"I had heard that a little girl in a village went to graze her goat. She tied it up in the meadow and went further to play. But it was forgotten in the game and the goat was untied and left. She searched, but did not find it and returned home without the goat.
Her father became very angry, beat her and kicked her out of the house.
"Go find the goat," he told her. "If you do not find it, go and hang yourself."
She began to suffer looking for it. It was evening and she had not yet returned home. The parents, seeing that it was night, came out anxious to find the child. They searched and finally found her hanging on a tree. She had tied the goat rope around her neck and hung on the tree…
Unfortunately, she was ambitious and took literally what her father told her.
She was then buried outside the cemetery. The Church, of course, did well burying her outside the cemetery, to curb those who want to commit suicide. But, Christ will do well, too, if He puts the little girl in Paradise!"
"Go find the goat," he told her. "If you do not find it, go and hang yourself."
She began to suffer looking for it. It was evening and she had not yet returned home. The parents, seeing that it was night, came out anxious to find the child. They searched and finally found her hanging on a tree. She had tied the goat rope around her neck and hung on the tree…
Unfortunately, she was ambitious and took literally what her father told her.
She was then buried outside the cemetery. The Church, of course, did well burying her outside the cemetery, to curb those who want to commit suicide. But, Christ will do well, too, if He puts the little girl in Paradise!"
St. Paisios the Athonite
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