The Parable of the Seven Cows
Posted: Friday, December 26, 2008
by Walter Rhett
Charleston Perlo
Ethiopian icon of Mary and Jesus / google images (used under creative commons agreement)
My eyes grow weak with sorrow; . . the Lord hears my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. (Psalms 6)
Every writer has a story behind the words, feelings that lie unexpressed; visions that remain unseen. The written words are a stream, carried by the channel, dancing in the light, calling and proclaiming to readers by their sound and images. But the writer sits on a personal bank with his or her electronic clay tablet, composing and knitting pieces from a universe of details inside and out.
A part of my backstory is my Christian belief, and I often measure my words against the high traditions of God's mercy and love.
For me, mercy is the staff of life. You can live for a time without sleep, water, or food, but you can't live one moment without mercy.
Mercy is more than mere forgiveness-it is a special assignment. Mercy is more than a gift; it is transforming grace. It is love in action; mercy does more than restore; it transforms.
I bring the background within my writing to the front today, and share a story that adds a twist to mercy. For in the Parable of the Seven Cows, equality is a function of mercy and changes the life of the person who receives its gift and special assignment. It is a story we would do well to remember as we move forward to face the challenges before us. It is a story that calls us to redefine how we think by showing what happens when our thoughts carry mercy to others. It's a gift to you.
A handsome young man of great wealth decided to marry. He left his home and traveled to a neighboring island to seek a bride. When he found his bride and made his choice known, the bride accepted. Tradition held that the young man must now make the bridge's family a gift of cows. The gift was an assessment of the esteem with which he held his bride, the value of her character and passion, her intelligence and beauty, her charm and caring, her wisdom and spirit and inner joy. Bride's from the island were often one or two or even three-cow women.
The young man in his search had met a shy woman who lacked confidence, and was thought by many to not have the qualities that such a fine visitor would seek in a prospective bride. But to the astonishment of all, the young man proposed to the shy girl, she accepted, and he offered seven cows for her hand. Seven cows! Such a gift was unheard of! He then left the island to tell his family and community he had found his bride. Both communities and families began to plan the wedding.
When he returned some months later, to the island home of his fiance, she was different. Subtle changes had taken place. The bride's father had changed his atitude about her and begun to treat her with respect. The community saw her in a new light. She was now honored as a "seven cow" woman.
She responded to the gift by growing within. Touched by the young man's expression of how he say her, honored by his esteem for her, she felt fulfilled by the chance to honor his gifts and to give to him her heart and love. She would match his gifts with her own, and show her devotion for him. She grew in beauty and character, becoming gracious and caring to all who sought her who had once shunned her. She offered the gift of mercy to all she received, holding nothing against them, and encouraging them to grow beyond their old thoughts and limits and to relate in new ways toward one another, enouraging and supporting each other as they discovered the gifts and the presence of their paths in life.
Then the wedding day came and she married.
Ethiopian icon, St. Moses / google images (used under creative commons agreement)
We who have life, have "seven cows." Like the bride, we have special assignments. And like her, let us return to others the mercy given to us.
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)A delightful tale.I respectfully mention the typos: bridges, Bride's and gin (hope you were not into same as you wrote.)Images were a nice touch.thanks! Actually, no, It's an old inside family joke, beginning with my mother to my Dartmouth educated daughter . . . world's worst spellers--who also refused to spell check! Mis-spelling is actually our addiction, and the refusal to spell check our denial. I appreciate the intervention--I know I need help!!! (of course spell check would miss each of the ones you cited!)
Walter,Thank you for sharing this story. We need more mercy and less rigidity to meaningless rituals and rules. PS. I'm not sure where these typos appear. LOL. Peace to you.
my comment above mis-spells "refuse"!
Walter, you have a good point. Everyone should have,at least, one denial to avoid being a boring perfectionist.Reminds me of the man who sold a lot of shoes to the passersby who came in to tell him about his sign, "Shoes On Sail." -- Gerry
Great article! Especially in this day and age it's good to reflect like you have done so well.
hi walter,very interesting.mercy is such a gift when one possesses the skills to be able to spread it.parents most certainly use it while forgiving one thing after another of their kids' behaviors.thanks for sharing,best regards,sue thom
Beautiful article. I loved it. You are such a wonderful writer. I think I tell you that after each article--if so, all the more true. Keep up the good work and God Bless.Sandra
The (hopefully unintentional) parallels to sex-tourism and mail-order brides muddy your message. Surely you don't really want to suggest that a young woman's self-esteem and worth-to-community should be improved by the price a stranger is willing to pay for her?You mention that we who have life have seven cows...like the bride. Your bride never had seven cows. The stranger had seven cows and promised them to her family. And offering to purchase a young woman forever - even with her consent - is pretty hard to justify as 'mercy'.I understand what you're going for, here, but these dark inflections destroy what you intended to teach. Maybe you should try writing from a young woman's perspective, instead? Her kindness to those who did not value her could indeed be a strong lesson in mercy and generosity of spirit. Also it would make the concerns of woman-as-item-for-purchase less of an issue.Lovely images, though.An-- The cows are symbols!!!! Expressions of the very things you cite!! Not examples. The tale is a moral allegory, of how our self-image is influenced by others, and how the regard of others can change and empower us. Like all traditional tales, the cows are symbols of atitudes--to assign modern meaning to a traditional tale simply continues to limit life outside of material conditions, and devalue living heart--the "dark inflections" I think are as the Buddhist priest once said, after he carried a woman across a stream (forbidden by Buddhist practice) and his friend, another priest, continued to brood throughout the day: "I carried her then; you carry her now." I sense that you are to filled with the things of the modern world to set it aside, and see the shadow of modern times even in ancient stories. I understand. As an African-American, I know many people who are consumed with the cruelty of slavery, and are totally unable to see that those enslaved also laughed, loved, cried, rejoiced, and affirmed their humanity. I think the tale, from its point of view, serves an important, cautionary purpose. Thanks for your views. I do welcome open discussion. You offer important food for thought.
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