GQ, in its Aug. 17, edition, published an interview by Joel Lovell with comedian Stephen Colbert, the new host of The Late Show on CBS. Surprisingly, this article was more than simply publicity for Colbert’s new series, but a good insight into someone in the entertainment field who is a person of faith. A practicing Catholic, Colbert goes into depth about his own personal faith.

Colbert is quoted in the interview as saying: “And the world, it’s so…lovely. I’m very grateful to be alive, even though I know a lot of dead people.” The urge to be grateful, he said, is not a function of his faith. It’s not “the Gospel tells us” and therefore we give thanks. It is that he has always felt: grateful to be alive.

“And so that act, that impulse to be grateful, wants an object. That object I call God. Now, that could be many things. I was raised in a Catholic tradition. I’ll start there. That’s my context for my existence, is that I am here to know God, love God, serve God, that we might be happy with each other in – the catechism. That makes a lot of sense to me. I got that from my mom. And my dad. And my siblings.”

Despite two instances of crude language, this is a fascinating piece on the faith of a contemporary Roman Catholic in America. It offers the reader much on which to reflect – the place of joy and suffering, faith in God. Lovell does a beautiful job in conveying Colbert’s Catholicism. He writes, quoting Colbert: “‘What punishments of God are not gifts?’” he said again. His eyes were filled with tears. “So it would be ungrateful not to take everything with gratitude. It doesn’t mean you want it. I can hold both of those ideas in my head.”

Check out this article: http://www.gq.com/story/stephen-colbert-gq-cover-story.

Even if you’re not a fan of Colbert’s politics or his humor, there is much grace present in this piece.