God and the cookies

16



God and the cookies

Mother: “Did you know that God was present when you stole that cookie from the kitchen?”

“And he was looking at you all the time?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you think he was saying to you?”

“He was saying. There’s no one here but the two of us-take two.’

The prayer of the frog. Volume - II

Anthony de Mello

What causes arthritis?

152


What causes arthritis?

...and not respond to what we assume the other said...

The village drunkard staggered up to the parish priest, newspaper in hand, and greeted him politely.

The priest, annoyed, ignored the greeting because the man was slightly inebriated.

He had come with a purpose, however,

“Excuse me, Father,” he said,

“Could you tell me what causes arthritis?”

The priest ignored that too.

But when the man repeated the question the priest turned on him impatiently and cried,

“Drinking causes arthritis, that’s what causes arthritis!

Gambling causes arthritis!

Chasing loose women causes arthritis...”

And only then, too late, “Why did you ask?”

“Because it says right here in the papers that that’s what the Pope has!”

The prayer of the frog. Volume - II

Anthony de Mello

Climate

Weather

This is lovely climate.

I don't order the weather; it just happened.



Traveller; "What kind of weather are we going to have today?"

Shepherd: "The kind of weather I like."

"How do you know it will be the kind of weather you like?"

"Having found out, sir, that I cannot always get what I like, I have learnt always to like what I get.

So I am quite sure we will have the kind of weather I like."



Happiness and unhappiness are in the way we meet events, not in the nature of those events themselves.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2

Anthony de Mello

How Dr Chung saved my life?

38

How Dr Chung saved my life?

"Thank God we took a mule with us on the picnic

because when one of the boys was injured we used the mule to carry him back."

"How did he get injured?"

"The mule kicked him!"


"Could you recommend a good doctor?"

"I suggest Dr. Chung. He saved my life."

"How did that happen?"

"Well. I had this serious illness and went to see Dr. Ching.

I took his medicine and felt worse.

So I went to Dr. Chang.

I took his medicine and felt I was dying.

So I finally went to Dr. Chung- and he wasn't in."

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2

Anthony de Mello

Whistler’s kids

9

Whistler’s kids

In the early 1850s American painter, James McNeill Whistler, spent a brief-and academically unsuccessful-period at West Point, the U.S. Military Academy. The story goes that when he was assigned to draw a bridge he drew a romantic stone one, complete with grassy banks and two small children fishing from it. “Get those children off that bridge!” said the instructor. “This is an engineering exercise.”
Whistler got the kids off the bridge, drew them fishing from the bank of the river and resubmitted the drawing. The angry instructor yelled, “I told you to remove those children. Get them completely out of the picture!”
But the creative urge was too strong .in Whistler. His next version had the children “completely out of the picture” indeed. They were buried under two small tombstones on the river bank.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

Looking at a famous island

8

Looking at a famous island

The old man had lived most of his life on what was considered to be one of the loveliest islands in the world.
Now that he had returned to spend his retirement years in the big city someone said to him, “It must have been wonderful lo live for so many years on an island that is considered one of the wonders of the world.”
The old man gave that some thought, then said, “Well, to tell you the truth, if I had known it was so famous, I’d have looked at it.”

People don’t need to be taught how to look.
They merely need to be saved from schools that blind them.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

I’ve forgotten how to stop

7

I’ve forgotten how to stop

Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in the world was once asked: “You could have stopped any time, couldn’t you, because you always had much more than you needed?”
He replied: “Yes, that’s right. But I could not stop, I had forgotten how to.”

Many fear that if they stopped to think and wonder they might not be able to get started again.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

Collection rocks on the moon

6

Collection rocks on the moon

One of the few men to walk on the moon tells how he had to suppress his artistic instincts when he got there.

He remembered looking back at Earth and being enraptured by the sight. For a while he stood rooted to the ground, thinking. “My, that’s lovely!”

Then he quickly shook the mood off and said to himself, “Stop wasting your lime and go collect rocks.”

There are two educations:
the one that teaches how to make a living
and the one that teaches how to live.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

Chosen to clap and cheer

5

Chosen to clap and cheer

Little Johnny was being tried out for a part in the school play. His mother knew that he had set his heart on it but she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were given out. Johnny, back from school, rushed into his mother’s arms, bursting with pride and excitement. “Mother.” he shouted, “guess what! I’ve been chosen to clap and cheer.”

From a child’s report card: “Samuel participates very nicely in the group singing by helpful listening.”

