8.224. Why don’t Traditional Catholics have a sense of humour? Why don’t you lighten up?
This question—often asked half-jokingly—is rooted in a real observation: traditional Catholics are typically serious, disciplined, and reverent. They dress modestly, speak cautiously, pray often, and avoid worldly entertainment. To outsiders, this can appear rigid, joyless, or overly intense. But in reality, traditional Catholics do have a sense of humour—just not the kind that mocks virtue, undermines truth, or turns holy things into jokes.
The gravity traditional Catholics display is not born of gloom, but of a profound awareness of eternal realities. Heaven and hell are real. God is not mocked. The Mass is a true sacrifice. Life is short, and souls are at stake. In a world obsessed with entertainment, distraction, and levity, traditional Catholics seek to live with sobriety, purpose, and reverence. This seriousness is not the enemy of joy, but the foundation of true spiritual joy.
1. True Joy Is Rooted in Truth and Holiness
The saints, far from being dour, were often filled with supernatural joy. But their joy flowed from union with God—not from worldly jokes, sarcasm, or frivolity. St. Philip Neri was known for holy cheerfulness, but also for deep humility, penance, and devotion. St. Teresa of Avila laughed heartily—yet she also wept for souls and taught mystical theology. Their joy was holy, not worldly.
Traditional Catholics imitate this example. They cultivate cheerfulness in daily life, especially in the home, but they avoid forms of humour that:
Mock religion or holy things
Encourage vanity, vulgarity, or irreverence
Trivialize the moral seriousness of life
They may seem serious because they take seriously the things of God. This seriousness is not a lack of humour—but an ordering of joy toward what truly matters.
2. The World Has Lost the Balance Between Humour and Reverence
Modern culture has normalized constant entertainment, sarcasm, and irreverent laughter. Comedy today often centers on sin: impurity, blasphemy, pride, cruelty, or mockery of virtue. In such a context, sobriety is seen as strange. But the Church has always warned against immoderate levity:
St. John Vianney said: “Laughter and joking are not sins in themselves, but they dispose the soul to lukewarmness and indifference.”
St. Benedict, in his Rule, cautioned against “excessive laughter” and “idle words.”
Ecclesiastes 7:4 says: “The heart of the wise is where there is mourning; and the heart of fools is where there is mirth.”
Traditional Catholics avoid the kind of humour that dulls the soul and inflames the passions. This doesn’t mean they never laugh—but that their laughter is moderate, wholesome, and ordered to charity.
3. Gravity Reflects Love for God and Souls
Traditional Catholics often appear solemn because they are deeply aware of the offenses against God, the reality of judgment, and the need for repentance. In the Traditional Latin Mass, this gravity is visibly expressed: the silence, the genuflections, the bowed heads, the subdued tones of chant. It is not theatrical—it is love in the face of majesty.
They apply the same reverence to their lives. The battle for souls is real. The devil is not a myth. The Cross is not a sentimental symbol—it is a way of life. As such, they speak, act, and even joke in ways that reflect a constant awareness of God's presence.
4. Modesty and Restraint Are Virtues—even in Humour
In speech and demeanor, traditional Catholics practice modesty, restraint, and guardedness. They avoid coarse joking (Eph. 5:4), unnecessary chatter, and the careless tone often found in online banter or stand-up comedy. Joking, for them, must serve charity and edify, not distract or degrade.
That doesn’t mean families don’t laugh, joke, or have fun. But it is wholesome, ordered, and respectful. Humour is welcomed in its proper place, as seasoning to the spiritual life—not its substitute.
5. Holiness Isn’t Glum—It’s Sober and Joyful
There is a difference between worldly giddiness and holy joy. The former is fleeting and shallow. The latter endures even through suffering. Traditional Catholics aim for this deeper joy, which is:
Rooted in a clean conscience
Nourished by prayer and the sacraments
Free of emotional excess or vanity
Their solemnity is not a rejection of happiness, but a reflection of their aim: to please God, not men (Gal. 1:10). They would rather be thought overly serious than laugh their way into lukewarmness or sin.
