There was once a pious man. By all accounts he was a righteous and giving soul. He earned a good living, but he gave to the poor. His clothes were clean and tidy, but not the foppish regalia of the noble lords. He treated others with kindness and a charity and was well liked by all. He believed he walked a path that was free of sin and corruption. Yes, there were others who were corrupt in the world, but not he. He knew the butcher perhaps padded the ground mutton with less than pure fillers on occasion. Yes, the candle maker would sometimes shorten the wicks. And of course the tax collector and the nobles were well and truly corrupt. Fat off the bribes and labors of others they simply took and took with no regard for the needs of others. But these were not the concerns of the pious man - he lived his life true and good and that was all he could hope to do. Finally, as all natural things do, the man died. Upon his death he was brought before the great blinding light of our Morning Lord to be judged and he was found wanting. He pleaded before the fearsome purity and might that is our Lord. He spoke of his good deeds, his charity, his kindness. The voice of our lord burned through his mind and bones as he spoke. " Yes, you did well with your OWN deeds and actions, but you tolerated the countless wicked and evil deeds of others. You allowed their shadows to eat at their souls. Your acts of charity served to make you pious, but you were also PRIDEFUL in your own piety. " The voice of our Lord tore through his soul, illuminating every imperfection, every blemish of his being. It showed him the one simple truth, it is not enough to be righteous and good. If one allows evil to thrive, if one does not take daily steps against the shadows that haunt our soul, then one is blighted in the eye of our Morning Lord. We are all sinners beneath his benevolent and frightening gaze and none of us are pure enough to withstand his awesome judgement. But though we know we are all doomed to fail that does not mean we should wallow in misery. Each spark we bring to the world is the righteous amplification of his glory and brings us ever closer to the time when all the world will be consumed in his blinding and purifying light!
