The Two Brothers and the Gold by Leo Tolstoy. Short summary

5 seconds

Athanasius and John helped people and lived on handouts. One day John found gold and jumped with horror. Athanasius took the gold and built orphanages and a hospital. But the angel declared that his brother was more pleasing to God.

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The two brothers, Athanasius and John lived a selfless life. They helped people all week long, fed on what they were given, and took no payment for their labor. They took care of the sick, the widows, and the poor. On Sundays, they prayed and talked, while on Mondays an angel came to bless them. Then they went their separate ways.

One day Athanasius looked around and saw that John had jumped back in the road in terror from something. He looked and saw a pile of gold. Athanasius took it, built orphanages for the poor and orphans and a hospital with it, and found honest stewards. He himself took nothing.

He was busy for three months and missed his brother. He decided to go to their house to see his brother. But the angel prevented him and told him that it was more dear to God that John bounced off the gold than all that Athanasius had built. Then Athanasius realized that he had not done God’s work and repented.

The brothers lived together again as before.