Two Wolves

It seems everybody is telling us, these days, that we have ponderous choices to make and that we are responsible for those choices! Sometimes, that bit of information can be less than helpful and/or even burdensome.

There is an old Cherokee, however, who may help us make a good choice about our Lenten plans. It seems he was the sage for his grandson who may have been sitting on grandpa’s lap eager for an afternoon story telling time! The story is entitled “Two Wolves.”

The old Cherokee tells his grandson about a fight that is going on inside himself. He said it was between two wolves.

One is evil: anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is good: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one I feed.”

During Lent we can choose to starve the evil wolf within and to nourish the good one! The choice is ours, of course! Lent, as “the springtime of the soul”, is the result of our good choices.

Renee Domeier, OSB