Again, what church do you belong to?
First openly American bishop consecrated
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OrthodoxyOrDeath
father James,
I understand there are many people, such as yourself, who find the Onion Dome so funny that it brings an "overwhelming and unmanageable excess" of laughter (webster's definition of "hysterical").
Since your pastoral advice was to "get a life" (a life in Christ I presume you meant), this "hysteria" is now another reason I have to avoid the Onion Dome.
I sinerley hope you could tell us which Orthodox Church you belong to.
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Justin Kissel
Father James
Father, Bless
Thank you for your words, truly most of us (especially we new converts with only a few years or months experience "at the grass roots level") need to be reminded at times that the Church is a hospital, not a utopia. Christ came to save us, after all--the sinners.
I too would be interested in knowing what jurisdiction you are a part of. I'd guess that you see it as a sort of catch-22, since you probably want to avoid what so often happens, where we don't talk to people but talk to members of jurisdictions, and approach the members based on what we think of their jurisdiction. Perhaps one reason that people are so curious (including me) is because you introduced yourself as "a parish priest of a canonical Orthodox Archdiocese," which is certainly not a way of introduction we hear very often 
I must also admit that I don't understand your provided quotation from Saint Isaac the Syrian. "Greater is he who sees his own sins than he, who by his prayers can raise the dead". I think that, so far as someone as young as I am in the faith can, I understand this quote. I don't quite understand why you quoted it in your post, though. Your post, after all, was meant to say (if I can be so bold as to sum it up) "lighten up, don't take yourself so seriously". However, the quote you gave seems to indicate that we should do the opposite, that understanding our own sinfulness is a profound thing. And the Fathers teach that God doesn't allow us to see ourselves for who we truly are, because we are in reality such wretched sinners that if most of us saw ourselves for an instant, we'd fall into hopeless despair. Having put those two things together, wouldn't the quote from Saint Isaac be a call to taking our spiritual lives more seriously and less casually?
I'm not someone who avoids every moment of "fun". In fact, one of my sins is that I'm lazy when it comes to anything that I don't enjoy doing. I'm a world-class procrastinator. So, I hope you won't take my post as meaning that I think we should all walk around with droopy faces and looking like we've been to a funeral. At the same time, I can't help but thinking that I'd be a little better off if I spent more time thinking of my own death, or of the awesome judgment, or of the love my wife has for me. I think that would, paradoxically, make me enjoy life more (by leading me into a better life in Christ, which we know is the key to true joy). The Onion Dome has made me laugh many times in the past, but I'm not sure that it's as innocent as I once thought it was; and whatever the case, the laughs are short-lived, and the fun from such entertainment fades quickly.
Perhaps this is presumptous for a new convert (a little over 2 years ago) to say. I should, at the least, apologize for my comment about Saint John Chrysostom earlier in the thread, which was sarcastically toned, and therefore unbelievably rude to say to a priest. Sometimes in my zeal I end up sticking my foot in my mouth.
Glad to know my identity and parish is such a mystery. Sorry gang, for the time being, I'll keep those things to myself. Not being one who participates in this type of forum frequently (at all really), I'm not sure what some will do with it. To be honest, I never participate in internet forms...I'm just too busy. This one caught my eye because of the vitriol directed at the Onion Dome.
I will however, explain my use of the word "canonical". There are lots of Orthodox jurisdictions out there...some of them claiming to be more Orthodox than the rest. Actually, it depends what brand of fundamentalism is the "reigning champ" that week. Sadly, many of these conservative jurisdictions are havens for clerics who have been dismissed or disciplined by their own jurisdictions for a variety of offenses. My particular favorite is the "cleric" who identifies himself as the Patriarch of Vasilloupolis...a rough translation of Queens, New York. When I discuss "canonicity", I refer to those jurisdictions that have clear apostolic succession to a historical patriarchate and participate in S.C.O.B.A.: the Standing Conference Of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America. My parish is one of those. Yeah, I know we participate in the demonic world of ecumenism and inter-Church relations. We also continue to do the holy work of the Church (preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, holding the hands of the grieving, sanctifying the cosmos, et al) as we have done for over 100 years. When I stumble into discussions about the Orthodoxy of laughing or joking, I just shake my head and advise all parties to quietly say their komboskini in the privacy of their homes, join their local parish, and more importantly become involved and perhaps teach a Sunday School class or two. It might do you some good to get out there and actually get involved in the real work of the Church.