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Jury convicts Houston officer in “Up Da Bayou Boyz” case in federal court
January 15, 2016Irecently used two Aesop’s fables to illustrate religious values. Today, I would like to apply two more fables to our spiritual development.
“Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose that laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.
“They imagined that if the bird can lay golden eggs, its insides must contain gold. They thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get really rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird. However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose!”
This is a great story. All around us we see many examples of greed. We see employers not paying their employees living wages so they can become rich quick. We experience all type of scams that cheat people out of their retirement funds. Jesus warns us, “Be on your guard against all kind of greed for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Lk. 12-15) The world would be a better place if everyone listened to Jesus.
The following is a familiar English fable. “Once upon a time, three little pigs were about to leave home to seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them, ‘Whatever you do, do the best that you can because that’s the way to get along in the world.’
“The first little pig built his house out of straw because it was the easiest thing to do. The second little pig built his house out of sticks. The third little pig built his house out of bricks.
“One night, the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little pigs, came along and saw the first little pig in his house of straw. He said, ‘Let me in, let me in, little pig or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!’ ‘Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,’ said the little pig. But of course the wolf did blow the house in and ate the first little pig.
“The wolf then came to the house of sticks and did the same thing. He blew that house down and ate the second little pig.
“The wolf then came to the house of bricks. ‘Let me in, let me in,’ cried the wolf, ‘or I’ll huff and I’ll puff until I blow your house in.’ ‘Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,’ said the pig. Well, the wolf huffed and puffed but he could not blow down that brick house.
“The wolf was sly and he climbed up on the roof to look for a way into the brick house. The little pig saw the wolf climb up on the roof and lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed on it a large kettle of water. When the wolf finally found the hole in the chimney, he crawled down and splashed right into the kettle of water and that was the end of the big bad wolf.
“The next day, the little pig invited his mother over. She said, ‘You see, it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can.’ Fortunately, he learned that lesson. He lived happily ever after!”
All of us should build our “houses” –our lives – with things that will last for all eternity. Some people build their lives on straw: appearances, things that make us popular. If we build our lives on true values – God, family, truth, love, compassion – the forces of evil will not destroy us.
It takes time to build lasting relationships and character. However, when our “houses” are strong, we can resist the forces of evil. •
