The lion and the cats

by Paulo Coelho on August 12, 2011


Illustration by Ken Crane

 
A lion came across a group of cats having a chat. “I’m going to devour them,” he thought.

But then an odd feeling of calm came over him. And he decided to sit down with them and pay attention to what they were saying.

- Good God! – said one of the cats, without noticing the lion’s presence. – We have prayed all afternoon! We asked for the skies to rain mice on us!

- And so far nothing has happened! – said another. – I wonder if the Lord really exists.

The skies remained mute. And the cats lost their faith.

The lion rose and went on his way, thinking: “funny how things are. I was going to kill those animals, but God stopped me. And even so, they stopped believing in divine grace. They were so worried about what was missing that they did not even notice the protection they were given.”
 
 
 

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{ 141 comments… read them below or add one }

Raphael Michael August 17, 2011 at 2:47 am

Nem o mais sábio e determinado é capaz de adivinhar tudo que está acontecendo. Ele vê os sinais, mas são como estrelas; se você desvia por um minuto, dificilmente consegue encontrar qual estava olhando.

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maia belinda sevallar August 17, 2011 at 2:22 am

WE SHOULD ALWAYS COUNT OUR BLESSINGS!!!

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Tin Cruz August 17, 2011 at 1:24 am

I just woke up and i came across this link on fb. This one of the best way to start a new day. Im a huge fan of this awesome writer. Mr.Paulo Coelho, this 20 second reading is worth a lifetime. :-D

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Anna Vanessa A. Ocampo August 17, 2011 at 7:26 am

God has its own way of providing what we prayed for…Keep on believing GOD…

Silvana Alves Reis August 17, 2011 at 1:15 am

If you didn’t recognize God, He will not recognize you….

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Janet 'Gigi' Gilchrist August 17, 2011 at 1:04 am

Sometimes what you wish for is not wisely granted in a visible way. You might not be aware but the forces are working behind the scenes anyway.
How great the gift can be when it is not witnessed – as in the story!!! If only you knew – but it doesn’t really matter.
The key is to believe always!
Bye the way, I love Ken’s photo

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MINERVA GARCIA August 16, 2011 at 11:55 pm

es simplemente cierto !!!!!!!!!!!!

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alicia August 16, 2011 at 11:42 pm

ES CIERTO A VECES NO ADVERTIMOS LOS PELIGROS

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siofa August 16, 2011 at 11:26 pm

Reminds me of the footprints on the sand story . . . when I was suffering how come there was only one set of footprints – mine alone – when I needed you to walk beside me. God answers, it was because I was carrying you at this time. We don’t always get the full picture. Never underestimate God and her Angels.

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betsisanders August 16, 2011 at 11:15 pm

We should always count our blessings. It’s another beautiful day, another opportunity to do good, one more occasion to love , another moment to be happy. LOL … Not laugh out loud, but Live on Love ;)

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Andres T P August 16, 2011 at 11:13 pm

…jajajaja…precioso.

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Betsy Stevens August 16, 2011 at 11:10 pm

Great story, I couldn’t have said it any better…
Thank You Paulo, once again…

Love You
Bety

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Jackie noriega August 16, 2011 at 11:06 pm

pa
ulo esta es una hermosa lectura que nos trae a la memoria bellos recuerdos de como muchas veces Dios nos toca con su immenso amor pero que en ese momento no lo notamos y no lo agradecemos porque estamos esperando que nos llegue alguna peticiòn en particular por eso y por todo le doy gracias a Dios porque es misericordioso y le pido perdòn por las tantas veces que no agradecì las bendiciones que me diò

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Liz Michelle Arrocha August 16, 2011 at 10:19 pm

VERDICT…we can familiarize our lives with this story since always we picture ourselves in a specific event or episode in our lives in which suddenly, we see a dark cloud posing on top of our heads, but could be just dark cloud preventing us that a real bigger storm is coming towards us soon, so what I’m trying to say is that anything that happens to us always have something good …. a good purpose or reason behind, that at the moment we may not be able to perceive, but at the long run we’ll end up understanding and being grateful cause’ that specific event or situation was preventing something worst that was to arrive …. we have to be grateful for the good and the not so good in our lives, there is always a good reason for everything !!!

