The Secret in the Mother Superior’s Desk
A group of young novices were assigned to clean the Mother Superior’s office while she was away at a weekend meeting. The Mother Superior was known for being extremely strict, organized, and serious about all church rules.
While dusting the large mahogany desk, one of the novices accidentally knocked over a stack of papers, revealing a small, locked wooden box hidden in the very back of the drawer.
Curiosity got the better of them. They knew it was a sin to pry, but they couldn’t resist. One of the novices found the small key hidden under the inkwell and carefully opened the box.
Inside, to their total amazement, there were only two things: three small hen eggs and a massive stack of one-hundred-dollar bills totaling exactly $50,000.
The novices quickly locked the box and put everything back, feeling incredibly guilty.
On Monday, when the Mother Superior returned, the guilt was too much for the leader of the novices. She walked into the office, dropped to her knees, and confessed, “Mother, please forgive us! We sinned. We opened the locked wooden box in your desk drawer while cleaning.”
The Mother Superior sighed, soft and calm. “Well, my children, since you already saw it, I suppose I should explain. You see, during my 30 years as Mother Superior, whenever I delivered a sermon that was a bit too boring or too long, I would put one hen egg in that box as a reminder to be humble.”
The novice looked amazed and relieved. “Wow, Mother! Only three eggs in 30 years? That is incredible! You are a wonderful speaker! But… what about the fifty thousand dollars?”
The Mother Superior rubbed her temples, smiled weakly, and replied, “Well, dear… every time the box got full with a dozen eggs, I took them to the local market and sold them!”
