Is it true that Benedictines can't make jokes?

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Benedictines who aren’t of a strict observance (e.g. Trappists) do not take a vow of silence, but I’ve heard that they are not supposed to make “idle speech.” Does this mean that they can’t joke or tell stories?
 
The Rule of St. Benedict

CHAPTER 4
  1. To keep one’s mouth from speech that is wicked or full of guile.
  2. Not to love much speaking.
  3. Not to speak words that are vain or such as provoke laughter.
  4. Not to love much or noisy laughter.
ewtn.com/library/PRIESTS/BENRULE.HTM
 
office said:
The Rule of St. Benedict

CHAPTER 4
  1. To keep one’s mouth from speech that is wicked or full of guile.
  2. Not to love much speaking.
  3. Not to speak words that are vain or such as provoke laughter.
  4. Not to love much or noisy laughter.
ewtn.com/library/PRIESTS/BENRULE.HTM
Click to expand...
Among some of the Benedictines that I know (including our pastor), #52 and #53 are observed mainly in the breach.
 
Young_Thinker said:
Benedictines who aren’t of a strict observance (e.g. Trappists) do not take a vow of silence, but I’ve heard that they are not supposed to make “idle speech.” Does this mean that they can’t joke or tell stories?
Click to expand...
Non-essential conversation is not the Benedictine way. At our local monastery, however, the monks do get Sunday off for free time and may engage in quiet conversation or some other recreational activity (like watching a DVD).
 
[Hope this translates into the written word]

Yeah, they don’t know the secret to telling a joke. You may ask:

Q: What’s the secret to tel-

A: Timing!
-ling a joke?​

:rotfl:
tee
Raised in the wild by Franciscans
 
Father Terrence Kardong, O.S.B., addresses this some in his book, “Conversations With Saint Benedict”

“To say that monks should cut back on ‘some chatter, some joking’ implies that they were known for doing some of both!”

“Benedict has a certain reputation as a sourpuss because at several places in the Rule he warns the monks against laughter. I would contend, however, that most of these texts need to be carefully qualified for various reasons. For example, in the Instruments of Good Works it is not just any laughter that is prohibited, but raucous, explosive guffawing.”

“As one of my now-deceased confreres used to say, ‘The best jokes in this place are walking around.’”

St. Benedict’s Rule set certain standards to maintain order, but in my experience monks do not leave their personalities at the door when they enter the monastery. Monks with a sense of humor will still be funny and joke, but at appropriate times and with caring, not mean-spirited, discretion.
 
I’m an oblate at a Benedictine abbey and sometimes these guys crack me up. I’ve never heard them sit around and tell jokes, but most of them do have a great sense of humor and aren’t opposed to laughing.

I asked one of them once about the Rule and he explained that they are forbidden from laughing at the expense of another person or laughing boisterously to draw attention to themselves. They even have several humerous videos on their website about the life of a Benedictine monk.
 
creole54 said:
I’m an oblate at a Benedictine abbey and sometimes these guys crack me up. I’ve never heard them sit around and tell jokes, but most of them do have a great sense of humor and aren’t opposed to laughing.

I asked one of them once about the Rule and he explained that they are forbidden from laughing at the expense of another person or laughing boisterously to draw attention to themselves. They even have several humerous videos on their website about the life of a Benedictine monk.
Click to expand...
Interesting.
 
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