Don't Ever Be Late

A parish priest was being honored at a dinner on the twenty-fifth
anniversary of his arrival in that parish.

A leading local politician, who was a member of the congregation, was chosen
to make the presentation and give a little speech at the dinner, but he was
delayed in traffic, so the priest decided to say his own few words while
they waited.

You will understand, he said, the seal of the confessional, can never be
broken. However, I got my first impressions of the parish from the first
confession I heard here. I can only hint vaguely about this, but when I came
here twenty-five years ago I thought I had been assigned to a terrible
place.

The very first chap who entered my confessional told me how he had stolen a
television set, and when stopped by the police, had almost murdered the
officer. Further, he told me he had embezzled money from his place of
business and had an affair with his boss's wife. I was appalled.

But as the days went on I knew that my people were not all like that, and I
had, indeed come to,
a fine parish full of understanding and loving people. Just as the priest
finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies at being late.

He immediately began to make the presentation and give his talk. "I'll never
forget the first day our parish priest arrived in this parish, said the
politician. In fact, I had the honor of being the first one to go to him in
confession."

Moral: DON'T EVER BE LATE