12/18/2023
A young man came to the priest with a question:
- Why do bad things happen in my life?
The priest thought about it, so he felt sorry for the young man and said to him:
- Come tomorrow, child, so I can pray to God for you tonight.
When he came the next day, the old man was already waiting for him at the door:
- Listen to me, my son:
The first time you had an accident, when your friend got hurt, you survived. You have your mother's prayers to thank for that.
The second time you fell into the river with your friends, two of them drowned, you survived. And for that, you must thanks to your pious grandmother, who fasted and went to church all her life.
The third time you fell asleep with the heater on, which get on fire the bed. I believe that you don't even remember who woke you up from your sleep. For that you have to thank your honest father, who worked all his life and calmly endured every hardship for you.
Do you remember when you dodged a tree in a split second while you were chopping wood? An old woman, to whom you constantly brought wood while she was alive, thanked you with tears and praised God for you.
The old man wanted to continue, but the young man, visibly frightened and surprised, asked him:
- And how do you know all that?
- He who knows everything told me - the old man answered. - Good deeds of love and prayer stand forever; go, son, and do something for your future. And when hard times come and the cold wind of trouble in the future begins to blow, the whisper of your warm prayer in the cold days will keep your children safe