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Yusra August 16, 2011 at 10:16 pm

It’s an excellent lesson. look at the positive side of things, always try to see what you were given and not taken, that atittude.. believe me, makes you a happy person.

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Mar August 16, 2011 at 10:16 pm

I losing my faith.. but God has giving me a lot of blessing.

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Parthasarathi Ganguly August 16, 2011 at 10:11 pm

the post is a perfect depiction of how the citizens of the modern centuries ignore the best natural necessities gifted by the holy divine …and yet still the society keeps on fighting making some or the other thing as the basic of ‘nuisance’ ..
still sticking to the forum …the post was pretty ‘fascinating & influential’ ..hats off to Mr. Coelho :)

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teodora August 16, 2011 at 10:07 pm

no podre seguir compartiendo mis ideas con voz no se ingles…

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Per Bjerke August 16, 2011 at 10:03 pm

Lions are intelligent, they don’t eat “baby-lions”.

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vola August 16, 2011 at 10:03 pm

really a gr8 one n a gr8 lesson to learn!!!

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cindy fox August 16, 2011 at 9:55 pm

Obrigada por esta bonita historia, tantas vezes que nao damos valor as mensagens que recebemos, “quando se fechq uma porta, abre se sempre uma janela”… ha que saber ler e entender…

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Lailah August 16, 2011 at 9:50 pm

Wow this is so true, sometimes we don’t see the blessings that are just in front of our eyes because we are paying too much attention to what is missing in our lives. We have to finally realize that life itself is a blessing! We don’t need more than that.

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Régine August 16, 2011 at 9:40 pm

C’est plus que vrai, parfois, à force de nous croire seul, nous nous renfermons, nous cachons en nous comme dans le noir et ne voyons plus les autres, ni Dieu qui nous protège.

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Lisa Steeves August 16, 2011 at 9:39 pm

My God, what a beautiful story. It touched me on two levels. First, about never to lose faith or hope and secondly, I love cats of all breeds and sizes, including lions

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Linda Garizio August 16, 2011 at 9:34 pm

My goodness how we miss so much in our lives by not looking!

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Mari Raphael August 16, 2011 at 12:53 pm

Sim muitas vezes a gente não vê as graças recebidas.

“Obrigada Senhor/a pelos milagres realizados, e especialmente por todos os que eu não tive a capacidade de ver ou sentir”

Beijos,
Mari

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Barbara Zedler August 16, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Ken, your pictures are awesome!!! :)

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Ken Crane August 17, 2011 at 7:29 am

Thank you Barbara!!

coolguy1609 August 15, 2011 at 7:52 am

Very true and here’s a true story: A small land fish prayed to God to protect her from a big land shark. The shark didn’t swallow the small fish because the conditions became adverse for the land shark but for sometime during the adverse conditions no fish got too much food! However, this small fish was still grateful that she survived and had some food to keep her going. A few years later she became a big fish but remembered not to eat up other fish for she was a human fish… She knew kindness, compassion and gratitude!!!

Love

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wanbliska August 15, 2011 at 3:23 am

A lion mountain was killed on thursday. He was living in the zoo, here in Arizona and I don’t understand really why they shoot him. I find it really unjust.

During this time, the cats where attacking rabbits that were having a virus alike in themselves…Mice procceeding on their inventory.

I will verify but I don’t remember if it was tuesday or thursday. I was assisting to a sunset with another person, nearby a white pyramid as to the memory of a man.
We heard a lion emitting a sad tune, crying. Then we heard something else we never heard before. I couldn’t describe that sound. It was in a quite length sustained. Loud sound but fluent. This sound displaced itself, consequently and it was having a flying sound. What was that?
At the moment we were about to leave the lion cried again three times.
I was told on saturday he died. I thought he did of elderness!

