The little town of Höhenlagen was surrounded by a world of whiteness: high, snow-covered mountains, which on sunny days reflected the light with dazzling splendour, seeming like an apparition of Angel hosts. Many wondered if the place was the entrance to Paradise… One mountain towered above the rest: the great Himmelsspitze. Its peak could not even be glimpsed, as it rose beyond the clouds.
This was the village where Wilhelm lived. As long as he could remember, he had been familiar with the heights. All of his childhood pastimes such as picnics or watching the sunrise, had lofty mountains in the background. Although there were many benefits to living in the high altitudes, there were dangers as well. One such hazard hung over Wilhelm’s whole youth, leading to a tragic event. Do you want to know the story?
His grades at school were always good, since he was gifted with a clever mind. He was the apple of his mother’s eye, and once, to reward him, she took him to the best bakery in town so that he could indulge himself to his heart’s content. Wilhelm strolled around the store, enthralled with the trays of sweets, and his mother followed him, promptly adding to her cart whatever seemed to please him most. After he had made the rounds and chosen his favourites, it was time to pay the shop clerk. As the order was being tallied, Wilhelm peered at the display in the shop window. He saw a luscious torte unlike anything he had ever eaten. It was decorated with chocolate, marzipan stars, candied fruits and whipped cream. It looked scrumptious! He ran over and tugged at his mother’s arm, but the lady at the till quickly explained:
“That one is reserved for another customer.”
Wilhelm was not at all satisfied with the reply and stealthily kept his eye on the torte, waiting for a “good opportunity” to pounce. “I’m just going to have a little taste,” he thought to himself. When he was certain that no one was looking, he ran a finger around the torte and quickly ate a dollop. At that very same moment, a tiny pebble the size of a button came loose from the summit of Himmelsspitze and began to bounce down the slope, gathering snow around it as it slid…
Time went by. Wilhelm reached age fifteen. One day at school, the teacher said:
“Today we will have a surprise English quiz. The results will reveal to us our weak points, so that we can review them in the next class. That is the right way to learn the material!”
“Can we use pencils, sir?”
“Certainly not! All tests must be written in pen!”
During the quiz, Wilhelm saw that one of his classmates was using an attractive pen. It was a shiny, dark green, with bronze detailing.
“Wow, Erwin, nice pen! Where did you buy it?”
“I don’t know… My sister gave it to me when she got back from France.”
“Boys!” called out the teacher, “now is not the time for chit-chat!”
They bent over their test papers again. The clever Wilhelm finished the test quickly and easily. He handed the sheet back to the teacher, and returned to his seat. His attention was drawn once more to his classmate’s pen. The lad was still mulling over his test. Wilhelm thought: “Hmm…! That’s one good pen! Erwin doesn’t have the sense to know that you don’t write a test with that kind of pen. I bet he doesn’t even know its value.”
After class, the teacher said:
“Everyone must hand in their quiz, before going for recess.”
As Erwin was leaving, Wilhelm overtook him:
“So, how did it go?”
“I think I just scraped by this time… I’m going to the water fountain to relax a bit after all that pressure.”
Wilhelm went down to the cafeteria with him, had a glass of juice, and crept back to the classroom. He opened Erwin’s pencil case and stole the pen, stuffing it deep into his backpack, then he returned to the schoolyard, trying not to let anything show. At the same moment as that sinful act, the stone that had broken loose from Himmelsspitze began to roll with greater speed, gathering snow, and growing in size.
Another time, as the boy took a shortcut through a farmer’s market, he saw two grandmotherly ladies bidding each other farewell before returning to their homes after selling their wares. One of them had absent-mindedly left a sack of change, containing several gold coins, on the stand. Unobserved, he swiped the little pouch. And that stone, which long ago had started out as a “pebble”, went on gathering snow and growing in size and speed.
As Wilhelm got older, the vice of theft took deeper and deeper root in his soul. Over time, he became a very experienced thief, stealing huge amounts of money and always managing to escape unharmed, without even falling under suspicion. With the money he acquired, he built a luxurious house on the foothills of Himmelsspitze.
One night he lay abed, scheming the next day’s thievery. He had discovered that there were highly valuable objects in the private chapel of the bishop. He dreamed of selling these articles in another city, and taking away a fortune. These thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a strange and threatening noise. The sound grew louder at each second. Getting up, he ran to the window to see a huge ball of snow hurtling down the mountainside at dizzying speed, headed straight for him. Judging by its size, it would reduce his house to ruins.
The village dwellers of nearby Höhenlagen also rushed from their homes to see what was happing. At the sight of the gigantic snowball, everyone prayed, many cried, others begged Wilhelm to run; but he seemed as if rooted to the spot, unresponsive and silent, with his eyes bulging from their sockets.
But faster than the devastation caused by the force of gravity was the last call of divine grace. Like a flash of lightning, the conscience of the thief warned him that this was the due chastisement for his crimes; the snow could bury him, giving way to eternal fire if he did not repent.
As white as a sheet, Wilhelm made the Sign of the Cross. He brought his trembling hands together and murmured a prayer. At that moment – O miracle! – when death was no more than ten meters away, the Blessed Virgin, resplendent in light, intervened! With arms outstretched and her Immaculate Heart visible, She cast a blazing light that instantly liquefied the snow, dispelling its force. In an instant the danger was over!
Immediately transformed, Wilhelm, left his home in search of the other mountain dwellers. The people rushed to meet him and he, on his knees before the crowd, confessed his sins amid sobs and tears. How could his neighbours reject one whom Our Lady loved to the point of snatching him from death and changing his heart? The good people of Höhenlagen reacted with compassion and charity.
Returning all that he had stolen and donating his goods to those in need, the former thief became a new man. There, at the foot of Himmelsspitze, a new mountain began to rise: the life of virtue that Wilhelm embraced with all his heart, from that day forward.
Let us bear in mind that when we give in to error, no matter how small it may seem, it gradually gathers force within us until it swells to immense proportions, just as the small stone became a threatening snowball. Nothing can stop this terrible process, except the mercy of Mary before God our Lord. ◊
