Poverty and humility guide the way to heaven

Once upon a time there was a prince who went out into the world, only to see him with a heavy heart and a sad face. He looked up at the sky, which was so blue, and he sighed, "How nice it would be for a man to be in heaven!" ”

Then he saw an old man with white hair coming toward him, looking very pitiful. He greeted the old man and asked, "How can I enter heaven?" ”

The man replied, "Through poverty and humility!" Put on my rappy clothes and wander the earth for seven years to taste poverty; no money, and if you are hungry, ask the sympathetic to fill your hunger, so that you are close to heaven. ”

The prince immediately took off his luxurious coat, put on the clothes of a beggar, and stepped into the vast world, experiencing many sufferings. He took nothing but a little food, but asked the Lord to take him to heaven.

Seven years passed, and he returned to his father's palace, but no one recognized him anymore, and he said to the servant, "Go and tell your father and mother that I have returned." But the servants did not believe his words and laughed at him, leaving him to stay there.

He added, "Go and call my royal brothers, and I want to see them again." The servant remained indifferent to his words.

Finally one went to report to the princes. But they didn't believe him either, and they ignored him. The prince wrote another letter to his mother, describing to him his suffering, but did not mention that he was her son. Out of pity, the queen gave him a small place to live under the stairs and sent two servants to bring him food every day. Who knew that one of them had a very bad heart, and said in a voice, "Why do you eat such a good thing?" ”

So he withheld the food and left it for himself to eat or feed to the dogs, giving the weak and haggard prince a little water to drink. However, the other servant was quite generous, and he gave the prince all the food he had, and although the quantity was small, he could survive for the time being.

The prince was patient, his body was getting weaker and worse, and finally he asked for the sacrament. Halfway through Mass, the bells of the city and nearby churches rang automatically. After Mass, the priest went up to the poor man at the bottom of the stairs and found him dead, holding a rose in one hand and a lily in the other, and beside him was a piece of paper with his experience written on it.

When he was buried, a rose grew on one side of the grave and a clump of lilies on one side.