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Pages Home Table of Contents My Other Stories Site About Me Sunday, December 2, 2018 SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSOR SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSOR An emperor had no children. He decided to select a suitable successor to his throne from the boys of his empire. He proclaimed that the interested boys should assemble in the palace in the morning on a specified date. When the boys arrived, he said, There is a simple test for you. I will give a seed to each of you. You must take it home and carefully plant it in a pot. Tend it giving all possible care and bring the pot to me at the same time next year. I will examine the pots and adopt the winner as my successor to the throne of this vast empire.” The boys carried the seeds home and planted them. One of the boys found that his seed did not sprout even though he gave all possible care. He continued to tend the pot and water it daily, but could not get any result. The others tended their plantlets with the utmost care and could grow beautiful and healthy plants in their pots. Some of their plants developed buds and flowers. After one year, all the boys reached the palace to proudly display the result of their sustained effort. The poor boy alone sat there without any plant to display. The emperor examined each pot and resumed his throne. He summoned the boy who could not grow the plant to come near him. The other boys laughed at the poor boy who was holding his barren pot. The king stood up and declared, I had given each of you a seed after cooking it by prolonged and vigorous boiling in water to destroy its viability and assure that it would not grow at all. But all of you except this honest young man have managed to raise plants using your own seeds to impress me and gain the throne by fraudulent means. Honesty, truthfulness, courage and integrity are the qualities I expected in my successor. Only this boy has succeeded in the test. Hence I proclaim that he shall be my successor.” The emperor embraced the boy. The other boys left the scene in shame. Honesty is the best policy. It is a good rule that we should be faithful and truthful in every action - both big and small. A true Christian should not tell a lie even if telling the truth may cause loss, suffering or pain. We should not tell a lie even if telling the lie may give us money, power or pleasure. St. Paul advises, "No more lying, then! Everyone must tell the truth to his fellow-believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ" {Ephesians 4: 25}. Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" {John 8: 32}. The Bible reminds us, "The Lord sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching" {Proverbs 5: 21}."The Lord sees what happens everywhere; He is watching us, whether we do good or evil" {Proverbs 15: 3}. ……………………………………………………………………… © By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip, Former 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 and Neil John, Maniparambil, Alfeen Public School, Kanjirappally, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit our web-sites: http://www.moral-stories.com http://christian.moral-stories.com This is Story No. 354 in the second site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read previous stories and click ’Newer Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in these sites. Please click on a word in the ’Story Themes’ to read stories on that theme. 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Behaviour , Competition , Conscience , Courage , Faithfulness , Greed , Honesty , Integrity , Misrepresentation , Truthfulness Tuesday, May 1, 2018 WIT AND WISDOM WIT AND WISDOM Archbishop Angelo Roncalli (later, Pope Saint John XXIII, 1881 - 1963), had a keen sense of humour, even while holding positions of authority. His humour, openness, generosity, warmth and wisdom, made many people love him and call him, ‘Good Pope John’. He was Canonized on 27 April 2014. Before becoming the Pope, he had served as Apostolic Nuncio to France. In the course of the meal during a banquet, he offered an apple to his neighbour, a woman in a dramatically low-cut gown. Do take it, Madame, please do,” he urged in his typically genial way. It was only after Eve ate the apple that she became aware of how little she had on.” Another time, he greeted a lean and ascetic-looking visitor with a sigh and the comment: We will both have to say a prayer to God, beseeching him to remove half my excess fat to give it to you!” How many people work at the Vatican?” a reporter asked Pope St. John XXIII. Oh, no more than half of them,” the Pope replied with a wink. When a cardinal complained to Pope John that a rise in Vatican salaries meant a particular worker, an usher, earned as much as the cardinal, the pope remarked: "That usher has 10 children; I hope a cardinal doesn’t have any." On another occasion, a prelate of the Curia of Vatican told Pope St. John XXIII that it would be absolutely impossible” to open the Second Vatican Council by 1963. Fine, we’ll open it in 1962,” Pope John answered. And they did it. When asked what he expected from the Council, he moved towards the window and made a gesture as if to open it and said that he expected a little fresh air from the Council. We must shake off the imperial dust that has accumulated on the throne of St. Peter since Constantine” he added. Visiting a hospital, he asked a boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The boy said, Either a policeman or a Pope.” "I would go in for the police if I were you," the Pope said. "Anyone can become a Pope; look at me!" One evening, Pope St. John XXIII went to visit a friend at the hospital of the Holy Spirit. In a flutter, the mother superior in charge of the hospital introduced herself, Most Holy Father, I am the superior of the Holy Spirit!” To which Pope John replied, Well, I must say you’re lucky. What a job! I’m only the Vicar of Christ, just the servant of the servants of God !” Pope St. John XXIII struck the same humorous note on Christmas Day in 1959, when he visited Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. He told the inmates that he came as their brother—and confided that one of his relatives had served a sentence for poaching. Pope John radiated so much goodness and sincerity that there was not a dry eye in the place by the time he finished speaking. On another occasion, one prisoner refused to see him. Learning that the man had murdered his wife, Pope John persuaded the guard to let him enter the inmate’s cell. Then he opened a hearty conversation with these words: You know, I’ve never been married. But if I had married, I too might have killed my wife.” When reminded that by protocol the Pope has to dine alone, he complained that if he dined alone, he would appear like a seminarian under punishment. He said, I have read the Gospel over carefully without finding a single passage which prescribes that one should eat alone. As we know, Jesus loved to eat in company.” Once, the Pope remarked, Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.” On another occasion, he said, It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.” ……………………………………………………………………. © By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip, Former 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 and Neil John, Maniparambil, Alfeen Public School, Kanjirappally, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit our web-sites: http://www.moral-stories.com http://christian.moral-stories.com This is Story No. 353 in the second site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the...