A certain lady had a lovely dress of sky-blue silk made as a present to her grown daughter at Christmas. On Christmas eve the tailor brought it to their home. The young lady tried it on at once, to see if it was properly made. To her satisfaction and that of every one else, it fit her perfectly.

The lady paid the bill for the dress, and said to her daughter: "Go into the next room and bring a glass of red wine for the tailor. But make sure you strike a light before you pour it out."

The girl went at once to do what her mother told her and soon returned with a glass of wine, which she handed to the tailor. He raised the glass to his lips and took a great mouthful, but quickly spat it all out again. Lo and behold! The lovely new dress was sprinkled with big, ugly spots of ink. The beautiful sky-blue silk was permanently stained with black ink.

The girl had not taken the trouble to do as her mother told her, and strike a light in the adjoining room; hence she took the wrong bottle, and brought a glass of ink instead of a glass of wine.

The young lady was thoroughly scolded for her disobedience by her mother, and all the next year no new dress was given to her.

However much it may have seemed troublesome to the girl for her to strike a light, she was troubled far more by the effects of her disobedience. For an entire year she would have no pretty dress, while the time it would have taken for her to simply obey her mother and light a candle would have lasted for only a minute. So it is with our souls. The time it takes to sacrifice our will lasts for a short time, while the stains of disobedience can last for years and take a long time to wash off our souls.

It was through disobedience that Adam and Eve first stained the robe of their snow-white innocence, and it was disobedience that caused the spots of ink to stain the young lady’s blue dress. It is easy for us to see how ugly a dress splattered with ink looks; imagine how ugly the disobedient soul appears to God. Like that generous mother, He desires His children to have the very best. It’s important for us, then, to be worthy of the beautiful graces and gifts that He wants to give to us and keep our souls - with Jesus and Mary’s help - spotless and pure for Him!