Once a priest arrived in a small city to serve in a local church.
A few days later, he went from his house to the city center on a bus. Having already paid the bus driver and disembarked, he found that the driver had given him an extra ten hryven[1] over the cost of the ride.
A struggle began in his mind. One part of him said, “Return the ten hryven, because they are not yours!”
Another part of him objected, thinking: “Come on, it’s only ten hryven. Is this really a cause for concern? The bus company has a huge income, they don’t care about such a trifle. Just consider these ten hryven’ as a Blessing from The Lord, and quietly go on your way.”
When the time came for the Priest to leave, he resolved to give the ten hryven back to the bus driver saying, “You gave me too much.” With a smile on his face, the bus driver replied, “You must be a new Priest, right? I was thinking about whether or not I should go to your church. Therefore, I decided to see what you would do if I gave you too much change.”
When the Priest left the bus, he trembled and grabbed the first lamppost to keep from falling, and said “Oh God! I almost sold Your Son for ten hryven!
Translation by Matfey Shaheen