Poor, old man's soul

Four features correspond to judge: Listen politely, respond wisely, prudently weigh and decide impartially. (Socrates)  
One gram of kindness is worth more than a ton of intellect.  (A. Jodorowsky)
Be as sweet as honey and the flies will eat you up. (Spanish Saying)

Once upon a time... a poor, old farmer lived in a small village in central Europe and cultivated the land for his landlord. He never was rich and died practically in misery. His life was normal for the time and for what he was. Lived, and could not marry due to a hump that appeared at the age of 25 and was seen as an evil eye or hex, probably due to some impure thought he had with the landlord's daughter.

In his life he didn't seem to do anything special, neither good nor evil, was only one more of the poor serfs that blasphemed against God for having forgotten him, but also helped when necessary. Grim and eternally dissatisfied had a strict sense of justice even-though he saw that justice is not blind but one eyed. His life was grey and not too easy. When he was about to die cursed against destiny and God for the many years of work without more reward than to survive. To his burial came neighbors but also some other people that were considered nosy people by the other serfs.

As it could not be different the devil was ready to take his soul and bring it directly to hell when St. Peter reminded him that all souls have the right of judgement, so they went to the Lord to determine if heaven or hell would be its last destiny. Satan started his speech to show that hell was the only possibility for the soul as the farmer was a known blaspheme all his life long. 

-- My Lord, in fact I don't even know why we are here discussing such a case. Obviously Peter is getting old and persnickety. This man here has never been religious; since the age of 25 has never been in a church to glorify you, has never made a single thing except being blaspheme till the end of his long days on Earth. In your mercy you have given him a long life to have the opportunity to glorify his only one God and love him above all things, and what has he done? Not only not be attentive to the laws of the church You have left behind to guide people, but has worked on holidays and never honored his parents; shall I speak about his impure dreams with the landlord's daughter and other women? What about the part of "thou shall not covet what is not yours? Or maybe should we remember how he killed two people that only wanted something to eat? I keep a list of all his sins, and I must admit in benefice of Peter that there is only one of the commandments that he didn't break: he never gave false testimony, but is this enough to save a soul? Lord you have given him a long life and blessed him with poverty and deformity to encourage him to look for the absolute truth that has as reward the glory of paradise and he hasn't done anything in this sense. Is a clear case, don't let us lose precious time only because Peter is getting old!

And the Lord addressed to Saint Peter and asked him to speak.

-- Adonai, I may be getting old, 2000 years of daily work may have made me more fussy but not blind or inequitable. It is true all what Lucifer presents but as always is only an interested, partial, vision of reality and hides the truth. This man never knew his parents, was left in abandon with one week and an old couple raised him. With them he grew uneducated as most of his pairs. He only knew about sacrifice, about working for others, independently of the weather and the day. True he worked most of the holy days... to feed the family and other neighbors. It is also true that he has never honored his parents. How can a man do such thing when his own parents disowned him leaving him at the doors of a cenobium and even so he has been attentive to poor families that couldn't feet their children and has given the leftovers of his food instead of throwing it away or feed animals?  My Lord you have blessed all humanity with the desire to be immortals and so be better each time and proof themselves. You have done it imbuing in them the sexual desire and and the capacity to imagine a better world; where is the problem for a humped man to dream of liberation without doing evil and taking from his dreams the capacity to survive and fight in life without invoking Satan? This is what really flares up Lucifer! I could continue and make a long speech, but I will only point out one item: The people present in his burial were certainly neighbors and some people that were considered nosy people but were in reality people that he never knew and even so they were in debt with him, either because he helped them giving the leftovers or the boys the looked at him and understood that in life not all is aspect, and that willingness and love are much more important even if love is not shown due to fear of rejection. People who understood that blasphemy is a sin only if it has behind the intention to offend, as most of the sins. He has followed the essence of the living rules you left to humanity so they stay together. Religions are this, the first laws of peaceful coexistence given by a power that nobody should discuss. This poor man was not a murderer, not a thief, not an idolater and has survived at his best way without disturbing and helping. True he killed two people, but our wise fallen angel is hiding that it was his life or their life when they attacked him to steal his money and his working tools. His place, Adonai, is heaven.

Lucifer and Saint Peter waited the Lord to judge and God manifested:

-- Both of you are right he never was active worshiping me nor observing attentively The Law, my law. He could have observed the commandments but preferred to sacrifice himself and do something for the others. He could have preferred to increase fortune by feeding more pigs or animals but provided for the necessity of the others knowing that even giving practically nothing this allows people to survive. Sublimate and transform desire into positive energy is a creation on Mankind that enables them to convert the dreams into reality. And what is more important he loved despite his deformity. And love, even not clearly expressed is the key to Heaven. Let him in. He deserves Paradise.

