Page:Anecdotescatechi00spiruoft.djvu/39

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hell. The man answered: “If God has decreed that I shall go to hell, no prayers will avail me anything; if He has decreed that I shall go to heaven, I shall be saved, however much I curse and swear.” “If so,” the priest rejoined, “I cannot understand why you are plowing this field. For if God has decreed that you shall have a good crop, you will have one although you do not cultivate your land: but if He has decreed that the harvest shall fail, all your labor will be in vain.” The peasant replied that if he did not till the ground there would certainly be no harvest. The priest smiled, and said: “There, you have just reversed your former argument.” Thus the man’s eyes were opened to the falsity of fatalism.

Q, Of which must we take more care our soul or our body?

A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body.

And Then?

A student once came to St. Philip Neri and asked him for an alms. The saint gave it to him, at the same time inquiring what he was going to be. The student replied, “I am going to be a barrister.” The saint asked: “And what then?” The young man replied: “ I shall earn a good deal by my persuasive tongue.” “And then?” the saint again asked. “ Why then I shall enjoy ä comfortable competence in my old age.” “And then?” the saint rejoined. Thereupon the young man’s countenance