Father Michael stared in disbelief.
“Angela? What are you doing here?”
The young nun smiled sweetly and took his hand.
“I’m your reward, Father.”
His jaw nearly hit the floor.
“For me?”
St. Peter nodded.
“That’s right.”
Father Michael’s heart raced.
Forty years of service.
Thousands of sermons.
Countless confessions.
And now this?
He tried to remain dignified.
“Well… I must admit, this is unexpected.”
Angela laughed softly.
“I was surprised too.”
Father Michael straightened his robe and glanced at St. Peter.
“Just so I understand… after all my years of faithful service, Heaven has decided to reward me with Sister Angela?”
St. Peter burst out laughing.
“Oh no, Father. You’ve got it backwards.”
Father Michael blinked.
“What do you mean?”
St. Peter pointed at Angela and smiled.
“You’re not her reward…”
The Father frowned.
“Then what is going on?”
St. Peter grinned even wider.
“She’s the reward.”
Father Michael looked confused.
“For whom?”
Angela smiled innocently.
Then St. Peter delivered the punchline:
“For putting up with your sermons every Sunday for forty years!”
Father Michael stood speechless.
Angela couldn’t stop laughing.
And just before Father Michael woke up, he heard St. Peter shout:
“Don’t worry, Father—we’ve got a support group up here for former parishioners too!”
