Cain, What Hast Thou Done With Thy Brother?
By Ernest Hello.
From The Revue Du Monde Catholique.
By way of preface, I will relate a true story given by F. Agathon, a priest of the Monastery of Ruba, and preserved in the Lives of the Fathers of the Desert.
F. Agathon says: “One day I descended into the valley of Ruba to find the holy solitary, F. Pémeu, as I wished to consult him on a subject that weighed heavily upon my mind. We conversed until late in the evening, and then he sent me into a cavern to pass the rest of the night. Now, as it was winter, and the cold extreme, I was nearly frozen. The next morning, when the old man came in to see me, he asked: ‘How have you passed the night, my son?’
“ ‘Father,’ I answered, ‘I must say, in truth, I passed a terrible night, on account of the extraordinary severity of the cold.’
“ ‘And I did not feel it at all,’ he replied.
“These words filled me with astonishment, [pg 699] as he was nearly naked, and I said: ‘I beg of you, father, to tell me how that could have happened.’
“ ‘For the reason,’ he answered, ‘that a lion came and lay down beside me, and kept me warm. But nevertheless, my dear son, I can assure you that I shall be devoured by wild beasts.’
“ ‘Why do you say so?’ I asked.