Soon after dusk, Thomas hastened to leave the forest for his home. Against

the normal practice, others had already left. Somehow an odd uneasiness

gripped his mind. It was probably the first day in his life that he

refrained from unloading all his miseries on others and gripe about God.

That is because he was coming alone that day unaccompanied by others. It

was a small wonder that those who had seen him shouting with joy on the

occasions when the Lord blessed him, found it amusing to see him fretting

about his bad times, unable to put up with his suffering.

As the rain bearing clouds began to obscure his passage, he was

unable to proceed at his usual fast pace. The rain too started just as he

feared. It was a forest terrain with small brooks and briars spread along

his way home. Though his legs made a steady progress, quite indescribable

thoughts coursed through his mind. What if there is no one around to talk

out, there is at least the heart to lament without restraint! Forgetting

the times when the Lord blessed him, he was now bewailing his miseries.

'Is it too much for the Lord to do some good to me?,' he was grumbling to

himself. As darkness enveloped, his legs and thoughts traveled in

different directions and he slowly lost the track. It was a narrow path

rarely trodden by anybody. He had to reach out and feel the height, length

and breadth of those thorny bushes in order to find the path. Because of

the eerieness of the night, he was attempting to concentrate his mind and

with great difficulty tried to find the right track. Stretching his left

hand forward to move aside the briars and carefully covering the eyes with

the other hand to protect from the thorns, somehow he managed to locate

the right track. He was not mindful of the thorn marks on his hand here

and there which resulted as he tried to cover his face from the thorns.

He consoled himself saying, 'Fortunately I had blocked the thorns with my

hands. Otherwise my eyes would have been harmed'.

At this, a question arose in his mind. Aren't eyes and arms, the

organs of the same body? Wouldn't pricking the hands and pricking the eyes,

both result in pain? Then why should I have placed my hands in front of my

face preferring to be pricked by the thorns on my hands than on my eyes?

Soon he found the answer.

From that day, Thomas resolved to refrain from bemoaning his

losses, suffering and bodily travails with others. He reached that decision,

because he realized that when he is ready to allow his hands to be harmed

for the sake of this worldly eyes, there is nothing wrong in losing anything

in order to save the soul from pain in this age and in the age to come. Yes,

now only the eye is important to Thomas.

Dear brother who reads this! Do you go around telling others about

the afflictions of your life? Or, are you mindful of your soul alone and

worried about saving it whatever be the afflictions that you have to face

in this life? Woe to the one who loses his eyes in order to protect his

arms! You will be at a pathetic state if you fail to protect your soul for

the sake of this worldly affairs! It will be good if you prefer to bear

the pain in your hands rather than losing your eyesight, pricked by the

thorns.

If you go on subjecting your mind to constant worries, whenever

the devil puts you through bodily travails, your soul be weary. If you grow

weary in times of troubles, how are you going to receive God's grace?

Therefore glorify God in times of your afflictions so that the devil is put

to shame. Whatever be the sufferings in this world, save your soul. Praise

God who saved your soul. You alone are the surety for your soul.

"Ebenezer. 'Thus far the Lord has helped us' " (I Sam 7:12)