Parable of the holy Man and the departed Follower

There was a certain holy man, anointed of God and steadfast in the path appointed to him. In the days of his labour, there arose a need—a sum of money required for the continuance of the work entrusted to him. And behold, a portion of that need was met by one who had once walked closely with him, a young woman once counted among his most promising followers.

Now this young woman had once tasted the calling. She had witnessed another before her turn aside, and the grief of that departure had not been hidden from her. Yet when her own time of testing came, she too turned her face away—not with explanation nor farewell, but with silence—and gave her heart to the labours of the world.

And yet, she sent money.

The holy man, discerning the spirit of things, understood this: that her offering was a sacrifice, but it was not obedience. Though it supported the work, it did not sanctify her soul—for the voice of the Lord had said, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

She had chosen the path of gain over the path of God, placing her hope in wages and enterprise. But just as she vanished from the path of calling without even a goodbye, so shall the riches she has trusted vanish also—swiftly and silently, and she shall not perceive their going.

Let they who have ears, hear.