Q: I like to make people laugh. Whether it be my family and friends or people I don’t know, I’ve always enjoyed making people smile. I’ve been getting more into my faith and have begun to look at my attempts at humor in a different light. Sometimes when I crack jokes, it can be at the expense of others. While I don’t intend to do any harm and it’s often understood that I don’t, I am now wondering if this is a sin. I don’t think my jokes cause any harm to the person I’m joking about, but I am wondering if I should go to confession as I didn’t know this could be a mortal sin. I tend to be a little overly scrupulous so I might be overthinking this but any insight would be appreciated. – Ben

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: If you are asking these questions, your conscience might be nudging you to reconsider these jokes.

You say you getting more into your faith. That’s good. And that might be precisely why you are viewing the jokes in a different light.

It might be good to follow your conscience. You mention that you don’t think the jokes constitute a mortal sin and thus you don’t need to go to confession. Fair enough.

But ask yourself another question: If these jokes were “only” a venial sin, would you keep cracking them?

Remember, we aren’t here just to avoid mortal sin. We are here to become saints.

So instead of asking, “Is this a mortal sin?”, it might be better to ask, “How can I use all my words for the glory of God?”

This isn’t to imply that all joking is forbidden. In certain circles, telling jokes about others is actually a way of showing appreciation for them.

But this would need to done with prudence, for an ill-timed or indiscreet joke can leave a deep wound.

And let’s not forget the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:26 — “On the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak.”