The Angel's Visit

The Verba Seniorum – a collection of texts on the monks who lived in the desert at the beginning of the Christian era – tells the story of a hermit who managed to spend a whole year eating only once a week.

 

After so much effort, he asked God to show him the true meaning of a certain passage in the Bible.

 

He heard no answer.

 

“What a waste of time,” said the monk to himself. “I made all that sacrifice and God does not even answer me! Better get out of here and look for some other monk who knows the meaning of this text.”

 

At that moment an angel appeared before him.

 

“The twelve months of fasting only served for you to believe you were better than the others, and God has no ears for the vain. But when you were humble, you thought of asking your neighbor for help, and God sent me.”

 

-Painting source: "Old Age" by Thomas Cole