A married Irishman went into the confessional and said,
“Father, I almost had an affair with another woman.”
The priest frowned.
“What do you mean, almost?”
The Irishman sighed.
“Well… we got undressed and fooled around a little, but I stopped before things went any further.”
The priest shook his head.
“My son, fooling around like that is just as serious. You’re not to see that woman again.”
He paused and added,
“For your penance, say five Hail Marys and put $50 in the poor box.”
The Irishman nodded.
“Yes, Father.”
He said his prayers, walked over to the poor box, and stood there for a moment.
Then he turned around and started walking away.
The priest, who had been watching, hurried over.
“Wait! I saw that! You didn’t put the $50 in the poor box!”
The Irishman smiled innocently.
“Well, Father…”
“I rubbed the $50 on the box.”
The priest stared at him.
The Irishman shrugged.
“According to you, Father, rubbing is the same as putting it in!”
The priest suddenly realized…
He had just been outsmarted by his own confession.
