Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. wrote The Way to God in 1947 at a time when the Catholic Church had not yet lost sight of its primary purpose - the salvation of souls. As will be clear from the following excerpt, however, not all Catholics back then made the salvation of their souls a personal priority.
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“Some people, who do not pray much and who do not make their
work prayer by living in the state of grace and doing everything with a good intention,
spend hours and hours every day on other things but only a few minutes on their
souls.
It reminds me of a priest who asked a man who was caring for
his horse how much time he spent every day caring for the animal. He said, ‘About
two hours.’ The priest asked him how much time he spent every day caring for
his soul.
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He said, ‘A few minutes.’ Whereupon the good priest answered, ‘Since
that is the case, if I belonged to you I would rather be your horse than your
soul.’
Some of those odd stories are really thought provoking.”
(From The Way to God
by Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.)
Some observers would suggest that even far fewer contemporary Catholics pay any
attention to their souls. Rarely is the need to do so discussed in Church - God being so merciful, you know.
May Father's "odd story" prompt us to pay more attention to our eternal souls today than to our horses and other possessions. Remember, none of us are promised a tomorrow.
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