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 neighbour for help, and God sent me.” And the angel told the monk what he wanted to know.

Source: Paulo Coelho's blog

Coffee

A group of people in university alumni got together at a professor's house. Their conversation started from the memories of their old days and slowly entered into the dissatisfactions about life. They started talking about their job pressures and stress. While they were talking, the professor went into the kitchen, made coffee and brought the coffee in a large pot. Then he brought cups. The cups were of different kinds, made of porcelain, plastic, crystal, ceramics, metal etc. Some were very ordinary looking cups and some were very artistic. Everyone took a cup and had their coffee. Everyone was thinking about each others' cup. 

The professor then started to speak, "You all are thinking about the cups. In fact what you really wanted was coffee. The cup does not change the taste of the coffee in any way. Nevertheless, your attention is more in cups and less in coffee. Life is like a coffee. Education, job, wealth, position, prestige are merely cups. Your focus should be on coffee rather than on cups."  

Helping The Devil

-By Paulo Coelho

"We are often instruments of evil when we try to do good", said Al-Fahid to his friend. "I always try to stay alert, but today I was used by the devil."

"How come? You are known to be so wise!"

"This morning I went to the mosque to pray. Obeying the tradition, I took off my shoes before entering; when I was about to leave, I saw that they had been stolen: so I created a thief."

"But it’s not your fault", said the friend.

"It is my fault. It is so easy to arouse the bad side in our neighbour. It is so easy to annoy someone, spread discord, raise suspicion, separate brothers. The devil needs men to carry out his acts, and that is why I am to blame."

Musical Organ

In a very ancient family, there was a musical organ, but people had completely forgotten how to play it. Generations passed by and people even forgot that it was a musical organ. Dust began to cover it.

It was a very big organ and it was taking up much space. One day the family decided to throw this nonsense.

They said, ‘This is just a nuisance. Why should we keep it?’ They took it out; they threw it on the road.

They had just reached home when a beggar started playing upon the organ.

Time stopped. They simply turned. The whole traffic stopped, people came rushing from their houses; they forgot everything. For one hour the beggar was playing on it.

It was so beautiful, so enchanting — they were just hypnotised. And when the music ended the family demanded their organ back.

The beggar said, ‘It is not yours, because you've thrown it, now it doesn't belong to you!’

Indeed, life is one of the oldest musical organs given by the God, but people have forgotten what it really is and how to play it.

Before God

By Paulo Coelho

An old man sold toys in the Baghdad market. Knowing that his sight was not quite perfect, his customers sometimes paid him with fake money.

The old man discovered the ruse but did not say anything. In his prayers, he asked God to forgive those who cheated him. “Perhaps they’re short of money and want to buy presents for their children,” he said to himself.

Time passed and the old man died. Standing before the gates of Heaven, he prayed once more, "Lord!", he said. "I am a sinner. I did many wrong things, I am no better than the false coins I was paid. Forgive me!"

At that moment the gates swung open and a Voice was heard, "Forgive what? How can I judge someone who all through his life never once passed judgment on others?"