Praying for Rain

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Sometimes people avoid reality by praying for painless miracles when they should be dealing honestly with their situation.   "Watch and pray," Jesus said (Matthew 26:41).

 To illustrate this point, Anthony de Mello relates the following tale in The Song of the Bird:

The old man dearly loved his after-dinner pipe.
One night his wife smelled something burning and shouted,
"For heaven's sake, Pa!  You've set your whiskers on fire!"

"I know it," answered the old man angrily.
"Can't you see I'm praying for rain?"

Image credit: Old Man Praying, artist Julian Falat

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