foolish mirth

St Gregory the Great tells us about reverence today in A Year with the Church Fathers. He says that we should lay aside foolish mirth when we enter God's presence, so that we can fix our minds on Him and grow closer to Him in the process.

Now, there's definitely nothing wrong with mirth. God tells us to be full of joy throughout the Bible, especially in the book of Philippians. But foolish mirth is something else. You know the difference... between appropriate jokes and laughter, and jokes or laughter that don't belong in holy, reverent places.

When we come to God, He wants us to come honestly. He doesn't want us to put on airs, or pretend like we're something we're not. But He does want us to treat Him with respect. He wants us to take our relationship seriously.

A good comparison would be getting married. Sure, some humor and maybe a couple appropriate jokes are OK in a marriage ceremony. But it would not be appropriate for everything to be a joke. There is a certain sobriety necessary for such a moment, because the joy of marriage is expressed in a serious, decorous manner. The love of man and woman needs to find expression in a way that is reverent and serious, not just joking all of the time.

God calls us His bride. And when we are with Him, we need to afford Him the same serious attention that we would give our spouse in a serious moment... in fact, we should be sure to give Him more.

God, thank You for putting up with our silliness. Help us to give You respect when we come to You.