Humour and spirituality don’t tend to go together in the modern mind… I have mentioned the notion of joy in spirituality before, but I’m not sure I’ve written about humour at all.
What do I mean by humour in spirituality?
Well here’s the thing. I mean anything that can make you smile or laugh. I grew up in a situation and culture where funerals were as much social occasions as religious ones. Pretty much any religious celebration had a social element to it.
And while, as a child, I mostly resented the apparent hours my parents would spend after Mass on Sundays catching up with a neighbour they hadn’t see in a while, as an adult, I can appreciate the need to connect like that. Community and connection are two of the main reason people join religious organisations, after all. It’s not just about the spiritual, it’s about the community.
Now, while, yes, there are a lot of organisations out there that permit no humour at all in their spirituality, I’ve always been of the opinion that humour is an essential part of the human condition. And so, needs to be part of our spiritual lives.
Those of you who have taken classes with me (check this out) will know I see humour in the ridiculous and the sublime. And yes, it takes practice, but it is possible to have humour as well as joy be a foundational part of your experience.
The point, Orlagh…
Fair. OK, so the humour in spirituality can sometimes be more along the lines of gallows humour. it can be the jokes you hear in Irish society about the rule of the brothers or the nuns in educational or health establishments. It can be the sidelong glances and whispers about the parish priests “live-in housekeeper”.
It can be the ridiculous nature of the church ponfiticating on topics like marriage and relationships when the people declaiming have no experience of such.
For funerals (and weddings and christenings) it can be the memories of those gone before.
“Can you imagine now, if she was here, what she’d say to that get-up?”
“A Cavan priest? The poor man must be rolling in that grave!”
“I keep expecting her to turn up and tell us all what we’re doing wrong…”
Humour in spirituality is a great way of coping with the difficult events in life.
There’s also the more situational humour in spirituality. Take for example*** a few Irish pagans, maybe a few drinks in, loudly and vociferously debating the topic of Brigid’s mother for example. For extra points, imagine this in a pub, with a soccer match on in the background. The passion and engagement is high, but so also is the humour. Especially when brought down to earth with a “does it really matter?” by an innocent bystander.
(*** Hypothetical situation obviously. Never happened in reality. Nope. Never…)
Humour helps us from getting to serious and being too up ourselves, frankly.
What’s the problem with that?
Losing the ability to laugh at ourselves, whether in public or private, is a step on the path to assuming we, above all others, are right. And, by default all others are wrong. Humour in our spirituality helps us recognise when we are being ridiculous or pompous or even un-necessarily earnest in our words and actions.
It can also lead to an inclination to refuse to hear or see other people’s point of view. After all, spirituality is meant to be serious, not frivolous. But who came up with that rule?
You think Brigid won’t enjoy a silly song you sing?
Or the Dagda won’t take great enjoyment in a filthy joke?
Or Mary Magdalene won’t partake in a bit of witty banter?
I mean… if you believe in the idea that God created the world and everything in it (i.e. that Genesis is the literal truth) just look at the human body. I mean, you can’t deny the God that created us didn’t have a sense of humour…
Not to mention, humour, in spirituality and elsewhere, helps life go a bit easier. Life is hard. No need to make it harder!!
