THE WORRY OF A WORM
A singing bird flew into a forest and
sat on the branch of a tree. The bird sang with a melodious voice. Every animal in the forest
listened spellbound, appreciating and admiring the music of the gifted singer.
Animals from nearby areas rushed to the scene, lulled by the sweet sound of the
song. A worm was seated on a leaf of the lowest branch of the tree on which the
bird rested. With all its strength the worm crawled into a crevice from where
it could not see the bird. Seeing this rapid retreat, a rabbit asked the worm,
"Why do you go away from the singer, while all of us are watching the bird
and listening to the song with ardent admiration?" The worm said in a soft
voice, "I saw the bird staring at me. After finishing the song the bird
would feel tired and hungry. Most probably the stare was to identify me as a tasty snack. So I moved away to this safer
place."
St. Peter warns us, “Be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams round like a
roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist
him, because you know that your fellow-believers in all the world are going
through the same kind of sufferings”{1 Peter 5: 8,9}.
St. James advises, "Submit to God. Resist
the Devil, and he will run away from you"{James 4:7}.St. Paul advises,
"Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of
His mighty power. Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be
able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks" {Ephesians 6: 10, 11}.
St. Paul lists the
virtues that serve as our armour: “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight
round your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the
readiness to announce the good news of peace. At all times carry faith as a
shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by
the evil one. And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the
sword which the spirit gives you” {Ephesians 6: 14-17}.
Jesus warns us
against even minor temptations to sins {Matthew 18: 8, 9}. Jesus equates a
lustful look to a serious sin of adultery {Matthew 5:28}. He advises to avoid
even minor causes of temptation which are obstacles to a pure and peaceful life
{Matthew 5:29, 30}. We can gain the power to resist great temptations if we practise
resisting minor temptations of life regularly and constantly with the power of
prayer and faith in God's infinite grace {Hebrews 4:15,16}. God will grant us
the strength to resist and fight against temptations{1 Corinthians 10: 13, 1 Peter 5: 8-10}. 
...........................................................................................................
© By:
Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science &
Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof.
Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally and
Leo. S. John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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