A beggar
was asking alms by the road. A horseman passed him and whipped him in the face.
The beggar looked up at the horseman and said:
— Be
happy.
Upon
hearing these words, a peasant, who witnessed all that, asked the beggar:
— Are you
really that humble?
— No I am
not, — the beggar replied, — but if the horseman were happy, he wouldn’t have
whipped me.
A king
told a hermit:
— Ask me
for anything, and I will give it to you!
The
hermit replied:
— I want
everlasting life, eternal youth, endless wealth, and joy unclouded by grief.
The king
admitted:
— I have
no power over this kind of things.
— Then
please leave me alone, — the hermit demanded. — I’ll ask the One who is capable
of granting all those things.
And he
started praying to God to grant all that to him in the afterlife.
There was
a monk who lived in a monastery but did not care about the salvation of his
soul and spent his days in idleness. He lived to an advanced age and was
nearing death. When he fell ill with a deadly illness and was about to die, he
did not fear death but was happy and praised God as he was getting ready to
part with his body. His fellow monks, together with the abbot of that
monastery, asked him:
- We have
seen how you, brother, have been idle all your life. Why are you so fearless
and happy at this frightening hour of death? May God’s power raise you so that
you could explain it to us and make us praise God, too.
The monk
rose at his bed and told them:
- You’re
right, honorable fathers, that I spent my life in idleness and carelessness.
Just now God’s Angels have brought me a record of all my bad actions and read
it to me. Having read it, the Angels asked me, “Do you plead guilty of all
these actions?” I replied, “Yes I do. But since the day I gave up on the world
and took the monastic vows, I have never judged anyone and never got angry with
anyone. Therefore, I appeal to God that the words of Jesus Christ Judge not,
that ye be not judged; if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you (Matthew 7:1; 6:14) be used in my case.” As soon as I
uttered these words, the holy Angels tore the account of my sins apart. This is
why I go to God with joy and happiness.”
Upon
saying it, the brother reposed in the Lord peacefully.
Abba
Isaac of Thebes went to a monastery and saw a brother who had fallen into sin.
Abba Isaac condemned him. When he went back to the desert, he found an Angel
standing at the door of his hut. The Angel said, “I won’t let you in.” Abba
Isaac begged him to tell him why he wouldn’t let him in. The Angel replied,
“God has sent me to you so that you could tell him where you would like him to
throw the fallen brother into?” Abba Isaac immediately fell on the ground
crying, “I have sinned, O Lord, forgive me!” The Angel said, “Get on your feet.
God has forgiven you but beware of condemning anyone before God condemns him.”
There was
a poor woman who did not have money to feed her children. She called a radio
station and beseeched God’s help.
One of
the listeners was a diehard atheist and decided to make fun of the woman. He
found out her address, called his secretary, and ordered her to buy some
expensive food. The girl returned with meat, cheese, and candies. She was
surprised when her boss ordered her to deliver the food to that woman’s house,
and if she asks who sent the food, tell her that it was the devil.
When the
secretary gave the food box to the poor woman, she was so grateful that she
cried. She couldn’t stop thanking the girl. When the girl was leaving, she
asked the woman:
— Don’t
you want to know who sent the food?
The woman
replied:
— No I
don’t. It doesn’t matter because when God commands, even Satan complies.
There was
a wise man who happened to visit a rich man’s house. He said, “There are so
many things that I don’t need!”
Someone
asked an elder, “Is that man rich?”
– I don’t
know, - the elder replied. – All I know is that he has a lot of money.
– So he’s
rich, isn’t he?
– Being
rich and having a lot of money isn’t the same thing, – the elder replied. - A
person can be really rich only if he is fully satisfied with what he already
has. A person who wants to have more is poorer than the person who has nothing
but is nevertheless satisfied with what he has.
A thief
broke into a hermit’s cell one night. The thief didn’t find any valuables so he
asked the hermit:
— Where’s
all your property?
The
hermit smiled and pointed at the sky:
— I’ve
hidden everything in the higher house.
Source: https://azbyka.ru/days/
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