Fr Jim Cogley
I like the story of the little shopkeeper who was struggling for years to keep the family business afloat. The final straw came when a large chain store opened just opposite his that was certainly going to close him down. Was there anything he could do he asked a wise old man? He was told, ‘If you fear the owner of the chain store you will hate him and hatred will be your undoing. So, might I suggest that each morning walk out of your shop and bless your business wishing it prosperity. Then turn towards the chain store and bless it the same way’. At this he was more than surprised. ‘Imagine blessing my competitor and destroyer’. Again he was told, ‘any blessing you give him will rebound to your good and any evil you wish him will destroy you’. Months later the shopkeeper met the wise man and told him that as expected he had to close down his shop, but things were never better because he was now manager of the chain store!