La fe mueve montañas / Faith moves mountains

Son rosas, mi señor... (Isabel de Portugal)
Fide sine operibus mortua est.  ( S. Jaime , Epístola católica II)
Es el bálsamo de Fierabrás. (Don Quijote I.X)

Las reuniones del club de narizones suelen ser entretenidas; no siempre, pero la mayoría de las veces lo son. Habitualmente hay un tema predominante y la actualidad no es ajena a ello. Las reuniones son de placer gastronómico y debate y en alguna ocasión se repite un tema ya comentado con anterioridad, pero de modo diferente. El conferenciante ha de ser como las faldas de las mujeres: suficientemente larga para contener algo y suficientemente corta para despertar el interés. Y no hay duda, una minifalda es más interesante que una maxifalda...

En la reunión del otro día fue la fe la protagonista a raíz del giro que parece que el nuevo Papa le está dando a la Iglesia. Un Papa cercano como lo fue Juan XXIII, humano, que logra que la gente vuelva a creer y tener fe. César -uno de los últimos incorporados al club- citó una de las frases conocidas de Coelho: "Si quieres realmente una cosa, todo el universo conspira para ayudarte a conseguirla". Lástima que no sea original de Coelho, pues El Alquimista es una copia de varias narraciones orientales. Aún así es cierta. La ciencia ha demostrado que si algo nos interesa de verdad nuestro cerebro destaca aquello que nos lleva a ello y oscurece peligros y los aspectos negativos los matiza mucho. El mecanismo psicológico cuenta con la esperanza y el optimismo, esos padrinos de la fuerza y padres de la ilusión.

La alusión dió para mucho, se habló de creencia, fe, Iglesia y convencimiento íntimo necesario para realizar las cosas. Es cierto que muchas veces se delega la fe. Creemos que basta con que uno crea y los demás se dejan llevar. Un guía espiritual que marque el camino, un líder a quien acusar luego si las cosas van mal y descargar en él nuestra frustración, aunque en realidad lo que se haga es esconder la falta de fe o de interés.

Contó César la anécdota de un pueblo ruso que padecía una sequía pertinaz y al que no quedaba otra solución que mirar al cielo ... y rogar. Un gracioso dijo que si la historia era de un pueblo ruso, se debería contar en ruso. Lo que no esperaba él (ni nosotros) era que César aceptara el reto y empezara su relato ¡en ruso! "Pues bien si así lo queréis: Вера сдвигает горы, que como todos sabéis quiere decir: la fe mueve montañas....

Дождя не было в течение многих месяцев, люди попросили попа вмешаться. Священник сказал:  Вера сдвигает горы. Уверуем! Мы будем молиться! Приходите завтра в поле, и мы помолимся с верой, c большой верой. 

На следующий день люди были в поле. Все глядели на небо.  Безоблачное небо. Там не появилось ни одного облака.  Люди начали оскорблять священника. Он посмотрел на них и сказал:  Это ваша вина! У вас нет веры! Вы пришли без зонтиков!!!

Dicho esto se sentó y esperó nuestra reacción que no podía ser otra que pedirle nos lo contara "en cristiano" (ya que de fe se hablaba) mientras matábamos con la mirada al graciosillo que se iba empequeñeciendo en su asiento y se escondía tras la carta. Pero todo se arregla con una buena risa así que César se levantó de nuevo y contó la historia, que resumidamente era la del sacerdote que convoca a los fieles y les emplaza a ir al campo al día siguiente. Con rogativas al Señor, seguro que iba a llover pues la fe mueve montañas. Fueron los feligreses, el sacerdote, la comitiva oficial del pueblo, en definitiva todos. Oraron, rogaron, pidieron la ayuda divina. Una ayuda que no venía, el cielo estaba límpido, azul, sin una nube. Pasaron las horas y la gente empezó a insultar al sacerdote. Era un mentiroso pues ni llovía ni había nada que señalara un mínimo mal tiempo. El sacerdote se volvió a ellos y a su vez les acusó de impíos, de no creer en nada, de hacer solamente de rebaño, pero de monos, no de ovejas. Ninguno de los allí presentes fue con fe y no creía que fuera a llover. Protestó el gentío. Todos se auto-proclamaron como los poseedores de la mayor fe posible. A ello el sacerdote contestó con una sola pregunta antes de que la gente se fuera callada y avergonzada. El sacerdote les dio de lleno en su orgullo.

Nos intrigaba naturalmente la pregunta, así que esperamos a que César apurara el vaso de agua y continuase. 

