Would you have been suspicious?

[Bêthberry]

I would like to return the discussion to a point made by Gandalf the Grey.

... lest he [the character Gandalf] be tempted to pride, which leads in turn to the diminished carrying out of his own duty.

In support of our Gandalf's arguement that the right, true path is the path of morally righteous behaviour, I offer this story from a book I am currently reading, Our Lady of the Lost and Found by Diane Schoemperlen.

One of Schoemperlen's characters is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary tells the narrator the story of the Benedictine monk, Meinrad, who had sought solitude but whose holiness attracts many pilgrims. So many pilgrims that eventually his hermitage and his statue of the Black Madonna attracts two hoodlums, Richard and Peter. Mary appears to Meinrad and tells him of Richard and Peter and their intentions. She tells him what will happen.

Yet Meinrad welcomes them. He builds a large fire to warm their cold hands. He serves them fresh bread, cheese, stew, mugs of chocolate. He takes them to the chapel and introduces them to his pet crows and prays with them and waitsfor them to follow their intentions. He acts according to the Benedictine Rule that all guests must be welcomed as Christ would be welcomed even though he knows what their intent is.

Richard and Peter, after praying with him, smash his head in and then try to find the chapel's treasure. They are terrified by candles which suddenly light up and run away but the crows lead people to them.

Ultimately, Meindrad's chapel becomes surrounded by a large church. Five times the large church, over 400 years, is destroyed by fire. But the small chapel and the statue of the Black Madonna are unharmed.

Gandalf always arrives exactly when he needs to. This is why he is returned as Gandalf the White.

Bethberry

Edit: Sorry, Birdie, I started composing this post before you posted and so did not see yours until after I posted.

[ July 08, 2002: Message edited by: Bethberry ]