The Easter season is an appropriate time for a little laughter. As someone has said, “On Easter Sunday, Jesus had the last laugh over Death and the Evil Spirit.” And I always appreciated what comedian Victor Borge said: “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” With that in mind, here are some items and a video that I hope will lift your spirits and help bring us closer together!

BUT FIRST TWO THINGS: Announcing our bird identification winners! (In case you missed it). I sent a prize to the two winners who accurately identified the bird seen on the right, a European goldfinch. First, there was Sister Marty Dermody a Sister of Charity who directs the Spirituality Center at Mt. St. Joseph in Cincinnati, OH. (I’ve met Marty several times when I gave retreats there.) Marty is not only a birder, she is an avid photographer who celebrated her Golden Jubilee last year. She is looking forward to retiring soon and being able to share her love for birds with others. Our second winner is Charlene Kellerman of Erie, PA. Charlene is an “agregee” (associate) of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Erie. (I’m giving a retreat there next year, so I’ll meet her then!) She describes herself as a “casual birder.” She loves watching birds in her backyard as they splash in her birdbath and flit from tree to tree. She enjoys listening to their songs too. The prize is a chocolate treat for Marty and Charlene plus a treat (sunflower seeds!) for their bird friends! What connection does the European goldfinch have with the Easter story? Throughout the centuries, the European goldfinch has been seen in paintings of the Madonna and Child. In some, the child Jesus is actually holding the bird. The legend says, as Jesus hung on the cross, one of these birds pulled a thorn from his crown of thorns to alleviate his sufferings. A drop of Jesus’ blood fell onto its little head. That’s why this species of goldfinches has a red head!

POPE FRANCIS: As we continue to mourn Pope Francis and pray for his successor, here is a beautiful prayer I came across from Liturgical Press:

Loving God, we give you thanks for the life and ministry of Pope Francis.

In him you gave us a man of humility, one who valued listening to the voices of the voiceless,

compassion for the undervalued, mercy for sinners and justice for the oppressed.

You gave us a pastor who led through the example of his love

for your people and creation, who was not ashamed to smell like his sheep.

Comfort all who mourn his passing, and may the angels now lead him

to paradise to rest in your peace for all eternity.

May your Spirit guide the future successor to your servant Francis

to continue the work you have begun through him for the good of the Church and the world.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen

Now for some humor. Let’s start with children:

A mother was teaching her three-year-old the Our Father. After a while, the little girl was ready to pray it solo. Her mother listened with pride until she heard, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail. Amen.”

Little Ben had his baseball bat and glove. As he headed outside, he passed his father reading the newspaper in his chair. Said Ben, “Anytime you’re ready, Daddy, I’ll be sitting outside growing older.”

While Dory was sitting in the church pew next to her mother, she leaned over and whispered, “Churches are smart. They have pretty windows, but you hafta come inside to see them.”

As Hunter was about to bite into his peanutbutter and jelly sandwich, he said. “If God lives inside us like Grandma says, I hope he likes peanutbutter and jelly!”

Father: When Abraham Lincoln was your age, he walked 12 miles to school.” Son: “When Abraham Lincoln was your age, he was President of the United States.”

The supervising Sister was visiting preschool at a nearby parish. She asked the children, “What is special about you?” She expected something like, “I’m in school now… I’m four years old… I have new friends.” Instead one little girl said, “I’m from God.” And her name was Grace.

Speaking of children, did you know this? Having one child makes you a parent. Having two makes you a referee.

The Washington Post challenged its readers to send in ideas for useless products. The list included: Fire alarm with a snooze bar… inflatable dart board… can-opener-in-a-can… Lobster Helper… and silicone thigh implants.

Says comedian Rita Rudner, “I don’t panic when I get lost. I just change where I want to go.”

The best way to spoil a good discussion is to include someone who knows what they’re talking about.

SIGN somewhere in Canada: “RED SQUIRRELS DRIVE SLOWLY” (I guess gray squirrels drive fast!)

TWO SIGNS near each other: APPLEBEE’S and “WARNING PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD”

SIGN: “1 bedroom apartment for rent. All utilities included. No poets.” (Are novelists okay?)

Actual court transcript. Lawyer: “You say the car was returned to the dealer. Was it a lemon?” Witness: “No, sir, it was a Camaro.”

An online recipe: “Chicken fried rice in a skillet wth 4 lightly scared eggs, 2 soft carrots, ginger, garlic, onions, and freshly chopped stallions.” (No wonder the eggs are scared!)

Sportscaster: “He’s got a knock on his shin there, just above the knee.” (I wonder where his feet are.)

I hope you would be suspicious if you got this email: “Hello I am the IRS you need to pay me $1500 in Walmart gift cards or you will be placed under the rest.”

Actual complaint posted in an online review of a tour company: “Tour company did not warn me that I would get wet during river rafting trip. It ruined my $300 leather handbag.”

What do you call a hippie’s wife? Mississippi

Why aren’t dogs good dancers? They have two left feet.

“Buffet” is a French word that means “Get up and get it yourself!”

Four perks of being “elderly”: 1) In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first. 2) Things you buy now won’t wear out. 3) Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service. 4) Your secrets are safe with your friends, because they can’t remember them either.

And finally, two little poems that might be appropriate for our times:

That money talks, I’ll not deny.

I heard it now; it said, “Goodbye!”

And another poem:

Politics, it seems to me,

for years or far too long,

has been concerned with right and left

instead of right and wrong.

Did you like any of these?

If humor is so important for our well-being, what are some ways you nourish your sense of humor?

Would you like to share a little snippet of humor in the comments below?

Our Video: Michael McIntyre is a very popular British commedian. He takes ordinary things in life and performs little skits about them: raising kids, getting on an airplane, buying a new pair of shoes, putting kids to bed, driving, going to the eye doctor, using our cellphones, etc. Some of my friends and I find him very funny–and “clean.” This 4 minute video is one of my favorites. Here he points out all the silent letters we have in the English language and questions why we have them–when we don’t pronounce them: like the b in subtle or the l in half. He then proposes that we have a “Silent Letter Day.” (McIntyre, of course, has a British accent and he talks fast–so click on the closed captions cc if you need help.)

I welcome your comments below about the jokes, the pictures, and the video.