513- The Stork and the Wolf

 

St-Takla.org Image: White Stork (photo 22), Alexandria Zoo, Egypt - Photograph by Michael Ghaly for St-Takla.org, 29 June 2014, 20 Sep. 2015 صورة في موقع الأنبا تكلا: طائر العنز: اللقلق الأبيض (صورة 22)، حديقة الحيوان، الإسكندرية، مصر - تصوير مايكل غالي لموقع الأنبا تكلاهيمانوت، 29 يونيو 2014، 20 سبتمبر 2015 م.

A young man came to me to make confession. He fell in love with a girl. He said that he did not commit any sin with her. However, his heart, feelings and thoughts were busy thinking of her. His excuse was that the girl was thirsty for emotions and he feared that evil friends might ill-use her strong passions. He said that he pretended to love her in order to attract her but he soon fell in the trap of lust. He asked what to do.

For the like of this youth, I narrate the story of the stork who put his head in the mouth of a wolf.

Once a wolf hunted a fat quail. Being hungry, he ate it very quickly. Thus, a bone remained in his throat. He tried hard to get rid of it but he could not. He ran towards a stork. When the stork tried to fly for fear of the wolf the wolf cried, “Don’t fear O merciful stork. I came to you asking for a favor which I’ll never forget.”

“What do you want O wolf while you’re an unmerciful animal of prey?”

“Pray. It’s no time for reproach. Save me for I’m dying.”

“What happened?”

“There’s a bone in my throat.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“You can pick it with your long bill and save me from death.”

“How can I do this O ravenous beast?”

“I promise to give you a great reward.”

Out of mercy, the stork put his head in the mouth of the wolf, picked the bone with his bill and got it out. As soon as the stork felt that the wolf is no longer in danger he asked him for the reward.

“I fulfilled my promise. Your head was in my mouth and I didn’t eat you as I ate the quail. Isn’t it enough? If I had closed my mouth while your head was in it, it would have been the end of your life.”

As soon as the stork heard this, he flew. The wolf was looking at him sorry for not devouring him.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: رأس اللقلق في فم ذئب.

Let me be kind

Give me wisdom beside kindness

So that I may not put my head in the mouth of a certain sin.

Let me not trust my thoughts save in Your Hands.

Who is the Saint?

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

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