The Madonna of dry grapes

The Madonna of dry grapes

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A rich owner had a very beautiful vineyard, so full of grapes that everybody was envious of him. He was very jealous of his grapes, up to the point that he always stayed there day and night to surveil them, because he feared that the grapes could be stolen. 

One day an old poor lady passed by and asked him: “Sir, may I ask you for some grapes? I am extremely hungry, I beg your charity!”. “Ah, charity! These grapes are mine, and I will not give them to anyone!”, answered the man. “Thanks as well, sir, but bear in mind that God will give you the right reward”, the old lady said, and left. 

The following day the green vineyard suddenly became dry and the fruit fell down, burnt by the sun. So, in one moment the man lost all the value of his property. That happened because the evil man did not give any help to the poor woman. 

To remember this event, the inhabitants of the village built a little church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and then called the nearby area “The Madonna of dry grapes”. 

Tags: grapes; greed; old lady; punishment.

Why did the man refuse to give the grapes to the old woman? 

  1. Because he thought she was not actually hungry 
  2. Because he did not have enough for himself
  3. Because he was very stingy 

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