Father Norton, on the Golf Course

Father Norton woke up one Sunday morning. It was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny early spring day, and he decided he just had to play golf.

He called up his associate priest and told him that he was feeling sick and asked him to hold Mass for him that day. As soon as he hung up from talking to him, Father Norton headed for a golf course about 40 miles away. He wanted to make sure that he didn't run into anyone he knew. After all, everyone else would be in church.

At the course, Father Norton asked to play alone, and as he strolled to the first tee, St. Peter leaned over to the Lord while they were looking down from Heaven and exclaimed, “You're not going to let him get away with this, are you?”

The Lord sighed and responded, “No, I guess not.”

Father Norton teed his ball up and took a mighty swing. The ball came off the face of his driver like a cannon shot, straight and true. His ball landed just short of the green, bounced on it, and then rolled straight into the hole, a 420-yard hole-in-one!

St. Peter was astonished. He looked at the Lord and asked, “How could you let that happen?”

The Lord just smiled and replied, “Who's he going to tell?"