Once upon a time there was a father who had two sons. The kids were good brothers born by the same mother. One was elder and the other one younger. The elder one was an agriculturist and the younger one was a shepherd. The younger one took his flocks through valleys and pastures to graze. The elder one sowed cereals and planted trees.
One day they wanted to worship God and bring Him oblations. The shepherd took what he had the best in his flock and offered to God. Because the younger brother, the shepherd had brought to God what he had the best a fire came down from the skies and burnt the offerings and placed them on the heavenly altar.
The elder brother didn`t do the same. He put in his barns the best harvest and brought to God what he had worse. God didn`t accept them, He turned His face from them and let them stay unburnt by His fire on earth while He had accepted his younger brother`s offering with joy.
The elder brother saddened because God had despised him and he was considered lower than his younger brother and he was walking with a dark face. God asked him:
`Why are you angry? Didn`t you know that you were bringing your offerings to God? Why didn`t you honor me as you should have? What could you blame me for? Why didn`t you bring me the best fruitage of your harvest? And the elder brother having no answer for that didn`t utter a word, he remained silent.
Then seeing his younger brother, the elder one told him:
`Let us go in the field. ` And after drawing him there with mischivious thoughts, he killed him thinking that God couldn`t have known about his deed. But God came to him and asked him:
`Where is your brother?`
And that one answered:
`I don`t know, am I the guardian of my brother?`
Then God told him:
`Look, the blood of your brother cries from the earth towards Me.`
What happened afterwards? God took the younger brother to His heavens, the one who had died here on earth but is still living there in heavens even today. And he left the elder brother who had killer him to live here on earth for long years having as his companions fear and fright, suffering uncountable troubles and torments and being punished every day. God told the elder brother this:
`You shall live on earth sighing and shuddering.`
As you live here being afraid of your teacher and not knowing if he beats you or not this is how the elder brother lived, having fear in his soul all the time because his bond with God was not the same anymore.
You see what a bad thing is to kill your brother? You see how bad is to hide yourself from God? Because He sees everything, even what is done in hiding.
Excerpt from Parents, children and their raising– Saint John Chrysostom, Panaghia Publishing.
