St. Brigid of Kildare, now one of Ireland’s patron saints, having had a life of piety, died and went to Heaven.
God greeted her warmly at the Pearly Gates.
“Be thou hungry, Brigid?” God asked her.
“I could eat something”, she said.
So, God opened a can of tuna, reached for a chunk of dry bread and they shared it.
While they were eating this humble meal, St. Brigid looked down into Hell and saw the inhabitants there devouring huge steaks, lobsters, pheasants, pastries, and wines.
St. Brigid was really curious, but deeply also trusting, so she remained quiet.
The next day, God again invited her to join him for a meal.
As before, it was tuna and dry bread.
Once again, St. Brigid could see the denizens of Hell enjoying some wonderful fine food, This time it included smoked salmon, roast lamb, Guinness and Irish whiskey cake.
Still she said nothing.
The following day, mealtime arrived and another can of tuna was opened.
By this time, she could not contain herself any longer.
Meekly, she asked, “God, I am grateful to be in Heaven with you as a reward for my life of piety, obedience and generosity. But here in Heaven all I get to eat is tuna and bread and in the Other Place they eat like emperors and kings! I just don’t understand…”
God sighed. “Let’s be honest,” he said, “for just the two of us, does it really pay to cook?”
Image used under a Collective Commons License from https://www.flickr.com/photos/fionamacginty/4354812612/