548- A Conversation with a Wolf

 A young man asked me, “Why should I escape from sinful thoughts? Isn’t it weakness?”

I replied, “Many a time, escaping is a point of strength. He whoever escapes from an attractive thought is strong. Since a conversation with evil is by no means logical as the conversation between Eve and the serpent. Let’s escape from the conversation with evil for it is like a conversation between a gentle lamb and a wild wolf.

 Once a hungry wolf stood at a waterfall on the top of a hill as he was looking for a pray. Down the hill he saw a lamb drinking of the water. As he looked around he did not see the shepherd or the guarding dog. The wolf lifted up his head thinking as he knew his notoriety for eating the innocent lamps. The wolf tried to justify himself, he looked down to the lamb saying, “You are a small lamb behaving improperly.”

The lamb asked him, “Why do you accuse me of this?”

The wolf said, “Because you drink of the waterfall and you make it dirty. Don’t you know that I drink of it?”

The lamb commented, “O wolf. You drink from the top of the waterfall while I drink from the bottom. How can I then render the water, coming down, unclean for you?”

The lamb was right. Therefore, the wolf was silent for a while then said,

“I heard from a trusted person that you said something evil about me.”

“How can I say evil or good about you when I didn’t see you before?”

“Then it must be your brother.”

“O wolf, I’ve neither a brother nor a sister.”

“Then it must be your father and I’ll take revenge from you.”

Before the lamb could utter a word, the wolf had devoured him. What the lamb had said justified him truly however, how can he be justified before a wild wolf. A conversation with a wolf is useless.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: حوارٌ مع ذئب.

Lord, You talk to me not to justify Yourself, ...You talk to me not to justify Yourself,

But to give me a chance to enjoy Your love.

Talking to You is useful and entertaining.

Let me talk to You,

Not to talk to the enemy for he is a devouring wolf.

Teach me with Your Holy Spirit how to escape every useless conversation.

I Knelt Down Before God

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

Long The Son of Tears