"Look, they're old-fashioned," Donna said, her voice rising. "And that's not a bad way to be. It doesn't look good for a girl to travel with two single men."

"Single girls, single men, travel rules," Sam observed. "It's not like we're going to have an orgy or anything. Sometimes you guys drive me crazy with your unwritten Catholic rules. Don't your parents trust you?"

"It's not a matter of trust, Sam," Donna said. "Sure, my parents trust me. But they don't trust original sin, and neither do I. For you, it's not a big deal. But if the chances are one in a thousand of falling out of the state of grace, it's not worth risking. It's like playing poker with the devil. My soul's at stake."

"Can't you just go to confession if you fall?" Sam asked. He was catching on to Catholic ways.

"I could see how you might think that, Sam," Buzz cut in. "But that's the sin of presumption. You can't presume upon God's grace – "

"Sin of presumption? Another sin? Didn't you tell me once that God's, what did you call it, his divine mercy, was infinite, endless? There's no sin that can't be forgiven and all that. Very beautiful. Now you're saying you can't count on it?"

Buzz found himself temporarily confused.

"It's not like that," Donna came to the rescue. "It's not a math equation: commit a sin, go to confession, go to heaven. It's a matter of love. You don't hurt people you love. It's just common sense that if we took off all our clothes and hung out in bed all weekend, we're upping our chances of doing something God doesn't want us to do."

She took a deep breath. "What if I did something bad to you, presuming you would just forgive me? Is that loving you? I wouldn't even consider putting myself in a situation where I would come close to hurting you, Sam."

"That makes sense," Sam said. "You know, I don't always agree with you guys. You know that. But most of your Catholic stuff has its own internal logic. It's a beautiful way to live. It's a beautiful vision."

Sent by: Christina Montinola

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