The surprise of what is found

Once a little shepherd walked through the fields shepherding his sheep.

He was already tired and hungry when, on the green grass and amidst the vegetation, he found a small leather bag. He opened it and for his surprise: there were five beautiful gold coins shining in the bottom of the bag!

He was euphoric! I could do many things with that money!

Picking up the gleaming coins in his hand, he still thought they must belong to someone, and that one would surely be desperate. The desire to keep the coins although spoke louder and, calming his conscience, kept the little treasure thinking, without much enthusiasm:

- If I meet the person who lost the coins, I'll give them back. Otherwise, they will be mine by right, because I have found them.

And so he thought, he spent the rest of the day making plans for how he would use the treasure that had fallen into his hands so unexpectedly.

At dusk, he led the sheep home, determined not to tell his mother, afraid she would have him return the coins. After all, there were not so many houses in the vicinity, and certainly someone in the valley had lost them.

When he got home he learned that his father had to take a trip to close a very lucrative business.

Three days later his father came back. He was disheartened and sad, all dirty and covered in dust. The woman worried asked what had happened, and he replied:

- You cannot imagine what happened to me! After a long journey I arrived at my destination. When I went to close the business, however, I realized I had lost the money that I had taken separately to pay the sheep. I searched everywhere, rolled over my belongings, but found nothing. I realized too late that the backpack I brought had a hole in the bottom, and had, certainly, dropped the purse with the money. But, how to find it? Surely someone would have found his money and would never see it which represented the economies of hard work and dedication.

And the man sadly concluded:

- My resources were over, and I had to ask for public charity. I had no place to shelter myself, nor what to eat. Thank God, I got home here after a lot of suffering. Although I lost everything I had, I have you who are my treasure.

Saying it, he embraced his son and his wife, moved to tears.

The young man, remembering the treasure he had, was glad. After all, he could do something for his dear father.

He ran to his room and came back with the small leather purse containing the five coins and with a happy smile, handed them to his father, saying:

- Take it my father. It's all yours!

The poor man, upon seeing the bag, recognized it and asked in surprise:

- Where did you find it, my son?

- In the midst of the vegetation, when I shepherded the sheep.

- It’s true! I wanted to buy some time and cut my way through the countryside off the road. Oh, my son! Thank God, you found it. The Lord is very good! But how did you know it was mine?

With wide eyes the boy replied:

- I did not know, Dad. I could never suppose it belonged to you. I thought it was somebody else!

	The father suddenly became serious and taking his arm asked: - What did you do, my son? Did you find this treasure that someone had lost and stayed with it, when it did not belong to you? As I was the one who lost, it could be anyone else here in the valley.
Did you not think of the desperation that the owner of the coins would undoubtedly have and the lack of them?

- No, Father. I did not think of any of this. I’m sorry. Only now I begin to realize how selfish and ambitious I was.

The little shepherd regretted, lowered his head as tears streamed down his face.

- Forgive me, dad. I know that I have done wrong and now I understand the enormity of my fault.

The father stroked his son's head, saying:

- My son, we must respect what belongs to others, so that others also respect what belongs to us. Jesus, our Master, taught that we would be responsible for all our acts and that we should do to others what we would like them to do to us. Now think: If you had lost the coins, what would you like the person did to you?

- I would be very happy if anyone who found it returned the purse, with the coins, of course!

- Then, my son, so must you do to others.

The little shepherd thanked the lesson and promised himself that he would never be selfish and ambitious again.

TIA CÉLIA

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