Jokes in homilies?

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mark_e_rhodes

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I get a sinking feeling when a priest ‘opens’ his homily with a joke. For one thing, they’re usually not funny. For another, it’s neither the time nor the place. Worst of all, such jokes take people’s minds off the Gospel that was just read. (I wonder sometimes if this is intentional; the ‘points’ of jokes and cute stories are invariably simpler and less substantial than the Gospel readings.)
I used to do stand-up comedy and enjoy humor. Further, I think humor helps get points across at times. But telling jokes is another matter altogether. It seems beneath the dignity of the moment.
This is a question of taste, I know. Is your taste the same as mine or different? Either way, I’d appreciate hearing what you think. (Unless it reminds you of the man who took his son into a pet store…)
 
Sometimes the priests do that, but they usually tie it in nicely with the readings. I do not mind it in that manner since it helps get the point across.

PF
 
It depends. How’s that for a non-answer? 🙂 If a priest can use a joke as an attention getter, and can relate that joke to the point he’s trying to make, jokes can be wonderful things in homilies. If the joke doesn’t relate to what he’s saying, then it’s a distracting thing. I’m not saying the homily should be comparable to a stand-up act, but an attention-grabbing tool is a good thing if used well.
 
I agree I have heard jokes tied into the sermons. But then I have heard jokes that had nothing to do with the Gospel readings or the Mass. Those I find inappropriate.
 
Yeah, I have found that it ties nicly with the Scripture reading (or it was just a spure of the moment where the preist was being spitefull, which still added to the homily).
 
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aurora77:
It depends. How’s that for a non-answer? 🙂 If a priest can use a joke as an attention getter, and can relate that joke to the point he’s trying to make, jokes can be wonderful things in homilies. If the joke doesn’t relate to what he’s saying, then it’s a distracting thing. I’m not saying the homily should be comparable to a stand-up act, but an attention-grabbing tool is a good thing if used well.
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I agree. A useful homily that people do not sleep through is always a good thing. If a little appropriate humor helps, I do not mind. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that God has a sense of humor. 🙂
 
I personally think we need more teaching to occur after the gospel readings. I am astounded at the number of people who do not understand the meaning of certain scripture passages. Or, they could show how a certain passage is the fulfillment of an old testament prophesy. Or, at the very least teach how people should be trying to put the teachings in the gospel to use in this present day. I have been very lucky to know an excellent priest who has refered me to some wonderful scripture study books by the fathers of the Church. I wish more of our priests would read these books and use them in the homily at Mass.
 
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LittleRose:
Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that God has a sense of humor. 🙂
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I agree with that. And I’m not against humor by any means. But I tend to find jokes in homilies a distraction, considering that a) the homilist has a short amount of time at his disposal, and b) Jesus never opened a teaching with a joke… 👍
I think spontaneous humor is a wonderful thing. I remember once I was giving a ‘farewell address’ at a parish when I was leaving. As I said, after saying how great it had been to be there, “But now the time has come for me to go,” a baby girl started wailing. So I said, “It’s good to know somebody hates to see me leave.” That was wholly unplanned and brought the house down. But I’ve been hearing a priest lately who tells several jokes in his homilies and I can’t help thinking, “He’s doing this because he wants applause; these jokes aren’t clarifying the gospel.”
Mark
 
I dont mind a joke as long as it ties the readings together AND it is not political.
 
While I strongly agree that more homilies need to catechize the faithful more often, I also recognize that a little laughter goes a long way towards softening one’s heart and opening one’s ears. St. Francis, I have been told, even juggled on the street to attact an audience before preaching. I especially appreciate humor in church when it helps us remember the point of the readings or the feast day.
 
We had a wonderful priest at our church who was a professor of homiletics at the local seminary. He was great because he could always blend humor, childhood memories, knowledge of the original language, ancient history, and sound theology to tie together all of the readings into a homily that people really enjoyed listening to and could really understand. Unfortunately, he passed away last year. We really, really miss him.
 