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Modern "Catholic" View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joy | Spiritual joy rooted in union with God | Emotional or social happiness | True joy can exist even in sorrow or sacrifice |
| Humour | Used moderately, never at expense of truth or virtue | Casual, constant, often irreverent | Excessive joking dulls the spiritual senses |
| Speech | Guarded, modest, edifying | Informal, impulsive, emotionally driven | Reverence in speech reflects interior piety |
| Liturgical Tone | Solemn, reverent, focused on sacrifice | Cheerful, casual, focused on community | Liturgical reverence teaches awe and humility |
| Sense of Reverence | Formed by tradition, penance, and silence | Seen as unnecessary or overly rigid | Reverence is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10) |
Summary:
The idea that traditional Catholics lack a sense of humour is a misunderstanding. What they lack is frivolity. They recognize that the Christian life is a serious matter—it involves salvation, judgment, and eternal destiny. While they enjoy laughter and fellowship, they avoid humour that is coarse, blasphemous, or trivializes the Faith.
Their lives are marked by sobriety, reverence, and order—not because they are cold or stern, but because they know that joy without truth is empty, and humour without charity is harmful. Their homes and communities may be filled with joy—but it is a joy rooted in peace with God, love of the saints, and the pursuit of Heaven.
In contrast, the modern world promotes constant amusement and noise. It mocks seriousness and views reverence as outdated. But traditional Catholics reject this shallow culture. They choose instead the path of the saints—one that is disciplined, modest, and joyfully sacrificial.
Far from being joyless, traditional Catholics aim for beatitude—the joy of knowing, loving, and serving God, both now and forever. If that looks “serious,” it’s because it is. Eternity is serious—and so is the soul.
Yes, Traditional Catholics Do Have a Sense of Humour — But It's Different
1. Their Humour is Ordered, Not Absent
Traditional Catholics do laugh, joke, and tease — but they’re careful what they laugh at, when, and why. It’s not about being glum — it’s about being guarded. The world today laughs at sin, mocks virtue, and treats the sacred as material for memes. Traditional Catholics simply won’t participate in that.
But do they laugh heartily over a roast at Sunday dinner? Yes. Do they joke with their kids, poke fun at their own mistakes, and find joy in God’s creation and human quirks? Constantly. Their sense of humour is wholesome, not worldly.
2. The Saints Had Humour
Many saints — especially traditional ones — had a strong sense of humour:
St. Philip Neri put half his beard in curls and walked around Rome to humble himself and make people laugh.
St. Teresa of Avila famously quipped, “Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few.”
St. Lawrence, while being roasted alive on a gridiron, told his executioners: “Turn me over; I’m done on this side.”
That’s traditional Catholicism — joy even in martyrdom, wit without vulgarity.
3. They Laugh at Themselves
Spend time around a group of traditional Catholic families or seminarians and you’ll see inside jokes, self-deprecating humour, and lots of laughter. They joke about big families (“We don’t have a van — we are the van”), long sermons, penitential fasts, and the world thinking they live in the 1600s. And they take the teasing in stride.
You just won’t find them mocking the Mass, cracking jokes during sacred moments, or laughing at sins — because some things are too important to joke about. That’s not being uptight — that’s being reverent.
4. They See Humour as a Gift, Not an Escape
For traditional Catholics, humour is a gift from God — a way to lighten burdens, bond with others, and reflect the joy of being redeemed. But it’s not a drug to numb the soul, or a mask for irreverence. That’s why their humour has limits. They laugh with purpose, not to escape meaning.
5. Examples from Real Life
Traditional priests often tell subtle, dry jokes in homilies that make the whole chapel smile.
Family gatherings are full of laughter — not from entertainment, but from stories, games, and joy in God’s blessings.
Young trad men in seminary joke about Latin declensions, strict fasting, or how they all look like they’re in a time warp.
It’s real, healthy humour — not the loud, sarcastic, edgy kind that dominates modern entertainment, but something rooted in humility, truth, and joy.
Conclusion: They Laugh — But They Don’t Mock the Sacred
If traditional Catholics seem “serious,” it’s because they are. But not in a bitter or joyless way. They’re serious about God, the Mass, the sacraments, and the salvation of souls. They laugh when it’s fitting. They smile with sincerity. They make jokes that don’t come at the expense of purity or truth.
They’re not humourless — they just won’t lighten up when it’s time to kneel down. And honestly, isn’t that the kind of balance we all need more of?