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

The applauding angel

4

The applauding angel

An ancient legend has it that when God was creating the world He was approached by four angels. The first one asked, “How are you doing it?” The second, “Why are you doing it?” the third, “Can I be of help?” The fourth, “What is it worth?”

The first was a scientist; the second, a philosopher; the third, an altruist; and the fourth, a real estate agent.

A fifth angel watched in wonder and applauded in sheer delight. This one was the mystic.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

Cod-liver oil for the dog

3

Cod-liver oil for the dog

A man began to give large doses of cod-liver oil to his Doberman because he had been told that the stuff was good for dogs. Each day he would hold the head of the protesting dog between his knees force its jaws open and pour the liquid down its throat.

One day the dog broke loose and spilt the oil on the floor. Then, to the man’s great surprise, it returned to lick the spoon. That is when he discovered that what the dog had been fighting was not the oil but his method of administering it.

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

A neurotic child?

2
A neurotic child?

Little Mary was on the beach with her mother.
‘Mummy, may I play in the sand?”
“No, darling. You’ll only soil your clean clothes.
“May I wade in the water?”
“No. You’ll get wet and catch a cold.
“May I play with the other children?”
“No. You’ll get lost in the crowd.”
‘Mummy, buy me an ice-cream.
“No. It’s bad for your throat.”
Little Mary began to cry.

Mother turned to a woman who was standing near by and said. “For heaven’s sake! Have you ever seen such a neurotic child?”

PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2
Anthony de Mello

ILLUSION OF THE FEAR

162

ILLUSION OF THE FEAR

Samuel was down in the dumps and who could blame him? His landlord had ordered him out of the apart­ment and he had nowhere to go. Suddenly light dawn­ed. He could live with his good friend Moshe. The thought brought Samuel much comfort, until it was assailed by another thought that said, “What makes you so sure that Moshe will put you up at his place?” “Why wouldn’t he?” said Samuel to the thought, somewhat heatedly, “After all it is I who found him the place he is living in now; and it was I who advanced him the money to pay his rent for the first six months. Surely the least he could do is put me up for a week or so when I am in trouble.”
That settled the matter, until after dinner he was once again assailed by the thought: “Suppose he were to refuse?” “Refuse?” said Samuel, “Why in God’s name would he refuse? The man owes me everything he has.
It is I who got him his job; it is I who introduced him to that lovely wife of his who has borne him the three sons he glories in. Will he grudge me a room for a week? Impossible!”
That settled the matter, until he got to bed and found he couldn’t sleep because the thought came back to say, “But just suppose he were to refuse. What then?” This was too much for Samuel. “How the hell could he refuse?” he said, his temper rising now. “If the man is alive today it is because of me. I saved him from drowning when he was a kid. Will he be so ungrateful as to turn me out into the streets in the middle of winter?”
But the thought was persistent. “Just suppose...” Poor Samuel struggled with it as long as he could. Finally he got out of bed around two in the morning, went over to where Moshe lived and kept his finger pressed against the doorbell button till Moshe, half asleep, opened the door and said in astonishment, “Samuel! What is it? What brings you here in the middle of the night?” Samuel was so angry by now he couldn’t keep himself from yelling, “I’ll tell you what brings me here at this hour of the night! If you think I’m going to ask you to put me up even for a single day, you’re mistaken. I don’t want to have anything to do with you, your house, your wife or your family. To hell with you all!” With that he turned on his heel and walked away.

THE PRAYER OF THE FROG 2

Anthony de Mello

“She thinks I’m real!”

1

“She thinks I’m real!”

The family settled down for dinner at the restaurant. The waitress first took the order of the adults, then, turned to the seven-year-old.
“What will you have?” she asked.
The boy looked around the table timidly and said, “I would like to have a hot dog.”
Before the waitress could write down the order the mother interrupted. “No hot dogs,” she said. “Get him a steak with mashed potatoes and carrots.”
The waitress ignored her, “Do you want ketchup or mustard on your hot dog?” she asked the boy.
“Ketchup.”
“Coming up in a minute,” said the waitress as she started for the kitchen.
There was a stunned silence when she left. Finally the boy looked at everyone present and said. “Know what? She thinks I’m real!”

“How are your children?”
“Both of them are very well thanking you.”
“How old are they?”
The doctor is three and the lawyer is five.

THE PRAYER OF THE FROG PART 2

Anthony de Mello