Church Militant: The Frugal Farmer (and the 8th Commandment)

By Joe Sixpack, The Every Catholic Guy, Church Militant, July 5, 2022

Calumny and other sins

A frugal farmer was on his way to market one day when he saw a piece of string lying on the road. He thought it might come in useful, so he bent down to pick it up. And just then, a passerby saw him put it in his pocket.

Later, a man’s wallet containing several hundred dollars was reported to be lost at the same spot. So, the police asked the farmer what he knew about it. They didn’t believe him when he told them he’d only picked up a piece of string. Indeed, the entire town laughed at the farmer’s explanation. He tried to tell everyone around town the true story of what happened, but nobody believed him.

He couldn’t sleep that night and was absolutely miserable over everyone thinking he was a thief. The next day, the wallet was found lying empty on the road. The farmer happily told everyone this new detail, but by now he’d been judged guilty by the common consent of all the townspeople. They decided this latest detail was just a clever trick by the farmer so he could keep the money. …

Continue reading >>>>