Orthodox Parables and Stories: The Scales of God prevail

A devout priest, a contemporary of St. Basil the Great, had become more debt-stricken due to circumstances, and creditors began to worry the priest about the debt, forcing him to seek help from a known neighbor who was a merchant. Upon hearing his request, the merchant gave the priest 500 gold coins to pay off his debt, and in return, the priest promised to mention him in the proskomide, along with his relatives, for health and peace throughout his life.

The merchant hoped that the priest would live long and pray for him and his relatives at every liturgy, and thus receive satisfaction for his money. However, the priest managed to serve only one liturgy, in which he mentioned his benefactor and his relatives, and soon afterwards became ill and died after a long illness.

Upon learning of the priest's death, the merchant was greatly saddened and suffering for the loss of his money, as the priest was able to serve only one liturgy, which the merchant did not expect, but relied on the long life of the priest and his prayers, and therefore gave him 500 gold. coins. He began to disturb the widowed presbytera to pay back his money and leave only as much as a liturgy would cost. The widow answered that there was no money, and even if she had it, it had been spent during the priest's illness, and now there is nothing left. The merchant, ignoring the words of the scorn, urged his money and threatened her with a court.

The woman turned to Basil the Great and told the story to the saint. Listening to her, Basil the Great said: "I will serve the liturgy tomorrow, come with the merchant to me and bring a scale, to which we will weigh a particle separated from the prosphora for the health and salvation of his relatives, and as much as the particle of the prosphora weighs, so much gold will the merchant put on the other half of the scale, and with that gold he will pay you for the liturgy performed by the late priest. "

The woman went to the merchant and gave him the words of St. Basil. The merchant rejoiced and went to the temple the next morning, carrying with him a scale and gold. St. Basil performed proskomide, set aside one particle for the health and salvation of the servants of God and put it on the scale, and the merchant put gold on the other side of the scale.

As the merchant put gold on the scale, the particle outweighed the gold, and the more gold the merchant put on the scale, the more the particles which was separated by St. Basil the Great from the prosphora outweighed the gold. The merchant, seeing the great grace of the miracle, was frightened, but also remorseful, and therefore asked for forgiveness from St. Basil the Great and from the presbytera of the deceased priest, and did not want his money returned any more.