How Serious Should a Christian Be? | Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. 

“Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3

POPE BENEDICT XVI: “Again and again, the very notion of saints has been caricatured and distorted, as if to be holy meant to be remote from the world, naive and joyless. Often it is thought that a saint has to be someone with great ascetic and moral achievements, who might well be revered, but could never be imitated in our own lives. How false and discouraging this opinion is! There is no saint, apart from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has not also known sin, who has never fallen.”

I saw the Aytona brothers of the Fathers of Mercy breakdancing. That is the answer to the question of how much fun can a Christian have.

Be like children to me is to be full of joy and love, trusting, elated by nature's beauty. We should be dancing like King David, playing music, singing, and ready to fly to heaven to see the Lord.

Hey Father! Thank you for the video! I too, am Dominican.

Angels can fly because they take things lightly -GK Chesterton

I always felt the Lord has a sense of humor. Take hair, for example, where a man can grow a thick crop of hair on his head. But then, he finds the hair falling out, where he wants to keep it, and growing in places he never imagined he’d ever have it. That takes a real sense of humor to do that. 🙏🏻✝️

I have always been thinking about this topic and this video has helped me with it, thank you

Back home in the Wyoming Valley of NE. PA. The Polish Bobica's would say this Do Not be too happy or God will take it away. That is all I ever heard, Until Pope John Paul And he went skiing and did other fun activities.

This was amazing and helpful. Thank you so much.

Well said, Father. I'm all for modern people taking stuff, especially Christ's words, more seriously and sincerely but let's not forget that those funny little drawings of soldiers fighting snails and rabbits in the margins of medieval manuscripts were from an age of Christendom. Being a man of faith doesn't mean you can't ever play some Mario Bros or read The Hobbit after you've done your work.

Thank you, Father Pine, for this video. It is the answer to a very recent prayer.

Why is this even a question

There is a time and place for it and the type of "fun" most of my peers indulge in is sitting in front of a tv watching overpaid clowns chase a ball while eating junk lol. I am not bitter about it, I have fun on my own. To each their own.

Very well said. A practical albeit secular example of what you’re talking about is my job at a fire/ems department. The gravity of what we need to be prepared to do at a moment’s notice is not lost on us, so we train and take our craft seriously. But a 24hour shift is a long time and some well timed silliness is exactly what’s needed to keep morale high.

I cannot articulate how helpful this video has been for me. It felt as though the Lord was speaking personally to me in his infinite wisdom and mercy through you and those whom you cited. Viva Cristo Rey! “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” (Psalm 103:1)

Basically it depends on what “fun” means to you and others. If “fun” means getting drunk, partying, and just reveling in debauchery and orgies without any care or concern especially with sex being the “ideal college social life” and broader society then yeah it’s 100% evil both the “fun” and the community of people around fostering the sin and that “idea of fun.”

No fun, ever! *Jks*

Awesome, thanks again Father Pine. You are delightful!!!!❤❤❤❤❤

Ahhhhh I needed this so much... it makes me want to go play soccer! LOL I don't remember the last time I had actual fun. I think I do need that!

Where in the Summa again does Aq talk about play?

Fun is fine just as long as it is not 'horse play'.

Great pace. Thank you for slowing down. Also needed to hear this. God bless you.

My pastor would never allow being silly or goofing around. Joking around if for sinners..., im currently out of fellowship.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel said that anything that is not about Jesus is evil. "Just having fun" is not a good thing, apparently. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'd love to read your book about prudence. Has it been translated to Spanish?.... why not? 😂

Hey Fr. Gregory, Lately I've been really getting in my head with discernment and I think I really needed these reminders 7:00, 8:25 Cheers! -A discerning Catholic in New Hampshire

When asked why she didn't drink, Nancy Astor-a Christian Scientist-said "I like to KNOW whem I'm having fun !" When the various wine coolers-adult soda pop-started to be marketed and heavily advertised, the Christian Science Monitor asked why there was so much pushing of the idea that alcohol must be present and consumed to creat a spirit of conviviaity and relaxation.

