1 Corinthians 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Happy April Fool’s Day! There is in the Christian tradition a delightful creature known as the “holy fool.” Some glimpse of him was caught a few years ago, in popular culture, in the person of “Forrest Gump”: a man not too gifted in the ways of worldly cleverness, yet who puts to shame all the clever people around him. Other, and deeper, versions of the same thing can be found in some of the great Russian Orthodox saints who would do crazy and absurd things (like offering to wrestle bears) simply in order to make people think they were idiots and so throw off any suspicion of sanctity. Likewise, St. Philip Neri used to do odd things (like shave off half his beard) simply in order to be thought a fool and so direct people’s attention to Christ and away from himself. And well his saints may act this way, for Christ himself was not afraid to be called a fool by us fools. So he who had all gave it all up for us in his divine folly. He who needed nothing made himself a needy baby. And he who is omnipotent became helpless upon the cross. It’s crazy, it’s foolish, it’s what love does to save us who in our foolishness thought we were wise. Today, make a fool of yourself for Christ.
