There was once a king, named Alphonsus, who saw that most of the young princes who dwelt in his palace were very worldly, and seldom if ever thought of prayer, or of thanking God for the benefits they were daily receiving from Him. One day the good king thought he would give them a lesson. He prepared a great banquet and invited all of them to come to it.

The princes, no doubt greatly flattered to be invited to the king’s table, happily came to the feast. As soon as they were assembled, King Alphonsus gave the sign to begin the meal. Not one of them thought of making the Sign of the Cross, or of asking a blessing before they began. In the midst of the feast the door of the hall suddenly opened and a beggar came in. He was covered with rags, and his whole appearance showed that he belonged to the lowest class of society. Without saying one word, or even asking permission, the beggar sat down amongst the nobles, not far from the king himself. He then began to eat and drink of the feast, as if he had as much right to be there as the others.

All of the young nobles were full of indignation at such conduct, and sat there in silence. When the beggar had eaten and drunk as much as he could, he got up, and without so much as looking at the king, or thanking him for the food he had received, turned towards the door and left the great hall. As soon as he had gone out, a murmur of disgust broke forth among the guests. "How outrageous!" they cried out, "a miserable man like him dare to come in here, and to eat and drink at the king’s table! And to go away without saying even one word of thanks."

At length the king stood up said to the angry guests: "My friends, you are wondering among yourselves why I permitted that poor man to remain in the room, and you are indignant at his conduct. It was by my orders he came here. I wanted to give you a lesson. Do you not all of you daily receive from your Father in Heaven marks of His bounty and Love for you? And do you ever think of giving Him thanks? Let this be for you a lesson, then. From now on be grateful to God, and never let a single day go by without thanking Him for the blessings He has bestowed upon you." They bore the king’s rebuke in silence, for they saw that it was well deserved, and they gained much by the lesson they received.