Our Lord Christ, while he was walking on earth, became very hungry, and as he passed through a village, he went to the richest man: he asked for something to eat in the name of God. The rich man shouted at him with great sternness, and chased him out of the house.
- Get out of here! There's nothing!
Christ our Lord went on, and entered a little house at the end of the village. There was a very poor man living there, and this poor man was sitting at the table, with a dish of potatoes in front of him: he was eating from it, he had no other supper.
Christ greets the poor man:
- Good evening, poor man! Give me something in the name of God, I'm very hungry.
Said the poor man:
- I'm happy with what I've got, but I've got nothing but potatoes. Sit down and eat!
Our Lord Christ sat down at the table, the poor man and I ate a bowl of potatoes, and then he folded his hands and blessed the poor man's table, and in the twinkling of an eye the bowl was full of potatoes. Then he said goodbye to the poor man and continued on his journey, but the potatoes were still in the poor man's bowl.
It got a lot of publicity, and people came from all over. The rich man also came, and when he saw the great wonder, he said to himself that the beggar should come to his house once more - for that is what he thought Christ our Lord was - and not drive him away, but sit him down, and feed him with the grace of a gentleman, that he might bless his table also.
It was indeed as the rich man thought. After a little while, our Lord Christ returned to the village and entered the rich man's house. He received him now with great kindness. He sat him down at his table, and first of all he brought in a dish of potatoes and offered them to our Lord Christ:
- Eat, poor man, eat! Our Lord Christ ate of the potatoes, and the bowl was emptied, but no other potatoes were produced to replace them, as the poor man had.
Says the rich man:
- Are you the beggar who blessed the poor man's table?
- 'That I am,' said Christ.
- So bless my table too!
Our Lord Christ clasped his hands, and said something to himself quietly, but what he said, what he did not say, the blessing was not received, the bowl remained empty.
The rich man asks:
- I wonder what the reason is that my bowl remains empty?
Christ said:
- Because your potatoes are no good.
He got up from the table, said good night, and left the rich man. Slowly the rich man ran out not only of potatoes, but also of one. Then he tried in vain, he was impoverished, he had no blessing from God on any of his work.
But the poor man's potatoes kept multiplying, multiplying so much that he didn't know where to put them. But he became a rich man, such as there was no other in the village, not even in the neighbouring village, not even in seven counties!
(Elek Benedek: Hungarian tale- and mythology Volume 3)
