Page:The Gospel of Râmakrishna.djvu/146

 getting very late; I cannot wait any longer." But the Lord did not speak. Then the boy began to cry, saying: "Lord, my father told me to see that Thou didst eat the offering. Why dost Thou not come. Thou comest to my father and eatest his offering. What have I done that Thou dost not come to me and eat my offering?" He cried bitterly and for a long time. Then as "he looked up at the seat, he saw the Deity in a human form eating the offering. When the service was ended and the boy came out, the members of the household said to him, "If the service is over, bring out the offering." The boy replied: "Yes, but the Lord has eaten everything." In amazement they asked: "What did you say?" With absolute innocence the boy repeated: "Why, the Lord has eaten all that I offered." Then they entered the chapel and were dumbfounded at the sight of the empty dishes. Such is the power of true faith and true yearning! Yes, faith will enable a man to cross the mighty ocean itself without the least difficulty. In the epic Ramayana it is said: Rama Chandra (God Incarnate) worked hard to throw a bridge over the part of the sea separating Lanka (Ceylon) from the mainland of India. But as if