When in Rome, a trip to the Vatican is mandatory. I love the architecture, the art, and the atmosphere. There is also the serenity — well, at least early in the day, before the onslaught of tour busses. Holiness, peace, serenity.
There is also occasional humor. The innocent kind that kindles pure joy. I recall years ago seeing an elderly Pope John Paul II walking slowly through the roped off cathedral filled with thousands of worshipers and onlookers. He stopped and went over to a young boy and gave him a “high-five.” The boy jumped up and down. The pontiff merely smiled and winked. Everyone who witnessed it laughed and smiled. More than a few with moist eyes, given the enormously joyful impact such a small, spontaneous gesture created in the heart of a young person. And everyone present.
The current pope actively uses humor to engage and disarm. He invited many of the world’s top comedians to an official visit at the Vatican the other day. There hasn’t been an assembly of humorists there since Pope Pius V eliminated the role of the Papal Jester back in the 1500s. It was obviously not a laughing matter and I’d love to know what got the jester sacked (or beheaded?!?). But unlike most comics, Pope Francis doesn’t need to be funny; he just is. Naturally and effortlessly.
Pope Francis appreciates the power of humor to promote good health. It’s especially important in gloomy times and for those who are saddened by circumstances or drained of hope. But there’s a difference between papal humor and what we often get from professional humorists. One is rooted in kindness while the other often in sarcasm, if not downright cynicism, which uses humor to masquerade contempt.
Sarcasm and cynicism is easy humor. Making fun of others isn’t hard — I get a laugh each morning while looking in the mirror. (Self-deprecating humor is also pretty easy.) But sarcasm and cynicism, while good for a laugh, comes at the expense of others. Instead of lifting up our spirit, we get some momentary relief from our misery by making fun of someone else in theirs. It’s a cheap laugh and threatens to drag our spirit down in the gutter that we don’t see rapidly approaching, disguised as it is by clever one-liners.
Many of our public figures provide endless material that is easy to mock or ridicule. And exceptionally easy targets are those whose hatred of their enemies is stronger and more acute than the love of their people. That’s hardly a laughing matter. Alas, we live in times in which the waters of political satire are immune to drought.
I love satire. But it often runs the risk of becoming mean and spiteful. Real humor, according to the Pope Francis, “does not offend, humiliate, or put people down according to their flaws.” God certainly has a sense of humor. He did, after all, create lots of odd and funny creates: manatees, hippos, armadillos, dogs…US.
On this Father’s Day weekend, my heart goes out to friends who have suffered through the loss children during this part year. Humor can help heal those wounds, especially if it tries to promote serenity and smiles.
Peace & grace
The Whether Vein 