Dear Friends,

A sure sign that our society is not in a good way is the lack of a sense of humor. The ability to laugh at ourselves with all our idiosyncrasies helps us not take ourselves so seriously and reminds us there is another way of looking at things. Today a comic like Don Rickles would be chased off the planet for the way he poked fun at every ethnic and racial group under the sun. Such is the poisonous nature of identity politics.

It started in earnest during the last Administration. A few times I wrote somethings, tongue in cheek about former President Obama and afterwards received some stinging emails: no, no, no, don't poke fun at the Messiah. Then it kicked into high gear with the inauguration of President Trump. One parish told me that after praying at Mass for the new President upon his inauguration an irate parishioner called the Parish Office very upset and told them, “how dare you pray for that man, you never prayed for Obama”. Actually, they did pray for Obama on his two inaugurations as well as Bush, Clinton, etc. In fact, Catholic parishes in the US have been praying for the new president ever since Archbishop Carroll gave the Invocation at the Inauguration of President George Washington. A lack of charity and a dearth of humor makes me wonder if she was baptized in pickle juice?