Christ is risen, alleluia. He is the Lord of the dance, the dance of the living. He is the Lord of laughter; our laughter is the echo of his risen life within us. He is the risen Lord of glory, who in sovereign authority can say: 'Blessed are you who laugh now, because you can bring the joy of Easter to others. But blessed are you only if you can laugh at yourselves, if you don't take yourselves too seriously, if human living doesn't revolve around you and your needs. Only if you can take delight in all of my Father's creation -- in sun and surf, in blue marlin and in robin redbreast, in Cezanne, Olivia Newton-John, and veal scaloppini, in the love of a man or woman, in the presence of the living God within you. Only if your laughter means that you have let go in reckless confidence all that shackles you to yesterday, imprisons you in your small self today, and frightens you with the uncertainty of tomorrow. Blessed are you who laugh, because you are free.'

(Brennan Manning, 1934-2013)