One Step Toward Mercy

There was once a man from the nations before us… a man whose hands were heavy with

sin. He had taken ninety-nine lives. Yet something stirred inside him.

A question he could no longer silence. “Is there any hope left for me?” He searched for

the most learned person on earth and was sent to a monk. Standing before

him, the man confessed his crimes and asked about repentance. The answer was cold.

“There is no forgiveness for you.” In despair and rage, the man took another life—

one hundred souls now weighed upon him. Still, the question returned.

This time, he was guided to a true scholar. Again, he confessed everything.