It was a cold day on the streets of Toronto, and it was in the early hours of the morning when a homeless man starving to death was about to give up on life. He thought to himself, if I don't get a cup of cold water or a meal I will surely die today. As he was thinking these words he saw a well dressed man approaching him, walking right to where he was laying on the ground, on the street. This man looked like a business man, a man of money and character. The homeless man sat up and looked the man in eyes, he could see there was a compassionate look and then the man's character changed. The business man started yelling at the homeless man before he could ask him for anything. He said, "I have had it up to here with you beggars! You take up valuable room on our streets, you are an eye sore! Why don't you get a life!" Then the business man walked away, leaving the homeless man feeling even more defeated than he was. The homeless man picked up his blanket he was lying on, and started to walk away.
As he was walking away he noticed the business man get into a very expensive car and pull into the staff parking lot of the church that was nearby. Filled with a anger that he hadn't felt before the homeless man said, "I am going into this church to talk with this man's boss. Surely he will have compassion on me." As he wrong the door bell of the church, a cleaning lady answered the door and said to him "Sir, I see you are in need is there anything I can do for you?" The homeless man responded, "I would like to speak with your boss, one of your employees just verbally assaulted me on the street when all I was asking for was money for some soup so I can live today!" She took him right away into her bosses office and told him to take a seat in the bosses' chair. "He will be with you right away" She said, and walked back into her office.
An hour passed by and the Pastor of the church walked into his office and saw the bum sitting in his chair. The Pastor was the same man who accosted the homeless man out on the street, and as soon as he saw him sitting in his chair, he began to yell and scream vulgarities at the top of his lungs at this homeless man. "How dare you come into my church! How dare you sit in my chair! I told you and I'll tell you again, you good for nothing, get out and never come back!" His voice was so loud everyone in his office in the church heard him and were shocked. Defeated again, the homeless person left this church to never come back. As he was walking back to his place on the street a Buddhist monk happened to notice the homeless person. "Dear friend" he said, "I see you are down on your luck, why don't you come to my home. We have just laid out some fresh fruit and vegetables, I am sure the other monks won't mind if you eat with us today!"
So the two of them went to the monastery and the homeless man was welcomed with joy and gladness, and had his fill of bread and fruit and vegetables. He thanked them all, and on his way back out to the street place where he was begging, he noticed a lottery ticket that the wind had blown on his blanket, he picked it up and walked into a Tim Horton's where they just installed a new television. As the homeless man looked up to the television, he noticed this ticked was the winning jackpot ticket. The ticket he was holding in his hand was worth $10,000,000 dollars. He walked down to the lotto center and told them someone must have dropped this ticket on the street, and he wanted to return it to it's owner. Surprised by his honest actions, they made a phone call to the store where the ticket was purchased and tracked down it's owner. The owner of the ticket had recently passed away, and his wife who now owned the ticked heard about the homeless man and his plot, and his story and decided to share the winnings with him, up to half of the jackpot.
The next day, John the formerly homeless man bought a suit and now clean shaved, walked back out to where he used to beg. He wanted to clean up the blanket where he used to sleep on the street. Just then the Pastor who treated him unfairly was walking down the street towards him. "Nice suit!" The Pastor exclaimed, "It's a shame about these homeless people and how we have to clean up after them!" The Pastor didn't recognise the homeless man, he went on to say "Hey, I Pastor a church just down the street, you are welcome at my church anytime!" and the Pastor walked away.
The now rich, homeless man was shocked. He decided to find a different place of worship in a very poor part of his town. Where he worked for the rest of his life feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. The moral of this story, is that being religious doesn't make you acceptable to God any more than anything else does, compassion for our fellow human beings is what will ultimately make you happy in the end. This is Mike.
As he was walking away he noticed the business man get into a very expensive car and pull into the staff parking lot of the church that was nearby. Filled with a anger that he hadn't felt before the homeless man said, "I am going into this church to talk with this man's boss. Surely he will have compassion on me." As he wrong the door bell of the church, a cleaning lady answered the door and said to him "Sir, I see you are in need is there anything I can do for you?" The homeless man responded, "I would like to speak with your boss, one of your employees just verbally assaulted me on the street when all I was asking for was money for some soup so I can live today!" She took him right away into her bosses office and told him to take a seat in the bosses' chair. "He will be with you right away" She said, and walked back into her office.
An hour passed by and the Pastor of the church walked into his office and saw the bum sitting in his chair. The Pastor was the same man who accosted the homeless man out on the street, and as soon as he saw him sitting in his chair, he began to yell and scream vulgarities at the top of his lungs at this homeless man. "How dare you come into my church! How dare you sit in my chair! I told you and I'll tell you again, you good for nothing, get out and never come back!" His voice was so loud everyone in his office in the church heard him and were shocked. Defeated again, the homeless person left this church to never come back. As he was walking back to his place on the street a Buddhist monk happened to notice the homeless person. "Dear friend" he said, "I see you are down on your luck, why don't you come to my home. We have just laid out some fresh fruit and vegetables, I am sure the other monks won't mind if you eat with us today!"
So the two of them went to the monastery and the homeless man was welcomed with joy and gladness, and had his fill of bread and fruit and vegetables. He thanked them all, and on his way back out to the street place where he was begging, he noticed a lottery ticket that the wind had blown on his blanket, he picked it up and walked into a Tim Horton's where they just installed a new television. As the homeless man looked up to the television, he noticed this ticked was the winning jackpot ticket. The ticket he was holding in his hand was worth $10,000,000 dollars. He walked down to the lotto center and told them someone must have dropped this ticket on the street, and he wanted to return it to it's owner. Surprised by his honest actions, they made a phone call to the store where the ticket was purchased and tracked down it's owner. The owner of the ticket had recently passed away, and his wife who now owned the ticked heard about the homeless man and his plot, and his story and decided to share the winnings with him, up to half of the jackpot.
The next day, John the formerly homeless man bought a suit and now clean shaved, walked back out to where he used to beg. He wanted to clean up the blanket where he used to sleep on the street. Just then the Pastor who treated him unfairly was walking down the street towards him. "Nice suit!" The Pastor exclaimed, "It's a shame about these homeless people and how we have to clean up after them!" The Pastor didn't recognise the homeless man, he went on to say "Hey, I Pastor a church just down the street, you are welcome at my church anytime!" and the Pastor walked away.
The now rich, homeless man was shocked. He decided to find a different place of worship in a very poor part of his town. Where he worked for the rest of his life feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. The moral of this story, is that being religious doesn't make you acceptable to God any more than anything else does, compassion for our fellow human beings is what will ultimately make you happy in the end. This is Mike.
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