Pope Francis wrote on Tuesday an essay for the New York Times about the importance of fostering a sense of humor, of quelling narcissism through “appropriate doses of self-irony” and of avoiding “reveling in melancholy at all costs.”
“The Gospel, which urges us to become like little children for our own salvation (Mt 18:3), reminds us that we must recover the ability to smile,” Pope Francis wrote in an essay adapted from his new book, Hope: The Autobiographywhich will be published in January.
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The Pontiff described the numerous children he meets, as well as the elderly, as “examples of spontaneity, of humanity.”
“They remind us that he who renounces his own humanity renounces everything, and that when it becomes difficult to cry seriously or laugh passionately, then we are truly on a downward slope. We anesthetize ourselves, and anesthetized adults do nothing good for themselves, nor for society, nor for the Church,” he wrote.
“Irony is a medicine, not only to elevate and enlighten others but also ourselves, because self-mockery is a powerful instrument to overcome the temptation of narcissism,” the Pope continued.
“Narcissists continually look in the mirror, paint themselves, look at themselves, but the best advice in front of the mirror is to laugh at ourselves. It’s good for us. It will prove the truth of that old proverb that says there are only two types of perfect people: the dead and the unborn.”
Pope Francis has spoken about humor several times throughout his papacy; In June of this year, he hosted and entertained a group of more than 100 comedians, comedians and comedians at the largest (and possibly only) gathering of comedians at the Vatican since Pope Pius V eliminated the role of the papal jester in the century. XVI.
During a recent visit to French President Emmanuel Macron in Corsica, Pope Francis recommended that Macron read his apostolic exhortation Rejoice and rejoicedrawing attention to a passage that refers to Saint Thomas More’s prayer for a sense of humor.
“Give me, Lord, a sense of humor. Grant me the grace to understand jokes, so that I may know a little joy in life and be able to communicate it to others,” reads the prayer, which Pope Francis has described on other occasions as “very beautiful” and recites daily.
The Pope in his essay offered examples of the good humor shown by his predecessors Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II.
St. John XXIII, for example, was said to display his self-deprecating wit when he joked that he often decided to talk to the Pope about serious problems before remembering “that I am the Pope.”
Francis told an anecdote about St. John Paul II’s playful resistance to rigid expectations of clerical behavior: On one occasion, while still a cardinal, the saint was reprimanded for enjoying too many outdoor sporting activities, to which John Paul responded that “those are activities that at least 50% of the cardinals practice.” In Poland, at that time, there were only two cardinals.
“Sometimes we (the Popes) unfortunately present ourselves as bitter, sad priests, more authoritarian than authoritarian, more single than married to the Church, more officials than pastors, more arrogant than happy, and this is also certainly not good” , wrote the Pope.
“But, in general, we priests tend to enjoy humor and even have a good store of jokes and funny stories, which we are often quite good at telling, as well as being the object of them.”
The Pope in his essay also told a joke that involved himself, published here in its entirety:
As soon as he arrives at the New York airport for his apostolic trip to the United States, Pope Francis finds a huge limousine waiting for him. He feels a little embarrassed by that magnificent splendor, but then he thinks that it’s been a long time since he last drove, and never a vehicle of that type, and he thinks to himself: Well, when will I get another chance? He looks at the limo and says to the driver, “You couldn’t let me try it out, could you?” “Look, I’m really sorry, Your Holiness,” the driver responds, “but I really can’t, you know, there are rules and regulations.”
But you know what they say, what the Pope is like when something gets into his head… well, he insists and insists, until the driver gives in. Then Pope Francis gets behind the wheel, on one of those huge highways, and starts to enjoy, he steps on the accelerator, he goes 80 kilometers per hour, 128, 193… until he hears a siren, and a police car pulls up. his side and stops him. A young police officer approaches the darkened window. The Pope puts it down a little nervously and the policeman turns white. “Excuse me for a moment,” he says, and returns to his vehicle to call headquarters. “Boss, I think I have a problem.”
“What’s the problem?” asks the boss.
“Well, I stopped a car for speeding, but there’s a guy in there who’s very important.” “How important is it? Is it the mayor?”
“No, no, boss… more than the mayor.”
“And more than the mayor, who is there? The governor?”
“No, no, more…”
“But he can’t be the president?”
“More, I guess…”
“And who can be more important than the president?”
“Look, boss, I don’t know exactly who you are, the only thing I can tell you is that it’s the Pope who drives you.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Jonah McKeown
Jonah McKeown is a writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, radio producer and videographer.