A story for every day...
Fenelon and the three workers on Christmas Eve.
Those who do not pursue their last end will be unhappy from here on.
Fénelon, so famous as an educator (d. 1715), had three workmen come on Christmas Eve to complete some repairs in his palace in Cambrai. When in the evening the bishop distributed the Christmas gifts to his house, he also called these workmen into his room to give them their Christmas gifts. “Here,” he said, “on this table are three gold shields and three books of piety; each of you may choose a book or a shield.” Two workmen took a shield, saying, “This will serve us to pay for the wood for the winter.” The third hesitated for a moment, then chose one of the books of piety. “I have,” he said, “an old blind mother at home: during the long winter evenings I will read to her.” The archbishop smiled and said to him, “Now open your packet.” The workman did so and found under the envelope three gold écus. One can imagine the confusion of the other two, especially since Fenelon, seeing their disillusionment, said to them, “My friends, whoever prefers gold to what is useful to his soul is obliged to be content with this small earthly profit; but he who seeks eternal goods receives temporal goods in addition.”
– This is what Jesus Christ had already taught: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the rest will be given to you in addition.
