In my first year of teaching, a student asked sincerely, “Did Jesus ever smile?” It elicited a dual inner reaction. On the one hand, it made me want to chuckle as one would at a toddler’s adorable antics. On the other hand, it saddened my heart because it also communicated that no one had ever modeled the joy of the Gospel to this tenth grader. In all his years of Catholic education, something had gotten lost in translation.
The obvious answer is yes! Of course Jesus smiled, laughed, and joked! Jesus displayed and experienced every aspect of humanity other than sin. Furthermore, humor is not a characteristic reserved for mankind. Scripture helps us to discern the goodness of anything by the fruit it bears—and what sort of fruit does comedy bear? When rooted in love, humor is an immense gift which brings joy and lightheartedness to all kinds of situations. Mirth has an incredible ability to raise and strengthen one’s spirits, even in the midst of difficult situations. It could be argued that there is, in fact, a Divine attribute to humor.
The Levity of the Saints
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Lawrence, a third century deacon who was martyred during the persecutions led by the Roman Emperor Valerian. Having beheaded six deacons and the bishop of Rome the day before, Valerian offered to spare Saint Lawrence’s life should he hand over the treasures of the Church. Saint Lawrence agreed, and proceeded to gather the poor and the outcasts throughout the city bringing them to the Imperial Palace. The Emperor was enraged that the deacon did not bring with him all the gold and silver the Church was rumored to possess. Infuriated, he had Saint Lawrence put to death. According to Saint Ambrose and others, rather than being beheaded like his comrades the day before, Saint Lawrence was roasted over a fire on a gridiron grill. Unfazed, Saint Lawrence continued to display peace throughout his execution. Tradition has passed on his famous sentiment. Apparently at some point in the process, the deacon quipped that he was “done” on that side and it was time to flip him over. This humor in the face of death led to the declaration of his saintly patronage over both comedians and cooks.
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Saint Lawrence is not the only saint to display wit and mirth with those he encountered. Many others exuded a jovial atmosphere both in spirit and speech. Take the following examples:
Pope Saint John Paul II // Shortly after being elevated to the rank of Cardinal, Karol Wojtyla was surrounded by journalists and reporters. An avid outdoorsman, his love of skiing was well known by many. A reporter, thinking the “loftiness” of Wojtyla’s new appointment to necessitate a serious reverence at all times asked, “Is it unbecoming of a cardinal to ski?” The future pontiff smiled and quickly retorted, “It is unbecoming for a cardinal to ski badly.”
Saint Teresa of Avila // A Doctor of the Church, she famously responded with wit during an episode in which she was upset with God. “If this is how you treat your friends,” the pious sister responded to difficulty, “no wonder you have so many enemies.” Similarly, a bit of humorous sarcasm is seen with her introduction to the Interior Castle. There, she joked, “So many books have been written by learned and holy men that there is nothing left for a woman to write about.”
Pope Saint John XXIII // Another pontiff whose hilarity was well documented, Saint John XXIII was once asked by a reporter, “How many people work at the Vatican?” The pope acknowledged, “About half of them.”
Saint Philip Neri // A practical jokester who played tricks on seminarians who took things too seriously, Saint Philip Neri kept a notepad full of jokes he wrote in his desk drawer. His biography is full of stories regarding his immense humor which led others to the depths of peace and humility. A glimmer of his sense of humor can be understood in his impulsive desire to stroke the beard of any on-duty member of the Swiss Guard he passed while visiting the Vatican (which was often).
Saint John Vianney // In response to another priest requesting permission to say Mass in the parish of the Curé of Ars, Saint John Vianney replied, “Father, I only regret that it is not Christmas Day so that you might say three.”
Saint Ignatius of Loyola // When imprisoned and on trial before the Inquisition for the content of his evangelization and catechetical tactics, the man replied, “My Lord, I would not have thought it had been any novelty to speak of Christ to Christians.”
Saint Francis de Sales // When conversing with someone who poked fun at a hunchback, the Saint chided the acquaintance, insisting, “The works of God are perfect.” Confused, the other person asked, “What! Perfect, and yet deformed?”
“Yes,” Saint Francis de Sales insisted, “perhaps he is a perfect hunchback.”
Saint Teresa of Calcutta // A member of the Swiss Guard, who was working in the kitchen due to being reprimanded, volunteered to wash dishes because it was easy. However, the task proved to be difficult and then went all the more amok when he threw a pot and created a tidal wave of soapy water, which soaked his clothes down to the skin. Not realizing anyone was in the room with him, he began cursing. Then he heard a voice assert, “Wow, you really sound like a sissy!” The comment came from Mother Teresa, who proceeded to leave a Miraculous Medal for the guard as a gift, instructing the other Sisters to give it to the man acting like a little girl in the kitchen. He was mad, but accepted the medal. Some time later, he lost it. The next time he ran into Mother Teresa, she had another medal waiting for him and said, “This time don’t lose it, sissy!”
Saint Kassia the Hymnographer // A great beauty, with brains, talent, and riches, she caught the eye of the Emperor Theophilos who was seeking a wife. Either trying to charm her with an idiotic pick-up line, or possibly in an attempt to not be intimidated by her wealth of knowledge and virtue, the emperor remarked, “Through a woman came the baser things.” By this he was insinuating that sin came into the world through Eve. Saint Kassia immediately responded, “And through a woman the better . . . ,” reminding him that Salvation entered the world through Mary.
Venerable Fulton Sheen // In 1953, the televangelist won an Emmy for Outstanding TV Personality. Upon accepting the award, he walked to the microphone to give a brief speech and joked, "I wish to thank my four writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."
The Wisdom of Whimsy
In the end, sanctity and humor are linked. “The cheerful are much easier to guide in the spiritual life than the melancholy,” insists Saint Philip Neri. “Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and helps us to persevere.”
Saint Teresa of Avila agrees with his sentiment insisting, “A sad nun is a bad nun [ . . . ] I am more afraid of one unhappy sister than a crowd of evil spirits [ . . . ] What would happen if we hid what little sense of humor we had? Let each of us humbly use this to cheer others.”
May we all grow in holiness as the Saints, becoming all the more able to see the mirth of the Divine in the mundane of the day!
What’s your favorite humorous Saint story? Share with us in the comments below!
Grace is a regular contributor to the BIS Blog. She had planned to be a nurse until an encounter with Christ in Confession ignited a spark that resulted in an ongoing career as a high school Theology teacher. Though a cradle Catholic, she continues to be amazed at the depth of peace and joy that can be found within the Faith and can’t help but share that passion with others as a teacher, writer, and speaker. Outside of ministry, she dabbles in a bit of everything, excels in almost nothing, and like most moms, cannot survive without at least one cup of coffee a day. Grace resides in Charleston, SC with her hunky husband and their daughter who looks just like him. You can find out more about her here. Read all of Grace's posts here.
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