March 23, 2008 THE UNFINISHED IMAGE
Once again on Easter Sunday I take you back to the early Church. Some may remember the tradition that stems from that time. After hearing the Sacred Word and breaking Bread together the early Christians lingered for awhile. Very likely they shared some common food; but they also told jokes! Yes, this is true. Easter Sunday, they argued, was a great time for telling jokes because that was the day that the biggest joke of all was played on the devil! Jesus is risen! So, they kept each other laughing all day long.
Last Sunday I visited the fourth and fifth graders in our Religious Education Program. I told them about this tradition. “Tell me some jokes,” I said. “Help the members of our parish to keep the tradition alive. Help us to laugh on Easter Sunday! So…
Mary Ann didn’t want to go to school one day. So she called her teacher. “Mary Ann won’t be in for school today, Mrs. Smith. She’s home sick!” Mrs. Smith was suspicious. “Oh, and who is this calling?” Mary Ann answered, “This is my mother!”
A duck walked into a shoe store and said to the clerk, “Give me some grapes!” “We don’t have any grapes,” he answered. The next day the duck walked into the shoe store and said to the clerk, “Give me some grapes!” “We don’t have any grapes,” he answered again, this time showing irritation. The next day the duck walked into the shoe store and said, “Give me some grapes!” “I told you we don’t have any grapes,” he said angrily. “Now get out of here or I’ll nail your webbed feet to the floor.” The next day the duck walked into the shoe store and said to the clerk, “Give me some nails.” The clerk replied angrily, “We don’t have any nails!” The duck replied, “Then, give me some grapes.” Are you laughing yet?
The next joke was a riddle instead of a joke. It qualified. Why did the chicken not cross the road? I replied that I didn’t know why the chicken did not cross the road. “Because he was too chicken!” Okay, okay, so you’re not laughing anymore. Well, if you’d heard the riddle in the original you would be laughing!
A blonde went to the store to buy alligator boots. The clerk said they cost $300. So, the next day the blond took a shotgun and went into the swamp. “Bang!” She shot an alligator. When she dragged him out of the water she said, “Darn, wouldn’t you know it! This one’s not even wearing any boots!”
There were other jokes; all were funny. Some were too long to print. I’m not sure if the early Christians laughed on Palm Sunday. I don’t think so. But I did – and will again on Easter!