A retired priest sat enjoying the afternoon sun. He looked up to see the newly ordained bishop of the diocese walking towards him. "Father, may I sit with you a while?" the bishop asked.
The old priest, delighted, struggled to get up to welcome his distinguished visitor.
"Father, I'd like to tell you a story. Some years ago, a group of college students who had spent the afternoon drinking were walking past a little church. Confessions were being heard inside. One of them came up with the idea to make a list of the worst sins they could think of and confess them. It would be a riot, they thought, to see how the old priest reacts.
"But one of the guys said, 'Seeing it's your idea, put up or shut up. I bet you $20 you haven't the guts to do it'.
"Well, the first guy took up the challenge. A list of wild sins was drawn up and he went inside the confessional. He came out a few minutes later brandishing a piece of paper. 'Pay me!' he said. 'Here's proof that I've been to confession.'
His friends asked what the paper was. 'It's my penance.' 'Didn't the priest say anything?' "'Nothing, he just handed me the paper.' "'Well, have you done the penance?' "'Don't be silly. I'm not going to do any penance.' "'Oh, no, we don't pay until you do the penance.'
"So he went into the church and read the note: kneel before the crucifix at the altar and repeat 10 times: 'All this you did for me and I don't give a damn.' No problem, the guy thought, and knelt before the altar. But he couldn't do it. He saw the nailed hands and the infinite sadness in the Crucified's eyes.
"A half hour later, his friends wondered what had happened to him and went inside. "They found him crying like a baby at the altar rail."
The bishop then said to the old priest: "I wanted to tell you that story because I was that young guy and you were that priest. Thank you."
(A story told by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger)
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