And a twist of grace

An old colleague and friend — and former boss from CBS News — who lives on Long Island dropped me a note today:

Went into the city last night for a retirement party for one of the bartenders who works for the LIRR. He told some good commuting stories. He was working on a train once that lost power, and it was evident they wouldn’t be moving for a long time. Among those in the bar car was a priest. A young man came up to the priest and said, “Father, I haven’t been to confession in a very long time. If I buy you a drink, will you absolve me of my sins? ”

The priest did not blink.

“I’ll have a double Chivas Regal on the rocks, please.”