Two brothers lived in
constant poverty. The elder brother was satisfied with his humble assets and
led a life of peace and contentment. But the younger brother was always unhappy,
ambitious and greedy. He wanted to enjoy all the pleasures of life and was
envious of his wealthy neighbours. He rejected his elder brother’s views with
contempt. One day they met a saintly preacher on the way. The younger brother
complained about his constant poverty and God’s apparent cruelty. The preacher
consoled him and advised them to pray for receiving richer resources if it is
the will of God.
They returned to their homes and resumed their prayers with
greater zeal. The younger brother soon started receiving several blessings. His
land gave a rich harvest and he obtained a loan to start a new business. His
financial status soared steadily. But his elder brother remained poor as
before. The younger brother considered his brother to be unworthy to receive
the blessings of God as his prayers were not answered so far.
The saintly preacher later returned
to their village and met both the brothers. He was surprised to find that the
younger brother had become a successful and wealthy businessman in a short
period. The preacher asked him why he did not share a part of his blessings
with his elder brother who was still very poor. The rich man replied that the
blessings he received were the results of his own fervent prayers and hard work
and his brother did not deserve any gift because even God had disregarded his
prayers and deserted him.
Then the preacher told him,
“You are thoroughly mistaken, my son. God has answered all the prayers of your
brother.”
“But I don’t find that he
received any blessing from God. He is unworthy to get the grace of God and I
don’t care for him”, the rich man replied.
The preacher corrected him,
“I know what he had prayed for. He was praying to God for you. He was praying
that all your prayers shall be answered and your wishes be fulfilled. He did
not pray for his own prosperity. Whatever you enjoy now is the result of his
intercession. You should be thankful to him forever.” These words transformed
the rich man. He learned that the blessings we receive need not be the fruits
of our own prayers or efforts alone, but can be the results of the prayers of
others for us.
Let us not do anything from selfish
ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble towards one another,
always considering others better than ourselves. Let us look out for one another’s
interests, not just for our own.
...........................................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip,
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former
Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John,
Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507,
Kerala, India.
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