On World Smile Day, celebrated on the first Friday in October, we present to you five saints whose sympathy and sense of humor marked the hearts of the faithful and taught the joy of a Christian when announcing the Gospel.
1.- Saint John Paul II
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The pilgrim Pope left a great spiritual legacy to the Church with his moving messages, his closeness and his gestures of affection and piety. He also left the echo of his laughter in the hearts of the faithful, like that time he witnessed the performance of the “Japanese Clown”, characterized by Diego Poole.
The clown performed six shows for the Pontiff and in some videos you can see Saint John Paul II laughing out loud.
The clown attended the canonization ceremony held in Rome in 2014 and told ACI Prensa that “there are no recorded images of the Pope laughing so much and thanks to that we now have the image forever of a Pope who was deeply human, very happy, and very nice.”
2.- Saint John Bosco
It is said that the Italian saint was very cheerful and charismatic, especially with young people and children. Even when he had problems he seemed happy, since he felt great confidence in God and Mary Help of Christians.
Saint John Bosco used to say that joy, study and piety were “the best program to make you happy and will benefit your soul the most.”
He also expressed that if one wanted to have a calm and joyful life, one must try to “always be in the grace of God.”
3.- San Felipe Neri
Saint Philip Neri is the patron saint of educators and comedians. Since he was little, he expressed his joy and showed so much kindness that people used to call him “Felipín the good.”
In 1533, at age 18, he had a mystical experience that motivated him to renounce an opulent life to follow the call to the priesthood. He then traveled to Rome to study philosophy and theology, but abandoned this occupation to dedicate himself to being a catechist.
His sense of humor and friendliness helped him carry out charity work in hospitals, stores, banks and other public places to evangelize.
On the day of his death, which occurred on May 25, 1595, his doctor told him: “Father, I have never found you so happy,” and the 80-year-old priest responded: “I was happy when they told me: let’s go to the house of the Mister”.
4.- San Alberto Hurtado
The first Chilean saint was born on January 22, 1901. After overcoming various economic difficulties, always with hope, he managed to be ordained a priest in the Company of Jesus.
He was characterized by his enthusiasm and joy. His passionate charisma for the Gospel made him have a great influence on young people.
San Alberto Hurtado founded the Hogar de Cristo, one of his greatest legacies to provide food, shelter and shelter to the poorest. His work multiplied in Catholic Action, in Chilean Trade Union Action and in the Message Magazine.
Despite having many occupations, he always welcomed the poorest with the best smile, whom he called “little bosses.”
He wrote many reflections, such as the Selflessness and joy and the Prayer of Joy, but his best-known phrase was “Happy Lord, happy.”
5.- San Felix
This Italian saint lived to the full the meaning of his name which is: “he who considers himself happy or fortunate.” Since he was a child he had a reputation for being cheerful and pious, so much so that he had mystical experiences.
When someone insulted him, San Félix de Cantalicio responded with humor: “I am going to ask God to make you a saint.”
Upon entering the Franciscan order, he asked that his penances and mortifications be redoubled. He was also noted for his kindness towards the poorest.
Central Editorial
The Catholic Information Agency – ACI Prensa, is part of the news agencies of the ACI Group, one of the largest generators of Catholic news content in five languages and which has belonged since June 2014 to the EWTN Global Catholic Network family, the largest Catholic television network in the world, founded in 1981 by Mother Angelica in Irondale, Alabama (United States), and which reaches more than 85 million homes in 110 countries and 16 territories.