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mark_e_rhodes:
But I’ve been hearing a priest lately who tells several jokes in his homilies and I can’t help thinking, “He’s doing this because he wants applause; these jokes aren’t clarifying the gospel.”
Mark
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That’s what we’ve got to watch out for. If telling a joke in a homily brings the message home for the listeners, that’s a wonderful thing. If a priest is telling a joke just for the attention or a laugh, the motivation’s all wrong. As St. Paul told us last Sunday, do everything for the glory of God, even joke telling.
 
I was thinking about this recently because we have a priest who
jokes quite a bit and not always related to the gospel. This past
weekend he joked about the weather and when it was time to
take up the collection said to the ushers “Shake em’ down boys”!
He also used humor to make a point relating to the reading. This
weekend it was more than usual and it made me uncomfortable.
He was definatly getting laughs and that’s okay to some degree
but I thought it was overboard.
 
It depends on the text of the gospel, and how it’s done. A little gentle humor helps drive the message home. “Shake 'em down, boys” is about as gentle as a sledgehammer.
 
Humor is a gift from God. As long as it is in good taste, clean, not distracting from the Mass, and preferably funny, I see absolutely no reason why a Priest couldn’t drop an occasional joke into his homily. I mean, no consistent stand-up routines, but a good little joke, what’s the harm? I’m positive Our Lord was not always taciturn and serious.
 
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BillyT92679:
Humor is a gift from God. As long as it is in good taste, clean, not distracting from the Mass, and preferably funny, I see absolutely no reason why a Priest couldn’t drop an occasional joke into his homily. I mean, no consistent stand-up routines, but a good little joke, what’s the harm? I’m positive Our Lord was not always taciturn and serious.
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“Occasional” is the key word here. I’ve taken homiletics in seminary and one approach is to ALWAYS open with a story. (Some priests fish for stories in ‘homiletic aids’ rather than from their own experience and serious reading.) That approach is what’s tiresome to me. I reject that whole, “I’ve got to get their attention.” I mean, you’re a priest and you just read the Gospel and no one else is making a peep—you HAVE their attention; now what are you going to do with it? Tell a cute story that many already know?
I don’t mean to come across as anti-humor. I’m not. It’s just I think too often it’s a crutch. (And I think some priests are frustrated stand-up comics; they want to receive applause more than they want to impart understanding.)
Mark
 
Donna Mc:
I was thinking about this recently because we have a priest who
jokes quite a bit and not always related to the gospel. This past
weekend he joked about the weather and when it was time to
take up the collection said to the ushers “Shake em’ down boys”!
He also used humor to make a point relating to the reading. This
weekend it was more than usual and it made me uncomfortable.
He was definatly getting laughs and that’s okay to some degree
but I thought it was overboard.
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I agree that “Shake 'em down, boys” is over the top. I’ve heard another priest say often, though not during a Mass, “As Jesus said, ‘Wherever two or more are gathered in my name—take up a collection!’”

Mark
 
But I tend to find jokes in homilies a distraction, considering that a) the homilist has a short amount of time at his disposal, and b) Jesus never opened a teaching with a joke… 👍
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I’m not sure I complely agree with this. Jesus may not have opened teachings with a joke as we know it. But I think some of his homilies have some rather biting satire.
 
I know that it wasn’t strictly a homily, but Fulton Sheen, several times, in making very good points in his talks on television told some really good humorous stories. Again, I don’t think there should be a hard and fast “no jokes” policy. Everyone has differing abilities in regards to their communication skills. Some priests can tell jokes and tie them into a very effective homily. Some priests can talk about real world events, relate sporting events, etc. and still make a good point.

Then you have the pastor that I heard at my uncle’s funeral that decied to go for the NASCAR angle, and NEVER LET IT GO. He constantly talked about the Holy Spirit as your spotter, telling you when things were coming up on your bumper . . . after a while it just seemed to be someone talking down to a bunch of hicks that could never understand higher spiritual comments without using this analogy. Then again, maybe thats why I’m not a member of that church any more (Lutheran pastor at the funeral, and I’m Catholic now).
 
I was at a Mass a few Sundays ago, when the Priest’s cell phone went off during the Sermon. Either he made it ring, or he had somebody dial his number.

The Priest answered it, and pretended that it was a call from God!
 
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