A story I learnt as a child:

There was a peasant farmer who toiled all day and often into the dark nights to take care of his family.

Daily he sent his sheep off to find pasture, shepherded by his 10year old son.

The poor farmer needed what little ground he had, to grow food for his family.

What little he had, he shared with his neighbours and what little they had they shared with him for his family.

Each day before lunch he stopped to pray-and taking off his cap and bowing his head he prayed,

 

'lord,for all that You do for me,how can I ever thank You?.

All I have are these cabbages, Lord, if you would like half of my cabbages, take them,

or if you would like all of my cabbages, take all of them.

To You I owe everything’.

 

One day, just as the farmer started to pray, a very learned gentleman

was riding his horse on the trek outside the farmer’s field.

The gentleman stopped to listen.

When the farmer had finished praying, the gentleman asked him what he was doing.

‘Praying Sir', the farmer replied..

The gentleman flew into a rage at the farmer for insulting the Lord with such gibberish.

‘My good man, when you pray, you should pray as the angels in Heaven pray’.

The gentleman proceeded to teach the farmer to pray as the angels in Heaven pray.

The poor farmer could neither understand nor remember a word of the lofty prayers.

Each day he tried, but feeling ignorant and stupid, he prayed his own humble prayer.

Some days later, the gentleman appeared again. Once more he flew in to a rage when he

heard the farmer pray.

‘My man, why, do you insist on insulting the good Lord so?, it would be better if you said

nothing at all.

Did I not tell you, you must pray as the angels in Heaven pray?’

So once again, the gentleman proceeded to teach the farmer.

But still the poor farmer couldn’t make sense of the lofty prayers.

One day he prayed,

 

‘Lord, for all that you do for me, how I can ever thank you?

All I have are these cabbages, Lord, if you would like half of my cabbages, take them,

or if you would like all of my cabbages, take all of them.

To You I owe everything.

 But Lord, I am sorry that my prayers insult you,

if it is your will, allow me to see the angels in Heaven pray,

so that I can learn from them.’

 

An angel appeared in front of the farmer and told him our Lord had sent him:

The angel was to take the farmer up to Heaven to let him hear the angels pray.

When he arrived in Heaven, the farmer was greeted by the most beautiful sound of angels

singing.

The angel messenger told him to listen carefully to the words. The farmer listened very

attentively to the words of the angel-song, and he heard them sing, -

 

‘Lord, for all that you do for me, how can I ever thank you?

All I have are these cabbages, Lord, if you would like half of my cabbages,

take them, or if you would like all of my cabbages, take all of them.

To You I owe everything’.