Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

A funny thing happened to me on the way to church. Actually, I am not kidding. Three of the funniest situations I have been in have happened in preparation for religious services, including two funerals.

Earlier in the week, our parish hosted a communal penance service that included the opportunity for individual confessions. I like to go to these services - they really tend to be quiet and prayerful. Anyway, when I arrived about twenty minutes early, our pastor was greeting people in the gathering space. When he saw me, he blurted out "Oh, look who is here. Now we will be here all night!" I think some of the people in the gathering space were waiting for me to express shock. However, I chuckled. Some people might have been offended by being the target of such a comment. However, the pastor and I have a pretty good relationship that involves kidding each other. The key to such humor is for the people involved to be on the same wavelength.

That event reminded me of another situation that took place many years ago during the wake (yes, and Irish wake) for the father of a college friend. Right in front of the open coffin, I ran into another college friend whom I hadn't seen for many years. This guy was pretty crazy in college. Much had changed in our respective lives. He first told me that he got married. Then he told me he had a daughter and was expecting another child. He then looked at me, sighed and said "Hell, I ought to crawl in there (the coffin) with Jack!"

The third event happened at the funeral for my grandmother (100% German, so no Irish wake). My grandmother pre-planned her funeral. For some reason, my grandmother always seemed to work with businesses that might not have always been on the "up and up". For example, the attorney that drafted her will was kicked out of the bar between writing her will and the time she died. The funeral home she chose was run by two Italian brothers. Yes, they seemed to have many connections. When we didn't know what to do with my grandmother's car, they took care of it without having to do anything with the state division of motor vehicles. Anyway, the funeral plans were fairly elaborate for a simple old widow. They included a limosine for the family. However, there was not enough room in the limosine for all of us to ride together from the church to the cemetary. Thus, I offered to ride with Vince in the hearse. As soon as I sat down in the passenger seat of the hearse and buckled up, I mentioned to Vince that it was my first time in a hearse. Vince looked at me and replied "And it won't be your last." I laughed all the way to the cemetary.

Not only does God have a sense of humor, but He shares it with us - even during difficult times.