Never was the adage that...
Illustration
Never was the adage that confession is good for the soul so true as it was in the following fable entitled "The Virgin Mary's Child."
Once there was a poor woodcutter and his wife who had one child. They were all nearly starved. A beautiful woman with a crown of stars appeared and introduced herself as the Virgin Mary. She asked if she could take the child to heaven to dine on cake and sweet milk. They agreed.
The Virgin went on a prolonged trip one day and told the child to open any door but the thirteenth. The first twelve had dazzling apostles behind them, but behind the thirteenth, the disobedient child found the Holy Trinity. The child was terrified and suddenly her finger turned to gold.
When the Virgin returned, the maiden thrice denied opening the door. Perceiving the child's sin, the Virgin deemed her unworthy of heaven. She caused the child to fall into a deep sleep and when the girl awoke, she found herself an earth-bound mute trapped in the forest to forage for food.
One day the king was hunting, met the maiden, fell in love with her, and they soon married. They had three children in three years. Still the queen refused to confess her sin; the Virgin took each child at birth and the queen was accused of infanticide. Execution was demanded. As the fire burned, the queen's heart melted. Her tongue loosened and she repented. The Virgin descended and said, "Those who repent their sins and confess will be forgiven." The queen was saved and everything restored.
Once there was a poor woodcutter and his wife who had one child. They were all nearly starved. A beautiful woman with a crown of stars appeared and introduced herself as the Virgin Mary. She asked if she could take the child to heaven to dine on cake and sweet milk. They agreed.
The Virgin went on a prolonged trip one day and told the child to open any door but the thirteenth. The first twelve had dazzling apostles behind them, but behind the thirteenth, the disobedient child found the Holy Trinity. The child was terrified and suddenly her finger turned to gold.
When the Virgin returned, the maiden thrice denied opening the door. Perceiving the child's sin, the Virgin deemed her unworthy of heaven. She caused the child to fall into a deep sleep and when the girl awoke, she found herself an earth-bound mute trapped in the forest to forage for food.
One day the king was hunting, met the maiden, fell in love with her, and they soon married. They had three children in three years. Still the queen refused to confess her sin; the Virgin took each child at birth and the queen was accused of infanticide. Execution was demanded. As the fire burned, the queen's heart melted. Her tongue loosened and she repented. The Virgin descended and said, "Those who repent their sins and confess will be forgiven." The queen was saved and everything restored.
