During his recent visit to the French island of Corsica, Pope Francis met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who presented him with a book about Notre-Dame Cathedral. In return, Pope Francis gave Macron papal medals and magisterial documents. He specifically recommended his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exultate, drawing attention to a passage referencing Saint Thomas More’s prayer for a sense of humor, which reads as follows:
“Lord, give me a sense of humour. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others.”
Saint Thomas More was a deeply devout man and a renowned scholar with a remarkable ability to balance serious moral and religious commitments with a sharp wit and a joyful spirit. In his own life, he faced considerable trials, most notably his opposition to King Henry VIII’s divorce, which led the English monarch to break away from the Catholic Church and establish the Church of England. In his fury, King Henry had Thomas More executed for daring to oppose him.
Through it all, Thomas More maintained his humour and a cheerful outlook—even in the face of political and personal hardship that ultimately led to his martyrdom. This ability to laugh at oneself and make light of serious struggles is what he must have meant when asking for a sense of humour.
Humour, in this sense, is not about making jokes at others’ expense but about cultivating an inner strength that allows one to navigate life’s absurdities, contradictions, and injustices with grace and resilience. It’s about finding joy and perspective, even when things seem grim.
