The Scholar and the Beggar (rewritten)

Tauler, a well‑known and highly educated preacher from the fourteenth century once spent eight years praying that God would lead him to someone who could teach him the true path to heaven. Eventually, he felt guided to a specific church porch, where he was told he would meet a man who could help him understand the spiritual life.

When the scholar arrived, he found not a teacher or holy figure, but a beggar dressed in rags.

He greeted the man kindly and said, “God give you a good day, my friend.”

The beggar replied, “Sir, I can’t remember ever having a bad one.”

Surprised, the scholar said, “Then may God give you a good and happy life.”

“Why would you say that?” the beggar answered. “I’ve never been unhappy.”

Intrigued now, the scholar said, “God bless you. Please — tell me what you mean.”

The beggar was glad to explain. “I told you I’ve never had a bad day. When I’m hungry, I praise God. If it rains, hails, snows, or freezes — whether the weather is fair or miserable — I thank God. When I’m treated poorly or looked down on, I still give thanks. So how could I call any day evil?

“And I’ve never been unhappy either. I’ve learned to give myself completely over to God’s will, certain that everything he does is good. Because of that, I don’t want anything except whatever God is pleased to give.”

The scholar pressed him further. “But what if God’s will were to cast you into hell?”

“If he chose to do that,” the beggar replied, “I would still have two arms to embrace him with. One is humility, which unites me to Christ’s humanity. The other is love, which joins me to his divinity. Holding him with those two arms, he would go down there with me — if that’s where he sent me. And I would rather be there with him than in paradise without him.”

At that moment, the scholar understood that total surrender to God’s will, joined with deep humility, is the shortest road to divine love.

He asked the beggar where he had come from.

“God sent me,” the man said.

“And where did you find God?” the scholar continued.

“I found him,” the beggar answered, “when I let go of everything else.”

“Then where did you leave him?”

“With the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, and those who live by love.”

Finally, the scholar asked, “Who are you?”

“I am a king,” the beggar replied.

“A king? Where is your kingdom?”

“In my soul,” he said. “I’ve learned to rule my senses — inside and out — my desires, emotions, and passions. That kingdom is greater than all the kingdoms of this world.”

The scholar asked one last question: how had he come to such spiritual depth?

“Through silence, watchfulness, meditation, prayer, and union with God,” the beggar replied. “I never found lasting peace or comfort in anything created. That’s how I found God instead — and he will be my comfort forever.”

 

 

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This story appears at the end of of Part 1, Chapter 17 of Thomas C. Upham's book The Interior or Hidden Life (2nd edition 1844), It has been revised in language and style with the assistance of Microslop CoPilot. (Upham says he found it in the Religious Maxims of Francis de Sales.)The original chapter can be found here: Some marks or characteristics of Perfection of Love. The image of the painting  is "Fray Ginepero And The Poor Man" by Bartolome Esteban Murillo.