Christina was a shepherdess. She was very poor. She made a living by selling the milk. Every day, Christina took her cows to graze in a pasture near by. She always went barefoot because she had neither shoes nor the money to buy them. One day, when Christina was in the pasture, an old woman came up to her and said, “I’m hungry, my child. Feed me!” Christina gave her the only loaf of bread she had, along with a bowl of water from a stream near by. The old woman had the bread and water. Before she left, she turned into an angel and said, “You have been kind to me. Here’s your reward!” The choicest of dishes lay in front of Christina on a platter. Beside it was a huge pot of gold. The angel said, “You shall never be hungry or poor again,” and she vanished. Christina’s kindness had made her rich.
Christina and the Angel
