Two tales of a scorpion, one Catholic, one Muslim

I was inspired to recollect a story about a scorpion from the account posted on Virtuous Planet yesterday, please visit their site and read the story of the Monk and the Scorpion and then compare it with my Muslim one.

The Arabs tell this tale (although we claim it as an Aesop's Fable) to illustrate the manner in which they think, it is, perhaps, a bit of a jibe at their own nature, here it is.....

                                   The Frog and the Scorpion

A scorpion came to the edge of a river and desperately wanted to get to the far bank but was unable to swim. Very soon a frog approached and the scorpion, seizing the opportunity, addressed him thus: "Dear and esteemed frog would you please be kind enough to carry me across this river on your back?"

The frog responded: "But you must think me a fool for if I carried you on my back across the river you would surely sting me and then I would die"

"Not at all, my dear friend" said the scorpion. "For if I was to sting you then we would both die, you from my sting and me from drowning"

The frog thought that this was eminently logical and, being a kindly soul, agreed to carry the scorpion.

All went well until they were halfway across the river when the scorpion suddenly dealt the frog a fatal sting.

"Aaah" cried the frog, "Now we are both done for, why did you sting me?"

"Because" said the scorpion "It is my nature."

I much prefer the Catholic version on Virtuous Planet but the other does give an interesting insight into the Arab psyche.

Priestly deception...it can happen

Reluctant Sinner has an interesting piece about a fraud on a Cistercian Abbey carried out by someone impersonating a Benedictine monk (no cheap shots about it normally being a Francisan, please). It is a serious piece but it did prompt a story in my mind about Mount Melleray up in Ireland's, Knockmealdown Mountains in County Waterford.



A Mount Melleray Monk, or maybe, a taxi driver!

 Mt Melleray is a community of Cistercian (Trappist) Monks and, many years ago, part of their raison d'etre was to offer a drying out period to priests who had sadly become alcoholics. This was not uncommon in Ireland both for lay people and clergy; a teacher at school many years past used to say that Ireland's addiction to the booze was a direct result of Cromwell and all the troubles he brought down on good Irish heads. All I can say is they've taken a long time to get over it.

So back to the story; here we have a good community of monks succouring to the needs of drink afflicted clergy and driving out their demons. Now Mt Melleray is a long way from anywhere, from memory, Cork City is about 30 or 40 miles away and there is no obvious means of public transport. So it was quite usual for "patients" to arrive at the Monastery by taxi - all the way from Cork.

At about 11pm one night a taxi pulled up at the Monastery door but the priest passenger pulled a fast one on the driver by leaping out of the cab and grabbing the driver's cap before hammering violently on the door of the Monastery.

When the door was opened he fell into the arms of the Monk yelling: "You've got to help me, the holy man in me taxi is claiming he's the driver and he's about to make off wiv me car!"

"Be at ease" my good man, said the Monk who gave a yell, whereupon three burly Monks appeared and rushed out to the cab and dragged the real driver into the Monastery.

"Ah God love yez Father" (they speak like that in Ireland) said the priest before making off in the taxi never to be seen again.

Apparently, it took the real cab driver three weeks to convince the Father Abbot as to the truth of what had happened.