The Pastor and the Little Boy

The Pastor and the Little Boy

a parable.

A vicar charged with ministering to a small village in the south side Kent county. He had successfully made parishioners out of the entire village. One day, a new family moved into the village, and true to his charge, the vicar visited the family to offer assistance and ministry.

The father and mother of the family conferred and struck a bargain that they offered to the pastor. If the pastor could convince their son to regularly attend services, they would happily go to church and tithe their income. The boy had been blind, deaf, and mute since birth. The pastor happily agreed to return every Saturday with the hope of convincing the boy to come to church the following Sunday.

The first Saturday, the boy was outside sitting in a tree that he had managed to climb, basking with the sun on his face. The pastor arrived and began a lecture on the virtue of a good life, hoping that the boy would be able to hear the words of the divine. The little boy could not hear, and did not go.

The second Saturday, the little boy was outside sitting in a shallow pool, splashing in the water. The pastor arrived and began showing him pictures and illustrations of the working of the divine, hoping that the boy could see the pictures of the divine. The little boy could not see, and did not go. 

The third Saturday, the little boy was outside rhythmically drumming his fingers on a bucket. The pastor arrived and gave the boy a beaded necklace, hoping that the touch of the divine would inspire the boy to come to church. The little boy did not find the necklace interesting, and did not go.

The fourth Saturday, the little boy was resting comfortably on a pile of hay in the shade.

The pastor arrived and put the end of a piece of string in the boys hand and left. The boy stood up and followed the string. The string lead him to the church. The pastor helped to show him where he could feel the vibration of the bells, where he could splash in the fountain, and where he could sit comfortably feeling the heat of the sun on his face through the windows.

The boy and his parents went to church every Sunday after that.

After their second visit to the church, the stunned parents asked the pastor how he compelled the child to come to church, to which the pastor replied: "I had to tell him why he should come to church using language he understood, rather than the language that I like to use."