Commercializing Christian holidays is, unfortunately, all too common. What was once a day of celebration marking a significant development in church history turns into a secular day for drinking, collecting candy, or getting a new Xbox.
April Fools' Day is no exception. The world celebrates this day by pranking each other, making fake announcements on the internet, and other such tomfoolery. But we Christians know the true meaning of the holiday, as we somberly recall the brutal martyrdom of St. April O'Fool in 723 A.D.
Born in Ireland in 673, O'Fool lived a somewhat unlucky life, as he was constantly stepping on rakes, falling in pits, and getting buckets of water dropped on his head while opening a door as a prank by one of his 17 brothers. It all came to a tipping point when the eldest of his brothers, stout old Tom O'Fool, pointed at his feet and said, "Your shoe's untied" and then "Made you look." O'Fool wept bitterly, for he had been had.
But O'Fool demonstrated Christlike forgiveness in refusing to prank them back and eventually entered the monastic life, frankly, because monks didn't participate in pranks, and also he got free therapy.
After a decade in the monastery, O'Fool decided to become a missionary and spread the gospel around Ireland, teaching those in remote villages to stop their prankery and follow Christ. Legend has it he performed many miracles, from saving a child who was about to be crushed by a piano to stopping some YouTubers who were going to pretend to scratch some rich guy's car.
Finally, O'Fool decided he needed to face his own demons and return home. As he entered the door, seeing his family for the first time in years, a bucket of water fell from the top of the door and killed him instantly.
"It was just a prank bro!" his brothers are rumored to have said, but it was too late. And the brothers of O'Fool did weep bitterly, only now realizing the errors of their ways. They dedicated their lives to spreading awareness about the dangers of pranks and selling merchandise featuring O'Fool's face, which was quite profitable.
Of course, the true story has been distilled and secularized over the years, and now you just have corporate brands using it to sell their wares. So, as those around you prank each other, meditate on the life of April O'Fool, tragically slain this day.
