I’m Busy
In one village, there lived a large family – a husband, a wife and four children. All his life the master of the house worked hard to meet the needs of his near and dear.
Every Sunday, his wife took the children to the church service. However, the head of the family refused to go to church. When his wife asked him why he did not go, he used to say, "You go. And I'm busy."
The master of the house had a habit. Whatever the man started doing, major or minor, he would say, "Lord, help me!" or "With Lord's help!" Without these words, he did not proceed to any work. Therefore, during his long life he turned to God a large number of times, and a large number of things he did with God's help.
And now it is time for the man to die.
– Let me call a priest, – cautiously suggested the wife, – so that you could confess and take communion.
After his wife's words, the man thought. For a moment, the whole life rolled back in his mind’s eye – at work and worry. He remembered how many times his wife had suggested him going to church, and how many times he had excused himself saying he was busy.
Suddenly, the man made an effort, with great difficulty got out of bed and said to his wife:
- Do not call the priest. I'll go to church myself. The Lord so many times came to me, and I to him – never!
Then he turned to the children and said:
– However busy you are, do not miss a chance to come to God. Remember – God is much busier than us, but He always helps us as soon as we turn to Him!
Read also
The bronze lion against the royal sword
The Middle Ages are commonly regarded as an era of absolute lawlessness, where a monarch could execute by the snap of a finger. But the Church drew a line beyond which the state apparatus could not pass.
Shelter beneath the vaults: how church twilight heals us
We flee from the scorching glare of screens and artificial lights. Ancient church architecture offers something different – a refuge, a saving therapy of sacred half-light.
From a traveler’s cloak to a priest’s vestment
The priest’s phelonion once warmed the shoulders of a Roman traveler caught in the rain. Today, clergy still wear garments whose origins lie in the ancient empires of the Mediterranean world, though they now carry entirely different meanings.
Spiritual engineering in besieged Constantinople
Urban religious processions in Byzantium moved on a schedule more precise than a military march – and more than once kept citizens from panic.
Stories of the Early Church: the episcopal level of governance
There was a time when every Christian personally knew his bishop. A look at Church history reveals how a small family-like community gradually evolved into a vast administrative structure.
The Requiem breaks off at a tearful prayer
The word "requiem" translates as "rest". Mozart only managed to write the confession of a sinner – the manuscript was then interrupted by the author’s death.