It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar, and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father, I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.”

The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said, “I gave up smoking for Lent.” (1)

One of the hallowed traditions of Lent is to that we should give up something, something we enjoy, for the duration of this sacred season. Usually it means something like chocolate, or beer, or some other alleged vice. This, of course, has opened us to a multitude of lame jokes.

One civic-min…