No Laughing Matter
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Faith on Friday, June 12, 2009 12:00 PM
Yesterday in my travels through the Catholic news headlines, I spotted one that caught my attention: “No jokes at Mass: Aussie bishop”. The article went on to quote Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous in his conversation with the Sydney Morning Herald.
“A religious ceremony, for Catholics a Mass, is a sacred event, and therefore the whole context of celebration should be one that engenders respect, appreciation of the divine and a whole sense of reverence for holy things, that is always got to be the ground in which a priest approaches his duties. There has been a tendency for people to feel a joke at the end of the Mass is something to leave people with a smile, but I personally don’t think it is appropriate.”
This article brought to mind a particularly beloved priest at my parish who begins every homily with a funny little vignette or joke. Father receives countless forwarded emails every day from our parishioners - you know those silly jokes that make you giggle out loud? He has collections of “joke books” created for him over the years by the children of our parish school. He often uses these during the school masses, quoting particular students’ humorous riddles or jokes to a rapt congregation.
The amazing thing about Father’s jokes and stories is that they are always relevant to the Liturgy of the Word. I often find it uncanny that he can have the perfect “material” every Sunday - he begins with a moment of relevant levity and then proceeds into a sermon that quite seriously addresses the nature of the readings. Somehow, those humorous tie-ins help us to remember the point of the Gospel passage and to apply it to our everyday lives. He is never irreverent or disrespectful. I can honestly say he is one of the holiest priests I have ever met. His good humor helps me on a weekly basis to grow closer to God’s word in scripture.
Now that I have read Bishop Porteous’ remarks, I am wondering again about the place of humor in homilies and in the Mass. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments about humor and lightheartedness during Mass. Should priests refrain from these types of methods of communication, or do they have a place in building community and making the Faith relevant to our everyday lives?
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