Chapter One

The MostInfallible Sign

Joy andthe Spiritual Life Many of myfavorite jokes are about Catholics, priests, and Jesuits. TheJesuits, by the way, are a Catholic religious order for men (a group ofmen who take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and live incommunity) founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish soldierturned priest. It’s easyfor me to tell jokes about Catholics, priests, and Jesuits, since I’mall three. And a self-deprecating joke may be the healthiest brand ofhumor, since the only target is yourself. The standard Jesuit joke playson the stereotype that we’re (a) overly practical, (b) overly worldly, or(c) not as concerned with spiritual matters as we should be. Let meshare with you one of my favorites. (Don’t worry if you’re notCatholic or you’ve never met a Jesuit in your life. As with most good jokes,you can easily change the details or particulars to suit your owncomic purposes.) There’s abarber in a small town. One day he’s sitting in his shop, and a manwalks in wearing a pair of sandals and a long brown robe with ahood. The man, very thin and quite ascetic looking, sports a shortbeard. He sits down in the barber’s chair. “Excuseme,” says the barber. “I was wondering, why are you dressedlike that?” “Well,”says the man, “I’m a Franciscan friar. I’m here to help my brotherFranciscans start a soup kitchen.” The barber says,“Oh, I love the Franciscans! I love the story of St. Francisof Assisi, who loved the animals so much. And I love the work you dofor the poor, for peace, and for the environment. The Franciscansare wonderful. This haircut is free.” And theFranciscan says, “Oh no, no, no. We live simply, and we take a vowof poverty, but I do have enough money for a haircut. Please letme pay you.” “Oh no,”says the barber. “I insist. This haircut is free!” So the Franciscangets his haircut, thanks the barber, gives him a blessing, and leaves. The nextday the barber comes to his shop and finds a surprise waiting forhim. On the doorstep is a big wicker basket filled withbeautiful wildflowers along with a thank you note from the Franciscan. That sameday another man walks into the barber’s shop wearing a longwhite robe and a leather belt tied around his waist. When he sitsdown in the chair, the barber asks, “Excuse me, but why are you dressedlike that?” And the mansays, “Well, I’m a Trappist monk. I’m in town to visit adoctor, and I thought I would come in for a haircut.” And thebarber says, “Oh I love the Trappists! I admire the way your livesare so contemplative and how you all pray for the rest of the world.This haircut is free.” TheTrappist monk says, “Oh no. Even though we live simply, I have moneyfor a haircut. Please let me pay you.” “Oh no,”says the barber. “This haircut is free!” So the Trappist gets hishaircut, thanks him, gives him a blessing, and leaves. The nextday the barber comes to his shop, and on his doorstep there is asurprise awaiting him: a big basket filled with delicious homemadecheeses and jams from the Trappist monastery along with athank you note from the monk. That sameday another man walks into the barber shop wearing a blacksuit and a clerical collar. After he sits down, the barber says, “Excuse me,but why are you dressed like that?” And the mansays, “I’m a Jesuit priest. I’m in town for a theology conference.” And thebarber says, “Oh, I love the Jesuits! My son went to a Jesuit highschool, and my daughter went to a Jesuit college. I’ve even been to theretreat house that the Jesuits run in town. This haircut is free.”   The SilentMonk A manenters a strict monastery. On his first day the abbot says,“You’ll be able to speak only two words every five years.Do you understand?” The novice nods and goes away. Five yearslater the abbot calls him into his office. “Brother,” he says,“You’ve done well these last five years. What would you like to say?” And themonk says, “Food cold!” “Oh, I’msorry,” says the abbot. “We’ll fix that immediately.” Five yearslater the monk returns to the abbot. “Welcome,Brother,” says the abbot. “What would you like to tell meafter ten years?” And themonk says, “Bed hard!” And theabbot says, “Oh, I’m so sorry. We’ll fix that right away.” Then afteranother five years the two meet. The abbot says, “Well,Brother you’ve been here fifteen years. What two words would youlike to say?” “I’mleaving,” he says. And theabbot says, “Well, I’m not surprised. You’ve done nothing butcomplain since you got here!” And theJesuit says, “Oh no. I take a vow of poverty, but I have enoughmoney for a haircut.” The barbersays, “Oh no. This haircut is free!” After the haircut, the Jesuitthanks him, gives him a blessing, and goes on his way. The nextday the barber comes to his shop, and on his doorstep there is asurprise waiting for him: ten more Jesuits. Now, if Irecounted a second joke or a third joke (e.g., see p. 14), you mightwonder when I was going to get to the point. But, in a way, jokesare the point of this chapter, which is that joy, humor, and laughterare under appreciated values in the spiritual life and are desperatelyneeded not only in our own personal spiritual lives, but in the life oforganized religion. Joy, tobegin with, is what we’ll experience when we are welcomed intoheaven. We may even laugh for joy when we meet God. Joy, acharacteristic of those close to God, is a sign of not only a confidencein God, but also, as we will see in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures,gratitude for God’s blessings. As the Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard deChardin said, “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence ofGod.”*

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