Life is hard, but laughter can add sweetness and provide us some resilience. A smile takes over the heart before lighting up the face.

Just because we never hear Jesus laugh in the New Testament doesn’t mean He didn’t appreciate humor. In His sacred humanity, Jesus experienced and radiated divine joy

In the Gospels Jesus doesn’t lack a sense of humor. In fact, He uses it to cure the foolishness of His disciples: when He talks of the yeast of the Pharisees and they assume that He is alluding to actual bread, or when they fear starvation after having twice seen the multitudes fed. 

I like to think about Jesus’ smile. In the Gospels we can see Him sharing in our human joys: taking part in the wedding at Cana; blessing the chatty children whom the severe Apostles tried to shoo away; breaking bread with friends, and especially with sinners. 

He marvels at a field of lilies, a sunset or a small seed becoming a tree, and feels the solemn joy of teaching congregations in the synagogues; going on pilgrimages to the Temple; of the long-awaited “First Mass” on the evening of Holy Thursday. 

And there is also the joy of preaching: He exults in the Holy Spirit and praises the Father, who makes Himself known to His children. The most profound joy of the Father and the Son consists in their absolute love for one another: “with Him I am well pleased.” 

Jesus in His divine humanity experienced and radiated this celestial joy that we also can share: “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” (John, 17:13) Aleteia