have a son.” (ii) 15 Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t either laugh,” because she was afraid. He said, “Not so — you did laugh.”
Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the ChurchSarah laughed. (Genesis 18:12)
Do you remember the last time you had a really good laugh?
In today’s readings, we see two different kinds of occasions for laughter. First, Sarah laughs at the idea that she, an old woman, could have a child. It could be the laughter of joy at the news, or it could be the laughter of incredulity at such an outlandish prediction. Either way, Sarah’s reaction shows a freedom and lightheartedness that we don’t often ascribe to biblical characters. Then in the Gospel, we can well imagine the centurion laughing with joy and gratitude after Jesus cures his servant.
We see people laughing in other places in Scripture, too. The psalmist, upon returning from exile, proclaims, “Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy” (Psalm 126:2). As the ark of the covenant is brought into Jerusalem, David is so happy that he dances and shouts for joy (2 Samuel 6:12-14). Jesus has a sense of humor as well. When he and Nathanael first meet, Nathanael quips, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Then Jesus shoots back, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him!” (John 1:46, 47). He seems to be in on Nathanael’s joke, and he doesn’t mind it at all.
Think about the week that is just coming to an end. Have you laughed much? If not, look back, and see if there were moments for joy that you might have missed. And if you think you’ve laughed plenty, well, laughter is one thing you can’t get too much of! Think about God’s most recent blessings in your life. Think about an embarrassing moment that now brings a smile to your face. And if all else fails, ask someone to tell you a good joke!
Our inconveniences, our challenges, even our happy memories are all a part of our life in Christ. They all present opportunities to laugh with the Lord, even if things aren’t going as smoothly as we’d like. There’s nothing like a good laugh to remind us that no matter what we are experiencing, we still have a lot to smile about. Remember: you are a child of God and an heir to his kingdom.
“Jesus, thank you for the gift of laughter. Ignite my joy today. Help me find you in in every situation today so that I can rejoice with you.” Amen!
(Psalm) Luke 1:46 Then Miryam said,
“My soul magnifies Adonai;
47 and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
48 who has taken notice of his servant-girl
in her humble position.[Luke 1:48 1 Samuel 1:11; 2:1]
For — imagine it! — from now on, all generations will call me blessed!
49 “The Mighty One has done great things for me!
Indeed, his name is holy; 50 and in every generation
he has mercy on those who fear him.[Luke 1:50 Psalms 103:17; 111:9]
53 filled the hungry with good things,
but sent the rich away empty.
54 “He has taken the part of his servant Isra’el,
mindful of the mercy
55 which he promised to our fathers,
to Avraham and his seed forever.”
Matthew 8:5 As Yeshua entered K’far-Nachum, a Roman army officer came up and pleaded for help. 6 “Sir, my orderly is lying at home paralyzed and suffering terribly!” 7 Yeshua said, “I will go and heal him.” 8 But the officer answered, “Sir, I am unfit to have you come into my home. Rather, if you will only give the command, my orderly will recover. 9 For I too am a man under authority. I have soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 On hearing this Yeshua was amazed and said to the people following him, “Yes! I tell you, I have not found anyone in Isra’el with such trust! 11 Moreover, I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west to take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven with Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov. 12 But those born for the Kingdom will be thrown outside in the dark, where people will wail and grind their teeth!” 13 Then Yeshua said to the officer, “Go; let it be for you as you have trusted.” And his orderly was healed at that very moment.
14 Yeshua went to Kefa’s home and there saw Kefa’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she got up and began helping him.
16 When evening came, many people held in the power of demons were brought to him. He expelled the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill. 17 This was done to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Yesha‘yahu,
“He himself took our weaknesses
and bore our diseases”[Matthew 8:17 Isaiah 53:4]
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