Beggar and the Monk – Spiritual Story by Paulo Coelho

A monk was meditating in the desert when a beggar came up to him and said:

I need to eat.

The monk — who was almost reaching the point of perfect harmony with the spiritual world — did not answer.

I need to eat, insisted the beggar.

Go to the town and ask someone else. Can't you see that you are bothering me? I am trying to communicate with the angels“.

God placed himself lower than men, washed their feet, gave His life, and no-one recognized Him, the beggar replied. He who says he loves God — who does not see — and forgets his brother – who does — is lying.

And the beggar turned into an angel.

What a pity, you almost made it, he remarked before leaving.

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author who has sold more than 100 million books, which include 14 short story collections and the novel “The Alchemist.”