Reverend James Martin, S.J.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, keynote speaker, and culture editor of America, the national Catholic magazine. His latest book Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life (HarperOne) is a hope and humor-filled plea to recover the most neglected hallmark of faith - a life filled with joy, laughter, and delight in God and with each other. With both humor and substance, Martin's keynote speeches deliver traditional Jesuit wisdom applicable to peoples' daily lives, tackling questions such as how to make decisions, how to move towards freedom, and how to live a spiritual life in the modern world. Martin translates the 500-year-old insights of Saint Ignatius (often called "Ignatian spirituality") for a contemporary audience, using stories and examples from his 20 years as a Jesuit and from the lives of the great Jesuit saints and spiritual masters. He has spoken across the country, most recently at the Wharton School of Business and Yale University. He urges audiences to "find God in all things," whether it be relationships, work, money, or prayer.

Between Heaven and Mirth focuses on joy as an essential element of a healthy spirituality though many people believe that being religious means being deadly serious. Martin finds this all the more surprising when we look at the great biblical heroes and heroines, and the lives of the saints and world's spiritual masters, and see how the theme of joy, humor and laughter runs like a bright thread through the spiritual life. The book makes use of relevant (and overlooked) stories and characters from Scripture (Abraham and Sarah, Zacchaeus, Nathaniel, Eutychus), insights and teachings from the lives of the saints (St. Philip Neri, the "joyful saint," St. Teresa of Ávila, Blessed John XXIII), the writings of spiritual masters from a variety of traditions, and the author's own personal experience.

Martin is the author of several books. His best-selling memoir My Life with the Saints, which received a 2007 Christopher Award, was named one of the "Best Books" of 2006 by Publishers Weekly, and also received a First Place award from the Catholic Press Association. My Life with the Saints has sold over 100,000 copies and is used in universities, high schools, parishes, and book clubs around the country. His book A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas and Life's Big Questions, was named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books" of 2007 and was awarded a First Place award from the Catholic Press Association.

Besides articles in Catholic publications like America, Commonwealth, U.S. Catholic, and The (London) Tablet, Martin has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and other national newspapers and websites, including Slate.com, Belief.net, and the Huffington Post. He has frequently commented on religion and spirituality in the media, and has appeared in venues as diverse as National Public Radio's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, NPR's Weekend Edition, PBS's Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, and Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, as well as on the major television networks.

For his writings and various ministries, Father Martin has received Fordham University's Gaudium et Spes Award, the Ignatian Volunteer Corps's Madonna della Strada Award, and the Loyola Institute of Spirituality's Writers' Award. He received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Wagner College in 2007, and an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Wheeling Jesuit University in 2010. He lives in New York City.

In his latest book, "Seven Last Words" (2016), Martin explains why Jesus’s crucifixion and death on the cross is an important teaching moment in the Gospels.