In Dutch we have an expression that translates to "the bow cannot always stay strung", meaning you have to relax from time to time. I had no idea the origins of this expression came from St. Thomas Aquinas! Actually, I would say that fun is extremely important and now is a good time to address this. We live in an age where everyone takes everthing far too seriously (including entertainment) and while we are drowning in distractions; we fail to actually relax and have real fun. And real fun is not a luxury, it's just as important as all of our other needs, and in fact, I think heaven was made in large part, for us to have fun there. In fact, I believe God made us for fun more than for seriousness. It's our duty to be joyful. And besides, nothing turns people away from Christ like dour and unpleasant Christians. So... I would say fun is a must.

As I consider the decisions one makes consciously rather than out of a spontaneous reaction to situations and circumstances, what does influence how one behaves. That is maturity and that creates self discipline. As an athlete, one has a goal or overall commitment to train the body with regular discipline. As a student, one has a discipline when training the mind, in scientific methods, in a practice of law or medicine, even in practicing business or education. How does culture value the use of time? It is more agreeable to rest from these disciplines and trainings with relaxation, vacations, entertainment, hobbies. However, what is appropriate is within one's limits, one asks what is possible for my means. Most people have limited discretionary time and financial resources. Taking out a new credit card account to go on vacation might create unnecessary challenges to the sustaining of existence upon one's return. It might require a significant change, one that adds stress and further limits one's choices. How does vacation help when creating excess stress? Humor is a thorny topic because comedy in our culture is often contrary to Christian values and serves to deaden the sensitivities. Horror, a more obvious genre, might be a diversion for the unintentional Christian. It leads to normalize suffering. Sports may have a similar effect when considering the great risks athletes endure. How does culture value the quality of life and at what price? There are countless examples of the chronic bodily injuries and even early death that many aspiring professional athletes experience. This is one the way our culture accepts or ignores the cost of entertainment. Sensational sports come with high risk and include extreme mountain climbing, rock climbing, parachute jumping, rough water rafting and kayaking, etc. I, personally knew of two cyclists one was an acquaintance who both died of a broken kneck in a crash. Others suffered severe injuries, some requiring surgeries or disabilities. If humans think so little about the risks that affect them in this life, how much more difficult will be the decisions that affect eternity and have an impact on others' eternal life? The Romans and Greeks had their "games" where spectators were entertained at the expense of the suffering of others. Stories glorify adventures and spark the imagination to travel even into space at great risk. The recent underwater submarine implosion is a perfect example of an excessive desire for adventure.

"I feel the scrupulosity leaving my body!" - me if I heard this when I was struggling with this issue.

I've unironically seen people say that you should never have any sort of hobby or do any sort of recreational activity since it's a waste of time.

Who ever struggles with and feel like that need an example check - St. Philip Neri

Being so persistently serious in ones dedication to virtue, that you refuse to take breaks, can stress one to the point that one can become more susceptible to temptation. Its good to not always take oneself so seriously.

This is wonderful Fr Gregory. I suffer from taking life too seriously sometimes so appreciate the fine words of St Thomas to encourage us to “chill out” from time to time.

St. Francis de Sales states that fun isn't bad, but to not become attached to it.

What would the Medjugorie visionaries say about this?

11:56 The flaaaaaaaaaavour of liiiiiiife...

Another home run. God bless ❤

This is very good!

Thank you Fr.

Father how do you square the idea that we are the only creatures with a spiritual and bodily nature with what a lot of apologists are saying about aliens?

Anyone even asking this question has clearly never read the Bible. This is what happens when you put “church history” and the opinions of old fat men over Scripture and Christ himself, who literally invented fun….

I’m an atheist now, but when I was a Christian- especially in youth group- I was always frustrated at how Christians lacked seriousness about their faith. For example, if we actually believe the almighty creator of the universe wrote/provided a book/message for us, why don’t we read it? Like really, really read it? If we are to live in all eternity with him in a perfect existence of sorts, why do we fret over the most trivial things? Why are church parking lots full of minivans and SUVs? As a non-believer now, it all makes sense- god doesn’t exist (at least in the Judeo-Christian sense).