Late one evening a poor farmer on his way back from the market found himself without his prayer book.
The wheel of his cart had come off right in the middle of the woods and it distressed him that this day should pass without him having said his prayers.
So this is the prayer he made:
“I have done something very foolish, Lord. I came away from home this morning without my prayer book and my memory is such that I cannot recite a single prayer without it. So this is what I am going to do: I shall recite the alphabet five times very slowly and you, to whom all prayers are known, can put the letters together to form the prayers I can’t remember.”
And the Lord said to his angels, “Of all the prayers I have heard today, this one was undoubtedly the best because it came from a heart that was simple and sincere.”
More in The Prayer of the Frog (Volume I) by Anthony de Mello.
Anthony de Mello (1931-1987) was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A spiritual teacher, writer and public speaker, De Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences. He continues to be known for his storytelling, which drew from the various mystical traditions of both East and West.
Image shows a series of three stamps issued by the Bahamas on 6th March 2015 to mark the World Day of Prayer, observed annually on the first Friday in March. Courtesy: The Tribune, The Bhahamas.