¿La pregunta? Sencillamente lo que les dijo el pope, pues esto pasó en Rusia en una comunidad ortodoxa, fue: "Si tanta fe tenéis y proclamáis, ¿por que ninguno de vosotros ha traído un paraguas?"

Sin convencimiento, no se avanza. Es el gran secreto de quienes triunfan y de quienes consiguen torcer el destino para que el universo "conspire con nosotros". Un sencillo ejemplo que muestra que en todos los ámbitos, si crees en algo de verdad, lo consigues.

Nosotros seguimos su consejo, creímos firmemente en que la cena sería exquisita y así fue. Disfrutamos el tema y la parte gastronómica. 

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They are roses milord (Isabel, queen of Portugal)
Fide sine operibus mortua est.  ( St. James)

The big noses’ club meetings are normally amusing, not always but most of them. Normally one topic is leading the conversation and, of course, latest news is part of it. Meetings have a twofold purpose: one is the gastronomic pleasure and the other the discussion. Sometimes the subject repeats but is commented on a different way. The lecturer has to be like a woman’s skirt: enough long as to cover something interesting and enough short to provoke the interest for more. It is clear; miniskirt is more interesting than a maxi-skirt.

Last meeting had faith as a main subject due to the “new air” that the Catholic Church seems to get with the new pope. A pope that is close to the people, human like Johannes XXIII, that is achieving that the herd believes again and comes to faith. César –one of the latest members of the club- quoted one of Coelho’s known aphorisms. “If you really want something the entire universe will conspire to help you get it.” Pity that it is not originally by him as the Alchemist is just a copy of some oriental stories. But even so is right. Science has demonstrated that if something interests us really, deeply, our brain enlightens all what brings us to it and blurs dangers and dilutes negative aspects. The psychological mechanism counts on hope and optimism, the godfathers of energy and parents of illusion.

The quote generated controversy, we spoke of faith, church and the inner believing necessary to do things. True is that often even faith is delegated. We accept that one believes and the rest just follows like the herd. Seems enough that a spiritual guide paves the way letting it free of obstacles, a leader to whom we can turn and accuse if things go wrong and discharge our frustration, even if what really happens is that we hide our absence of interest or lack of faith.

César explained the anecdote of a Russian village that suffered a severe drought to which the only solution was look up to the sky..... and pray. One

“funny” attendant said that if the story was Russian it should be explained in Russian. What he didn't expect (in fact nobody of us) was that César agreed, accepted the challenge and started the story in Russian! If you want it so, he said, here it is: Вера сдвигает горы, that as you all know means faith moves mountains....

Дождя не было в течение многих месяцев, люди попросили попа вмешаться. Священник сказал:  Вера сдвигает горы. Уверуем! Мы будем молиться! Приходите завтра в поле, и мы помолимся с верой, c большой верой. 

На следующий день люди были в поле. Все глядели на небо.  Безоблачное небо. Там не появилось ни одного облака.  Люди начали оскорблять священника. Он посмотрел на них и сказал:  Это ваша вина! У вас нет веры! Вы пришли без зонтиков!!!

This said, he sat down and waited for our reaction that couldn't be an other that beg him to explain it in “Christian” (as we spoke about faith was the logical term to be used) while the “funny guy” was getting smaller on his seat, hiding behind the menu while the rest of us were killing him with our eyes. But a good laughter cures everything and César stood up again and explained the story that in essence was about the priest that calls the faithful Christians and tells them to meet on a specific place of the village on the next day. With the necessary prayers to God it was sure that it would rain all know that faith moves mountains. On the next day, the full congregation, priest, official representatives, everybody in fact, was there. They prayed, begged, asked for divine help. A help that didn't arrive; sky was absolutely blue, not a single cloud to be seen. Hours passed and the people began to insult the priest. They told that he was a liar because it neither rained nor was nothing signalling a minimal change of weather.

The priest turned and in turn accused them of wicked, to be a herd yes, but of monkeys! not of Christians, not to believe in anything. None, not a single one of those present went with faith and none thought it would rain. The crowd protested; all proclaimed to have the greatest faith. To this the priest replied with a single question before the people went silent and ashamed. The priest slapped them on his pride.

Naturally intrigued by the question we waited until César finished his glass of water and continued. The question? Simply what the pope said, because this happened in Russia in an Orthodox community, was: "If you have so much faith as you proclaim, why none of you brought an umbrella?"

Without belief, there is no progress. It is the great secret of those who succeed and those who manage to twist fate and make the universe to "conspire with us." A simple example shows that in all areas, if you believe on deeply on it, you get it.

We followed his advice, we strongly believed that dinner would be delicious and it was! We enjoyed the topic and the gastronomic part.