Two Americans are on a tour of Europe and are scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday afternoon. But they arrived a few hours early and have little to do on a Sunday morning when everything is closed. “Why don’t we go to Mass?” one asks the other, pointing to a nearby cathedral.

“Of course,” replies his friend. “But we don’t know how the French pray, and we don’t speak French!” The first man thinks for a moment. “I have an idea. Let’s pick a man in front of us and do what he does. His friend agrees. They enter the church, sit near the front, and choose a man. Fifteen minutes pass and their plan works well. Thirty minutes, no problem.

Forty-five minutes pass and they are used to the routine. Suddenly, as everyone is sitting down, the priest says something in French and the gentleman they have chosen stands up. Without thinking, the two Americans stand up. The church erupts in raucous laughter.

Realizing that no one else has stood up, the two Americans quickly take their seats before deciding to leave in embarrassment. They wait for the service to end and then approach the priest, who speaks English by profession. “We’re really well-intentioned people – we don’t speak French and we picked a man to imitate when we pray,” says one. The priest laughs. “Ah. You’re probably wondering why everyone is laughing at you?” “Yes,” replies the other American. “Well, you see, I was announcing the baptism of a child…and I asked the father of the child to stand up.”