9 And these things I say, not to suppress all laughter, but to take away dissipation of mind. For wherefore, I pray you, are you luxurious and dissolute, while you are still liable to such heavy charges, and are to stand at a fearful judgment-seat, and to give a strict account of all that has been done here? Yes: for we are to give an account both of what we have sinned willingly, and what against our will:— for “whosoever shall deny me,” says He, “before men, him will I also deny before my Father:” — and surely such a denial is against our will; but nevertheless it does not escape punishment, but of it too we have to give account:— both of what we know, and of what we do not know; “For I know nothing by myself,” says one, “yet am I not hereby justified:” — both for what we have done in ignorance, and what in knowledge; “For I bear them record,” it is said, “that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge;” but yet this does not suffice for an excuse for them. And when writing to the Corinthians also he says, “For I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
The things then being so great, for which you are to give account, do you sit laughing and talking wittily, and giving yourself up to luxury? “Why,” one may say, “if I did not so, but mourned, what would be the profit?” Very great indeed; even so great, as it is not possible so much as to set it forth by word. For while, before the temporal tribunals, be your weeping ever so abundant, you can not escape punishment after the sentence; here, on the contrary, should you only sigh, you have annulled the sentence, and hast obtained pardon. Therefore it is that Christ discourses to us much of mourning, and blesses them that mourn, and pronounces them that laugh wretched. For this is not the theatre for laughter, neither did we come together for this intent, that we may give way to immoderate mirth, but that we may groan, and by this groaning inherit a kingdom. But you, when standing by a king, dost not endure so much as merely to smile; having then the Lord of the angels dwelling in you, do you not stand with trembling, and all due self-restraint, but rather laughest, oftentimes when He is displeased? And do you not consider that you provoke Him in this way more than by your sins? For God is not wont to turn Himself away so much from them that sin, as from those that are not awestruck after their sin.
But for all this, some are of so senseless a disposition, as even after these words to say, “Nay, far be it from me to weep at any time, but may God grant me to laugh and to play all my days.” And what can be more childish than this mind? For it is not God that grants to play, but the devil. At least hear, what was the portion of them that played. “The people,” it is said, “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Such were they at Sodom, such were they at the time of the deluge. For touching them of Sodom likewise it is said, that “in pride, and in plenty, and in fullness of bread, they waxed wanton.” And they who were in Noah's time, seeing the ark a preparing for so many years, lived on in senseless mirth, forseeing nought of what was coming. For this cause also the flood came and swept them all away, and wrought in that instant the common shipwreck of the world.
Ask not then of God these things, which you receive of the devil. For it is God's part to give a contrite and humbled heart, sober, self-possessed, and awestruck, full of repentance and compunction. These are His gifts, forasmuch as it is also of these things that we are most in need. Yes, for a grievous conflict is at hand, and against the powers unseen is our wrestling; against “the spiritual wickednesses” our fight, “against principalities, against powers” our warfare: and it is well for us, if when we are earnest and sober and thoroughly awakened, we can be able to sustain that savage phalanx. But if we are laughing and sporting, and always taking things easily, even before the conflict, we shall be overthrown by our own remissness.
Source: Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew (New Advent)