AsEsm

“Observing the injustice that exists in the world, a pilgrim prayed to God, asking Him to reveal why pious and righteous people suffer and endure hardships unjustly, while the unrighteous and sinners grow wealthy and live in peace. When the traveler prayed for this mystery to be revealed, he heard a voice saying: ‘Do not dwell upon matters that your mind and the limits of your understanding cannot grasp. Yet, since you have asked to learn, go down into the world, sit in one place, and observe what you see; through this experience, you will come to understand a small part of God’s ways.’ Upon hearing this, the man descended into the world and arrived at a meadow, through which a road passed. Nearby, there was a spring and an old tree, behind which the man concealed himself. Soon, a wealthy man on horseback arrived. He stopped at the spring to drink some water and rest. After quenching his thirst, he took a purse containing one hundred ducats from his pocket and counted them. Having finished counting, he intended to put the purse back, but without noticing, he let it fall into the grass. Shortly thereafter, another passerby arrived at the spring, discovered the purse of ducats, took it, and hurried away across the fields. Some time passed, and yet another traveler appeared. Weary, he stopped at a spring, drew some water, took bread from his bag, and began to eat. Just as the poor man was eating, the wealthy rider appeared; his face twisted with rage, and he struck the man. The poor fellow, knowing nothing of the ducats, swore an oath that he had seen no such thing. But the rider, being a strong man, began to lash him with a whip—and he did not stop until he had killed him. He searched through all the poor man’s clothes, found nothing, and rode away, deeply upset. The pilgrim, watching everything from a hiding place, was struck with shock. He wept over this unjust killing and prayed to the Lord, asking: ‘Lord, what is the meaning of Your will? Tell me, I beg You—how can Your goodness tolerate such a falsehood? One man lost his ducats, another found them, and a third was unjustly killed.’ As the pilgrim prayed, weeping, an angel of the Lord descended and said to him: ‘Do not grieve, old man; do not let your sorrow lead you to believe that this happened outside of God’s will. In the unfolding of events, some things occur for the sake of forgiveness, others for the sake of correction, and still others for the sake of spiritual edification. So, listen closely. The man who lost the ducats is a neighbor to the man who found them. The latter owned a garden worth one hundred ducats. The wealthy man—who was, in fact, exhausted—was destined to pay him fifty ducats for that garden. The poor man, not knowing what to do, asked God for vengeance. And so, God arranged to reward him twofold. There was another poor, weary man who found nothing and was killed unjustly. However, he too was a murderer. He had repented and spent the rest of his life in penitence, living a God pleasing life. He constantly begged God to forgive him for the murder, saying: ‘My God, grant me the same death that I inflicted!’ Naturally, the Lord forgave him the moment he repented. Thus, hearing his plea, He allowed him to die a violent death—just as he had requested—and took him to Himself, even bestowing upon him a radiant crown for his sacrificial spirit! Finally, there was a rich man who, having lost his ducats, committed a murder; he was punished for his lust and love of money. God allowed him to fall into the sin of murder so that his soul might become ‘ill’ and thus be led to repentance. For this reason, he has now left the world and become a monk. So, in any of these instances, where do you see God being unjust, cruel, or merciless? Therefore, do not second-guess God’s judgments regarding the future, for He orchestrates them for the sake of correction. Know also that many things occur in this world according to God’s will—for reasons unknown to men!”