The Rich Merchant and the Angel of Death

            There was once a rich merchant who had worked through his entire life just to increase the fortune that his own father had left him. He was a miserly man. His priest’s visits ceased to be frequent, as he always turned down requests for charity to the poor. A few days before his death, the merchant suddenly remembered the priest. He asked his children to call him. However, the priest could not be reached anywhere that day. The wealthy man realized that his fortune would not help save his life. He requested that his children call his lawyer. When the lawyer came to his bedside, the rich man told him to change his last will and testament to read that he would donate his entire fortune to the church and the poor after his death. A few days later, the rich old man died.
            At that moment, the Angel of Death came to lead him on his way to his new abode. The Angel and the wealthy man entered an obscure tunnel. The Angel followed behind the merchant. The rich man kept tripping from time to time like a blind man. After a while of suffering and groping in the dark, the rich man turned to observe how the Angel was making his way, and to his surprise he discovered that the Angel had been holding a bright candle to light his path.
            The rich man had been accustomed to giving orders during his lifetime. He thus commanded the Angel:
            “Please come forward with your candle, so that I can see my way!” The Angel replied:
            “I am sorry; I cannot break the law.” The rich man became furious when he realized that for the first time in his life, his orders were not being obeyed at all. In a loud voice, he screamed at the Angel:
            “What is this powerful law of yours that I have to break my neck in this darkness?” The Angel calmly replied:
            “The light is only for those who are charitable.”
            The rich man, remembering his testament, then said to the Angel:
            “Do you know who I am?”
            “Yes!” answered the Angel. The merchant was not satisfied with the Angels answer and continued:
            “You must be wrong. I am the most generous person in the world. I have left my entire fortune to the church and the poor.” The Angel asked:
            “When will the church and the poor receive this fortune?”
            The merchant was relieved for he now believed that the Angel had not been aware of his testament. He would certainly apologize for his mistake. He replied:
            “Right now, after my death.” The Angel answered sweetly:
            “Now I understand why I received instructions to follow you with the lit candle.”
            The rich man became quite happy and in the voice of a much honored man, said to the Angel:
            “All right, I excuse you. You see, charity is light. Now please come forward and light my way.” The Angel again proceeded to a question:
            “Have you given your entire fortune as you said?”
            “Yes sir!” proudly answered the merchant:
            “When? Was it during your lifetime?” continued the Angel:
            “Oh, yes!” swore the rich man.
            “When will the church and the poor benefit from your fortune Sir? “
            The rich man became impatient and furious with these annoying angel questions and shouted loudly:
            “What are all these questions for? I will complain to your superior.”
The Angel answered firmly:
            “I receive my instructions only from the Eternal Law itself. And that Law can never be wrong. The rich man, who used to be respected, believed that the Angel was trying to wrangle with him and continued:
            “It is best that you come forward. I will forgive you.” The Angel answered:
            “I now understand that you have willed your entire fortune to be used after your death; that is why I am holding the candle behind you. You are now dead. Had you deeded your fortune for use while you were still alive, the light of the candle would have been before you and would have lighted your way.”
            The rich man felt that he had been cheated and with the disappointment sensed by an astute businessman, he said to the Angel:
            “I will call my lawyer and tell him to change the testament.”
            He now realized that this entire talk had not impressed the Angel or changed his mind. He suddenly thought of another solution and told the Angel in a patronizing voice:
            “I understand. You are a poor man who always leads the dead. I should have realized that before. Come forward with the light and I will take care of you.” The Angel did not even bother to answer.
            The dead man now realized that the Angel was very loyal to his superior, and could not be bribed. He understood that the only language that the Angel would accept was charity. He regretted having spent his entire life ignoring the priest’s exhortations for funds, while he had had such a great fortune and would have been able to satisfy the priest’s demand and help all the poor people in his town.