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Padraic Israel August 14, 2011 at 11:33 pm

Ain’t that the truth! So many of us are always praying for what we want, denouncing G-d when he doesn’t grant our “wish.” Yet we rarely see the true gifts laying around that G-d has given us with love.

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solomon abate August 14, 2011 at 6:34 pm

God bless you Mr. Coelho. I was i a doubtful situation lately but it i think is a powerful message. Even more powerful than the preacher’s message.

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barbara August 14, 2011 at 2:01 pm

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
– Henry David Thoreau

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Olta Canka August 14, 2011 at 1:49 pm

We are all a big world full of cats.
Trust, faith is good but hard to have sometimes.

We can’t see the divine plan for us, but we could have faith in it…

Love

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David Bennett August 14, 2011 at 11:50 am

In this best of all possible works rushes headlong into conflict with the imperative to do good and show compassionate in a world where one can be almost certain that someone somewhere is being tortured at this moment. Lala land is not here on Earth. Appreciate what is good but work to make the world a better place.

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wanbliska August 15, 2011 at 11:23 am

If we want Lala land to be, we have to praise it now. It’s a long work and also the desire to find a contact we lost maybe a long time ago. This land was probably not called Lala. Ah ah you make me smile, towards your rude way of doing.

Maybe that compassion avoid more tortures. How could we verify? Maybe it creates an energy that needs to be conscious to be more powerful.
And maybe not.

Anyway, let’s work on it.
Cheers

Betsy Stevens August 16, 2011 at 11:08 pm

I agree with you, and yet we still go on everyday…If we all appreciated what is good what a wonderful world it would be,but like you said still someone somewhere is being tortured…God Bless…

Betsy

Gabriela Romaria August 14, 2011 at 9:25 am

I see my comment was not published here. may I know why? Is because of the lion, the cat or because of GOD? I am sososo confused!

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Alexandra August 14, 2011 at 7:51 am

Funny…lovely picture. and a good lesson. The cats needed most the protection against being eaten by the lion, but they did not know. Of course as always, we dont know better whats best for us, only All mighty do.

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Steve Carell August 14, 2011 at 7:45 am

Nice lesson in a child like way, you thinks great,
May God give every one such thinking and knowledge….

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melli August 14, 2011 at 6:04 am

Thank you so much, Paulo. This is exactly the reminder I needed today–just because things don’t go as I think they should, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t watching out for me! Much peace and love to you.

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Olga August 14, 2011 at 3:29 am

Sé que tiene un significado.

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karen August 13, 2011 at 7:33 pm

Driving home today I saw signs all around me. Literally, they are everywhere. I realized how often I only look inside myself (pondering this thought or that) and missing all the guide posts looking right at me. And then I read this story and smiled and laughed. What a good reminder to check in with my own awareness :-).

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Sujata August 13, 2011 at 6:25 pm

Human nature i believe. This too shall pass – is what we should remember and be grateful to God.

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Dennis August 13, 2011 at 3:48 pm

In every day, a miracle happened. You wake up, see the bright sky and at the end of the day, you are trying to remember what you’ve missed or did you really missed something? That is the perception, we opt to think that we have a lot of things to do and wonder if we have enough time to accomplish them. We try to comprehend the things we didn’t accomplished. Have you ever think that we don’t have to do everything? As it is going to be flowing freely like a river. Whatever is desired for you, it shall be accomplished in time. We are living our life while God holds our time.

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Jacqueline August 13, 2011 at 12:39 pm

Really nice story..Makes me smile..Thank you Paulo..

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Annie August 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

The World – BY HENRY VAUGHAN

I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,
Driv’n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov’d; in which the world
And all her train were hurl’d.
The doting lover in his quaintest strain
Did there complain;
Near him, his lute, his fancy, and his flights,
Wit’s sour delights,
With gloves, and knots, the silly snares of pleasure,
Yet his dear treasure
All scatter’d lay, while he his eyes did pour
Upon a flow’r.

