Divine Providence never fails
St. Elizabeth of Portugal had a very virtuous and pious page to whom she would distribute her alms.
Another page, who aspired to that position, being very envious, accused him to the king of a great crime, a very ugly sin.
He believed the king in the lies of the wicked page and decided to kill the holy queen’s little bird. He ordered a man with a lime kiln to throw the first servant to the fire to inquire whether the king’s orders had been carried out.
Then he told the little boy to take the message to the owner of the oven.
The young man left immediately; but as he passed by a church and listened to the Mass, he resolved to listen to it before he went on.
While he was listening, the king, eager to know if he had died, sent the slanderous page that he should ask the man in the oven if he had executed the king’s order.
He ran so fast that he came first to the oven and, giving the message, the man immediately threw him into the fire.
It was already burning, when, shortly after, the queen’s little girl arrived, who had attended the whole Mass, and asked if they had fulfilled the king’s command.
Having received an affirmative answer, he ran to the palace to communicate it to the king.
When he saw the young man, he was astonished, and guessed the secret dispositions of Divine Providence, which would have enabled the punishment of the guilty and the salvation of the innocent.
A boy named Renato, to whom his father related this affair, was so impressed that he not only wanted to hear many masses, but still made himself priest so that he could celebrate the holy Sacrifice for others.
Source: From the book “Treasure of Examples” of Father Francisco Alves, published by AASCJ
