A fellow comes to confession one quiet afternoon.
“Father,” he says, “forgive me for I have sinned.”
The elderly priest, sitting patiently in the confessional, leans forward and asks gently, “What did you do, my son?”
“I lusted,” the fellow replies, sounding a bit ashamed.
“Tell me about it,” the priest says calmly. “How many times did this happen?”
“Oh, it was bad, Father. It happened three times last week alone.”
The priest nods thoughtfully. “And what exactly triggered this lust?”
The man hesitates for a moment, then confesses, “Well… my neighbor’s wife. She’s been sunbathing in her backyard in this tiny bikini. Every time I look out my window, there she is. I just can’t stop staring. I know it’s wrong, but I keep imagining all sorts of things.”
The priest sighs and says, “My son, lust is a serious sin, but it is also very human. For your penance, you need to say ten Hail Marys and ten Our Fathers. And try to avoid looking out that window for a while.”
The man thanks the priest and starts to leave, but then turns back with one more question.
“Father… what about you? Have you ever had to deal with lust like this?”
The priest smiles wryly and replies, “Oh yes, my son. Many times. In fact, just this morning I had to fight the urge when I saw Sister Mary Margaret bending over to pick up her rosary beads.”
The man’s eyes widen. “Really? What did you do?”
The priest shrugs and says, “I did what any good priest would do… I closed the blinds.”
