Now, raise your hand if you've noticed people tend to think Catholics are all about rules and "can'ts" and the saints were a group of very, very sad looking people. Riiiiight, yep, everyone.
I've been thinking a lot about why this is, especially in light of Pope Francis' recent call to "be annoying." Maybe there are just too many people with repressed memories of 1960s Catholic gradeschools staffed by strict nuns. Maybe it's because we don't do the same things other people do - we don't have sex before marriage, even though everybody keeps telling us it's reeeeally reeeeally fun. Depending on the day, we might not share that bacon cheeseburger with you, even though we know from experience that they're reeeeally reeeeeally good.
Does that mean Catholics are anti-fun? Does that mean being a saint requires locking yourself in a nice, quiet monastery where you are safe from the temptation to laugh?
Not at all.
In fact, St. Teresa of Avila, one of the who's-who of the communion of saints, prayed "God save us from sour-faced saints" from her cell in a convent. She knew what it meant to laugh (seriously, if you are looking for a good role model, check her out).
And, those of you who know me in person know that if there is one thing I cannot refuse...it's an awful, so-stupid-you-have-to-laugh joke.
So, let's take another example from the Big Book of Awesome Saints (Oh wait, it's exactly the same as the Big Book of Saints 'cause they're all awesome) to see how yes, Catholic and happy aren't mutually exclusive.
St. Philip Neri, born to a poor family in 1515 in Florence, had every reason not to be happy. Not only was his family struggling, but he lost his brother at an early age. When he was 18, he went to work for relatives in order to keep his family from starving. At night, he would go to a small chapel built into a crevice to pray. One night, as he was praying, he saw a small globe of light go into his mouth and rest in his heart. He described it as an incredibly painful ordeal that simultaneously filled him with so much joy and energy it was as though he was on fire. His heart visibly grew, to the point where his chest bulged. People would say it looked like he had a fist under his skin!
This experience left him not only with an abundance of joy, but an abundance of energy. Philip moved to Rome and became a live-in tutor for a rich family's children during the day, but would stay up late into the night studying philosophy and theology.
One day, though, he got tired of studying, so he did what any rational person would do. He immediately sold his books, gave the money to the poor and went off to live in isolation as a hermit.
Eventually, he wanted to have some human contact again, so he went into the town to preach and do good works. He would talk to anybody who would listen, and help anybody who needed it. No job was too great or small, and no sinner was too obstinate to hear what he had to say. Soon, his joy and energy started to become contagious. People were being drawn to his charm and personality and would help alongside him. People would come from all around to talk to him, and receive spiritual direction from him. In fact, one man came to these group discussions just to make fun of them. Instead of letting the others kick him out, Philip bid him to stay, just to hear what they were talking about.
Yeah, that guy became a Dominican.
Sooner or later, one of his "regulars" convinced him he could do even more good as a priest, so Philip was ordained at the age of 36. He loved hearing confessions, so much so that God gave him the gift of reading souls, meaning he knew penitents sins before they said them. Ever since he received the globe of light, Philip had incredible amounts of energy - he would regularly hear 40+ confessions per day...before sunrise.
Not only that, but Philip was always around for those who needed help or advice, day or night. He even said that usually his most devout "spiritual children" were the ones who regularly came at every hour of the night.
So, Philip had a natural tendency to help people, combined with a big boost from God. At this point, he could have easily been one of those irritating people who does so much work...and makes sure you know about it. Yeah, you know the type. They make everything run smoothly, all the while reminding you that they are overworked. It's good they're helping, but complaining about it kind of ruins it. But no, Philip was not one of those people. Sin was the only thing he always took seriously. Everything else was open to some humor.
By that, I mean Philip was a notorious prankster. He believed that humility was the quickest path to holiness, and very graciously provided everyone around him with opportunities to be humiliated. Once, a man came to him asking permission to wear a shirt made of hair (these shirts, which were very uncomfortable, would be worn under the clothes to serve as corporal mortification). Philip gave his permission....providing that he wore the shirt outside his clothes. The guy obeyed, and of course got laughed at for looking ridiculous. Philip had made his point though - mortify the soul and then the body.
Philip loved to play pranks on the other priests he lived with, particularly the ones he felt were too serious. Oh, and don't worry. He was not immune to his own sense of humor. He'd often go out in public wearing his clothes inside out, or with half his beard shaven.
All in all, St. Philip Neri was a guy who loved to laugh and have fun with the people around him. He knew what it meant to give of himself to help people, and how to have a good time. So, what can we learn from this joker-saint?
- Don't be afraid to laugh. Philip knew that laughing and having fun was a great way to participate in the joy of the Trinity. That it's called the "Good News" for a reason - it's good! Be happy! Be joyful! We are the free, we are the redeemed, we have every reason to laugh!
- Yes, that includes at yourself. He also believed that humility was a very important thing, and laughing at yourself is a good way to get it. Don't take yourself so seriously! Be a fool sometimes!
- Don't be hesitant to give your time to those in need. Philip always gave his time to people, day or night. You might say it was because he had glowy-ball-of-light-power, but I say he had the glowy-light-power because he was so eager to help.
So, what does this say about Catholics? We are living the Gospel. We are living the good news! We are here to help out with joyful attitudes. We will bring our sense of humor to every situation and most importantly show everyone the love of God in us.
Oh, and when Philip died, they did an autopsy. His heart was literally several times the normal size.
Saint Philip Neri, make us better pranksters!
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