Cheer may be natural; in which case it springs from an inborn vitality and zest for living. Even those who lack it can cultivate it to some extent, as marching music lessons fatigue. But there is another kind of cheerfulness which is Divine in origin. St. Paul bade others to have it as believing in God. This counsel he spoke to others in the midst of a storm at sea, promising them relief and rescue without loss of life. This kind of cheerfulness is found in Francis of Assisi, who expressed the joy of grace to his soul by song. Teresa of Avila, who lived a life of great penance, was wont to pour out her joy in that inner world of spirituality by clapping her hands and dancing in the Spanish style. In the history of the world there never has been a sad saint, because sanctity and sadness are opposites.

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