Monday, April 01, 2002 1:22 PM

April Fools

Today being April 1st, the following item seems appropriate:

If any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18)

The Holy Fool is a wonderful tradition of the Eastern Church who periodically pops up here in the West. In the Russian tradition, some of the saints would do almost anything to avoid being perceived as saints. One of them kept offering to wrestle bears so people would think him a nut and not praise him as a saint. In the West, St. Philip Neri acted goofy, partly because he enjoyed being a goof and partly to throw people off the scent of his sanctity and stop them gushing over him. When offered a cardinal’s hat, he proceeded to play football with it.

All such fools have one thing in common: they know they are not wise. Similarly, those who are convinced of their innate wisdom are invariably great ninnies. It’s far better to be a fool for Christ than to be a fool on one’s own.

Today, thank God for the folly that is his wisdom.

Mark Shea & Jeff Cavins