Let There Be Laughter This Week

Easter is a time for joy. Because Jesus, the Son of God, died and rose from the dead, our final destination is not hell or nothingness. Instead, we can look forward to everlasting life, a new and glorious life with God. that is why Saint Augustine said a Christian should be an alleluia from head to toe. Alleluia means “Praise God.”

In view of the death of Pope Francis this week, at first I thought this post was inappropriate. But then I realized that this saintly man is relieved of the heavy burden of his office and enjoying eternal life now. No doubt he is smiling in the presence of Jesus and would approve of this post. Remember how he invited comedians to the Vatican in 2024?

I came across an article I wrote years ago for Religion Teacher’s Journal. It is directed to teachers, but anyone will enjoy its humor. So here it is, abridged for your reading pleasure . . .

                  I love to walk through a school and hear laughter cascading out into the hall. Of all subjects, religion is most naturally associated with laughter. Where good news is told there should be happiness.

God Has a Funny Bone

                  Ah, but some might argue, God is too awesome to be treated lightly. Religion, like all matters of life and death, is a serious subject. True, but there’s no denying that God and people laugh. Anyone who creates a giraffe, an anteater, a hippopotamus and a two-year-old human, anyone who plays jokes on an aged Sara and a fire-breathing Saul must have a sense of humor. God made us in his image, his likeness. So he bestowed on humankind the gift of laughter, which distinguishes us from all other earthly creatures.

Scripture never says that Jesus laughed (a serious oversight!) Leave it to him to teach against greed by conjuring up the image of a camel passing through the eye of a needle—especially if the camel has two humps. And a twinkle must have been in his eye when he sent Peter, the great fisherman, to fetch tax money from a fish.

                  Woe to that professor who quotes to fledgling teachers, “Don’t smile until Christmas.” Teachers should take their cue from good speakers who open with an amusing comment to break the ice and then sprinkle their talk with funny anecdotes to keep the audience with them. Humor creates the warm atmosphere that is conducive to learning.

                  Moreover, laughing is healthy, called the best medicine. It’s said to massage the liver. Scripture recommends it: “A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries the bones up” (Proverbs 17:22).

                  Following are suggestions for “planned laughter”:

Collect jokes.

Jokes make wonderful approaches to lessons and sometimes crystallize a concept. But, best of all, they spark student interest and add to the enjoyment of the class.

                  In a lesson on God, for instance, tell about the little girl who was drawing a picture of him. Her mother commented, “But no one knows what he looks like, honey.” And she countered, “They will when I get finished.”

                  Bible jokes abound. One of my favorites is about Adam and Eve and their two boys walking past the gates of Paradise guarded by the cherubim. Abel asked, “What that, Dad?” Adam replied, “That’s where we used to live before your mother ate us out of house and home.”

Make and encourage amusing comments.

One teacher won my heart the day I asked if she knew where I could get hay for the manger we were setting up. She answered, “Nay.” Many of us don’t think of witty comebacks until too late, if at all. If they do pop into our minds as we teach, we should take advantage of them. However, our funny remarks should be considered funny by the students too, not sarcastic.

                  When correcting papers add a humorous comment. This adds a personal touch and makes the students feel good. In high school I wrote an essay on Lord Jim, a novel about the sea. The teacher’s “You missed the boat” at the top of my paper took some of the sting out of the C grade.

                  On the other hand, we should be tolerant, and even appreciative, of the students’ witticisms. To repay a clever remark with an ice-cold stare may freeze a budding comedian, a creative writer, or a delightfully unique personality. Your hearty laughter can establish the rapport that makes other means of discipline superfluous.

                  At a Catholic-Lutheran workshop, humor set the tone for what otherwise could have been a stiff and uncomfortable. The session started off with a bang—three bangs echoing through the halls of the Catholic seminary. An audience member called out, “Maybe that was a Lutheran pounding something on your door!” The meeting proceeded with lightheartedness and fellowship.

Set the stage for laughter.

Activities to evoke laughter should be integrated into lessons, especially on tense or dreary days. Acting out Bible stories and role playing have potential for humor. Even a small thing like Lisa playing the tree in the garden of Eden by dangling an apple from her fingers for five minutes can case merriment.

                  Lively approaches can brighten dull topics.

                  Art can be a source of humor. Have students draw on the board, or, what might be funnier, use your own artistic talent to illustrate a point.

Look for humor.

Show that our church is a laughing church. Teach the fish tale of Jonah or the proverb “Like a golden ring in a swine’s snout is a beautiful woman with a rebellious disposition” (Proverbs 11:22), or about Rhoda, who in her eagerness to tell others that St. Peter was at the door, forgot to let him in. Then there’s poor Eutychus, who slept during St. Paul’s sermon, fell out of a third-floor window, and died. Luckily Paul restored him to life.

                  Teach that in the strength of our faith we can “laugh at the days to come” with the ideal woman of Proverbs 31:25. In fact we can die laughing in the tradition of the martyrs. With belief in eternal life, St. Lawrence could say to executioners burning him alive, “Turn me over. I think I’m done on this side.” And as St. Thomas More went to this beheading, he moved his beard out of the way of the blade, explaining that it had never offended the king.

Laugh at yourself.

We all manage our share of dumb things: “klutzy” actions, foot-in-mouth words, and silly blunders. We are a bundle of contradictions: part spirit, part matter, part noble, part base; part heroic, part cowardly; part loving, part hating; and so forth. Isn’t this what makes for laughter?

                  Why pretend to be perfect when our students know we’re not? Instead of covering up our weaknesses, we can use them. Sharing not-so-perfect experiences in laughter with the class not only prepares them for life but encourages them to cope with their failings. Just as we are consoled when people we admire tell us funny things they did, students can be heartened by our “confessions.”

                  In a classroom where mutual openness and acceptance reign, our embarrassment is not so acute the day we get caught not knowing something or falling asleep showing a video.

                  Bishop Anthony Pilla spoke of the need for a diaconate of humor. As religion teachers we have ample opportunities to exercise this ministry. We must teach laughter to a world that has almost forgotten how to laugh.

                  The little prince in Antoine de Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince leaves his friend the gift of his laughter. What a beautiful gift for our students! And it is a natural (or supernatural?) outcome of religion class. For laughter is the sign of joy, and isn’t joy the sign of a Christian and one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit?

A Treat . . .

I collected hundreds of true, funny anecdotes from the Sisters of Notre Dame, and Our Sunday Visitor published them. The book is still available:

The title comes from one of the anecdotes:  After Mass a little boy asked Sister, “Why does Father put Jesus in the microwave?” The tabernacle at the church was a silver rectangle.

To add to your Easter joy, here is Handel’s exuberant “Messiah.”

• What example of humor can you offer from your school days?

• What is your favorite joke?