Padre Abraham knew that close to the monastery at Sceta lived a hermit reputed to be a wise man.

He sought the man out and asked him: "If you were to find a beautiful woman in your bed today, would you be able to convince yourself that it was not a woman?"

"No," answered the wise man.  "But I would be able to control myself."

The padre went on: "And if you found some gold coins in the desert, would you be able to regard the money as stones?"

"No," said the wise man.  "But I would be able to control myself and leave them there."

The padre insisted: "And if you were consulted by two brothers, one of whom hates you and the other of whom loves you, would you be able to regard them as equals?"

The hermit answered: "Even though I might suffer inside, I would treat the one who loved me in the same way as the one who hated me."

"I will explain to you what a wise man is," the padre later told his disciples.  "It is he who, rather than killing his passions, is able to control them."

W. Frasier, throughout his life, wrote about the American west, and was proud of having written the screenplay for a film that starred Gary Cooper.  He said that there were ver
>few times in his life when he became angry.

"I learned many things from the pioneers," he said.  "They fought the indians, crossed deserts, searched for food and water in remote places.  And all that was written during that period shows that they demonstrated a curious trait: the pioneers wrote only about and talked about only good things.  Instead of complaining, they composed songs and jokes about their difficulties.  That way, they avoided discouragement and depression.  And today, at age 88, I try to do the same thing."

The text is adapted from a poem by John Muir:

"I want to free my soul so that it can enjoy all of the gifts that the spirits own.  When this is possible, I will not try to know the craters of the moon, nor track the rays of the sun to their source.  I will not try to understand the beauty of a star, nor the artificial desolation of a human being.

"When I learn how to free my soul, I will follow the dawn, and to return with it through time.  When I learn how to free my soul, I will plunge into the magnetic currents that drain into an ocean where all waters meet to form the Soul of the World.

"When I learn how to free my soul, I will try to read the splendid page of Creation from the beginning."

One of the sacred symbols of Christianity is the figure of the pelican.  The reason is simple: in the total absence of food to eat, the pelican plunges its beak into its own flesh to feed its young.

The master says:

"We are often incapable of understanding the blessings we have received.  Many times we do not perceive what He does to keep us spiritually nourished.  There is a story about a pelican who -- during a hard winter -- sacrificed herself by providing her own flesh to her children.  When she finally died of weakness, one of the nestlings said to another:

'Finally!  I was getting tired of eating the same old thing every day.'"

If you are dissatisfied with something -- even a good thing that you would like to do, but have not been able to -- stop now.

If things are not going
>ll, there are only two explanations: either your perseverance is being tested, or you need to change direction.

In order to discover which of those options is correct -- since they are opposites -- make use of silence and prayer.  Little by little, things will become strangely clear, until you have sufficient strength to choose.

Once you have made your decision, forget completely the other possibility.  And go forward, because God is the God of the Valiant.

Domingos Sabino said: "Everything always turns out for the best.  If things are not going well, it is because you have not yet reached the end."

The Brazilian composer, Nelson Motta, was in Bahia, when he decided to pay a visit to Mother Menininha de Gantois.  He caught a taxi, and on their way, the driver lost his brakes.  The car spun around in the middle of the road, but other than being frightened, nothing serious occurred.

When he met with Mother Menininha, the first thing Nelson told her about was the near accident in the middle of the road.

"There are certain things that are already written, but God finds us a way to get past them without any serious problem.  That is, it was a part of your destiny to be in an automobile accident at this point in your life," she said.

"But, as you see, everything happened -- and nothing."

"There was something missing from your talk about the Road to Santiago," said a pilgrim to the wanderer as they were leaving the conference together.

"I have noticed that the majority of pilgrims," she said, "whether on the Road to Santiago or on their paths through life, always seek to follow the same pace as the others.

"At the beginning of my pilgrimage, I tried to walk at the same pace as my group.  I got tired, I demanded more of my body than it could deliver, I was tense, and I wound up with problems in the tendons of my left foot.  It was impossible for me to walk for two days, and I learned that I would be able to get to Santiago only if I went at my own pace.

"It took me longer than the others, and I walked
>lone for many stretches along the road.  But it was only because I respected my own pace that I was able to walk the entire road.  Since then, I have applied that lesson to everything I do in my life."

Croesus, the king of Lydia, had made the decision to attack the Persians, but nevertheless wanted to consult with a Greek oracle.  "You are fated to destroy a great empire," the oracle said.  Happily, Croesus declared war.  After two days of battle, Lydia was invaded by the Persians, its capital was sacked, and Croesus was taken prisoner.  Revolted, he asked his ambassador to Greece to go back to the oracle and tell him how wrong he had been.  "No, it was you who were wrong," said the oracle to the ambassador.  "You destroyed a great empire: Lydia."

The master says:

"The language of signs is there is before us, to teach us the best way to act.  But many times we try to distort those signs so that they "agree" with what we wanted to do in the first place.

Croesus, the king of Lydia, had made the decision to attack the Persians, but nevertheless wanted to consult with a Greek oracle.  "You are fated to destroy a great empire," the oracle said.  Happily, Croesus declared war.  After two days of battle, Lydia was invaded by the Persians, its capital was sacked, and Croesus was taken prisoner.  Revolted, he asked his ambassador to Greece to go back to the oracle and tell him how wrong he had been.  "No, it was you who were wrong," said the oracle to the ambassador.  "You destroyed a great empire: Lydia."

The master says:

"The language of signs is there is before us, to teach us the best way to act.  But many times we try to distort those signs so that they "agree" with what we wanted to do in the first place.

Buscaglia tells the story about the fourth of the Magi, who also saw the star shining over Bethlehem.  But he was always late in arriving at the place where Jesus might be, because along the way, the poor and needy stopped him to ask him for help.

After thirty years of following in Jesus's footsteps, through Egypt, Galilee and Bethany, the magus reached Jerusalem, but was again too late.  The child Jesus was now a man, and the magus had arrived on the day of the crucifixion.  The king had brought pearls to give to Jesus, but had sold everything in order to help those whom he had met along the way.  Only one pearl remained, but the Saviour was already dead.

"I have failed in the mission of my life," the king thought.  And then he heard a voice:

"Contrary to what you are thinking, you have been with me all your life.  I was nude, and you dressed me.  I was hungry, and you fed me.  I was imprisoned, and you visited me.  I was in every poor soul along the way.  Thank you for so many presents of love."