222- A Dialogue between a Cow and a Pig

 

St-Takla.org Image: A cow, outlined. صورة في موقع الأنبا تكلا: بقرة، رسم تخطيطي

One day, a father came to me. He was very excited and said, "I give my children good presents since they will eventually inherit all my wealth. I’m giving them most of it now so that they feel my paternal love. They’ll always remember my love. It is better this way rather than waiting until I die that they might think that I was a miser."

St. Augustine said, "Why are you burdened with too much riches that might hinder you from going on? If you give some to the needy, they will be glad to walk with you through the journey of life.”

This reminds me of a dialogue between a spiritual man and a rich man. The rich man said, “I wonder why people blame me and accuse me of being a miser while I wrote a will that all my money should go to the poor after my death?”

The spiritual man said, “I’ll tell you a story about a cow and a pig.

The pig said to the cow, “How come people like you, while you only offer them milk and butter? I offer them meat, bacon, ham and soup!”

The cow answered, “The answer may be because I offer my gifts while I’m still alive.””

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: حوار بين بقرة وخنزير.

Lord, grant me the blessing of giving,

So that I may offer all my life to You and to my brethren.

 I shall leave everything when I get to heaven to be with You.

Let me send some riches there before my departure.

The True Offering

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

The Password