Pat McCloskey, OFM

Is there any humor in the New Testament? Everything seems extremely serious.

Like the Old Testament, the New Testament has a fair bit of humor, much of it rather subtle.

Isn’t there humor in Jesus’ image of a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle (Mt 19:24; Mk 10:25; and Lk 18:25)? Some Scripture commentators conjectured Jerusalem had an “eye of the needle ” gate, but no one has found any evidence of such a gate.

Where in the Old Testament do we find even a hint of humor as we know it? I’m guessing that there just wasn’t much humor in those days! Was everything taken seriously then?

In fact, there is a fair amount of humor in the Old Testament, which many Christians mistakenly think has only thunder, lightning, and punishment. What follows is only a sampling of humor in the Old Testament.

Is it proper for me as a Catholic to have a living will? What does the Church teach about this?

This is not only proper but also a great service to one’s friends, relatives, or whoever must make crucial medical decisions for that person.

The term living will is not used very much now, having been replaced in the United States at least by advance medical directives and medical power of attorney.

I struggle to control my anger and rage when I witness individuals who appear to me to intentionally mistreat others needing assistance: the ill, the injured, the oppressed, the impoverished, or the marginalized.

I have used strong words but not profanity in voicing my objection to such mistreatment. I feel out of control during these moments and have even lost a job after one such incident.