The darksome statesman hung with weights and woe,
Like a thick midnight-fog mov’d there so slow,
He did not stay, nor go;
Condemning thoughts (like sad eclipses) scowl
Upon his soul,
And clouds of crying witnesses without
Pursued him with one shout.
Yet digg’d the mole, and lest his ways be found,
Work’d under ground,
Where he did clutch his prey; but one did see
That policy;
Churches and altars fed him; perjuries
Were gnats and flies;
It rain’d about him blood and tears, but he
Drank them as free.

The fearful miser on a heap of rust
Sate pining all his life there, did scarce trust
His own hands with the dust,
Yet would not place one piece above, but lives
In fear of thieves;
Thousands there were as frantic as himself,
And hugg’d each one his pelf;
The downright epicure plac’d heav’n in sense,
And scorn’d pretence,
While others, slipp’d into a wide excess,
Said little less;
The weaker sort slight, trivial wares enslave,
Who think them brave;
And poor despised Truth sate counting by
Their victory.

Yet some, who all this while did weep and sing,
And sing, and weep, soar’d up into the ring;
But most would use no wing.
O fools (said I) thus to prefer dark night
Before true light,
To live in grots and caves, and hate the day
Because it shews the way,
The way, which from this dead and dark abode
Leads up to God,
A way where you might tread the sun, and be
More bright than he.
But as I did their madness so discuss
One whisper’d thus,
“This ring the Bridegroom did for none provide,
But for his bride.”

Love and Gratitude
Annie

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Marie-Christine August 13, 2011 at 11:57 am

The centipede is a jolly one, with its magic hat, advancing confidently onto the terrain.

I have been focusing more onto the one lying down -displaying natural lion’s traits, swaying the white flag nonchalantly, poking its tongue; with the right ear slightly down over the ground. Just look at the eyes – so different – they are the opposite of the other three -the eyelids being more pronounced – totally in touch with its environment.

I can’t help thinking Yes,it’s true – a cat has nine lives -
:)

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Dr Sabir Ch August 13, 2011 at 11:37 am

Extreamlly heart touching…. Great

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Jane Stewart (Dances With Crayons) August 13, 2011 at 5:23 am

Cat = chat
Made me laugh. Bigger picture, perspective, angels, blessings.

Gratitude, Love and Blessings

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Jane Stewart (Dances With Crayons) August 13, 2011 at 5:59 am

A little faith that things are working in your favor, even though it may seem otherwise at the moment.

Salam August 13, 2011 at 5:19 am

Dear Mr. Coelho: There is a saint waiting for you in Lefke, Cyprus. His name is Sheikh Nazim Al-Haqqani. He’s the one whom you’ve been seeing in your dreams.

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yogesh singh August 13, 2011 at 3:27 am

in this race of modern civilization we really don’t think how lucky we are , we only think what we dont have and the divine
god this . even without thinking everything we have is due to god . praise the lord……. amen

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Leandro August 13, 2011 at 2:22 am

yeah, that’s the human nature, we can’t accept the high acts of God, we, almost all the time, think as a limited human being having as constraints: our desires, the time, our logic, our sense of what is good for us and to the world. We do proper good laughs to the God. Anyway, I try to pursue the “God goodness” with the eye and heart. At the end God forgive us for being so small in spirit! ;)

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yo-yo August 13, 2011 at 12:23 am

Me encontraba en la pradera
pensativa, triste y sola
vi un angel hermoso y era
la muy candorosa Lola.

¿Quién eres tú niña hermosa?
¿Virgen de púdica risa?
eres cual fragante risa
que mecida por la brisa.

Eres bello ruiseñor
que alegre canta en la rama
que manifiesta su amor
al aura que tanto le ama.

En prueba de mi amistad
te envío estos versos hoy
leed y siempre amad
A mí.

Gabriela Mistral

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luz August 17, 2011 at 3:29 am

siempre preocupados por lo que no tenemos, y no vemos lo que si tenemos

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