And old story tells that one day,
a countryman knocked hard on a monastery door. When the monk tending the gates
opened up, he was given a magnificent bunch of grapes.
Brother, these are the finest my
vineyard has produced. I’ve come to bear them as a gift.
Thank you! I will take them to the
Abbot immediately; he’ll be delighted with this offering.
No! I brought them for you. For
whenever I knock on the door, it is you who opens it. When I needed help
because the crop was destroyed by drought, you gave me a piece of bread and a
cup of wine every day.
The monk held the grapes and
spent the entire morning admiring it and decided to deliver the gift to the
Abbot, who had always encouraged him with words of wisdom.
The Abbot was very pleased with
the grapes, but he recalled that there was a sick brother in the monastery, and
thought:
“I’ll give him the grapes. Who
knows, they may bring some joy to his life.”
And that is what he did. But the
grapes didn’t stay in the sick monk’s room for long, for he reflected:
“The cook has looked after me for
so long, feeding me only the best meals. I’m sure he will enjoy these.”
The cook was amazed at the beauty
of the grapes. So perfect that no one would appreciate them more than the
sexton; many at the monastery considered him a holy man, he would be best
qualified to value this marvel of nature.
The sexton, in turn, gave the
grapes as a gift to the youngest novice, that he might understand that the work
of God is in the smallest details of Creation. When the novice received them,
he remembered the first time he came to the monastery, and of the person who
had opened the gates for him; it was that gesture which allowed him to be among
this community of people who knew how to value the wonders of life.
And so, just before nightfall, he
took the grapes to the monk at the gates.
Eat and enjoy them, he said. For you spend
most of your time alone here, and these grapes will make you very happy.
The monk understood that the gift
had been truly destined for him, and relished each of the grapes, before
falling into a pleasant sleep.
Thus the circle was closed; the
circle of happiness and joy, which always shines brightly around generous
people.
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