The Mouse Rita

Lc 16, 1-13 or 10 -13

Author: Cecília Pellegrini

In the Mouse Kingdom lives a very rich Mouse, named Rita, who lives alone in her beautiful and spacious house, surrounded by the cheeses she makes herself.

There are cheeses of all kinds: brie, provolone, gorgonzola, mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, Roquefort, cottage cheese...

However, from working too much, eating too much cheese and living in complete loneliness she became obese and grouchy. She already has trouble walking and only lives for her work.

Nevertheless, to get more profit she uses forbidden additives, real poisons for consumers. Her motto is to have cheese for consumption, to stock, sell and make a handsome profit. In her house, she has lots of cheese, because she loves to stock-up and boasts: - I am the richest Mouse of the Mouse Kingdom.

To produce the cheeses she obviously needs milk and Mouse Ruth is one of her suppliers. Today she arrived with her three children and calls the owner of the house very loud, to make one more delivery: - Mouse Rita! Rita opens the door and replies: - Mouse Rita and rich. Get in! Did you bring more milk? "

Ruth replied, “Yes, but I have a complaint to make." "Here is the milk of the week, but Mrs. Rita, you're paying too little for milk. We are poor and life is difficult, it is way out expensive.”

Rita replies: "But you do complain! If you do not want the amount I pay per liter I will buy it from other mice of the field. It is full of mice wanting to sell me milk. You can either grab it or get out”

Ruth, with great humility, still insists: "Are you sure that you cannot pay more? People say that you sell cheese at the price of gold."

Rita, always grouchy, says: "What I do or do not do it's not of your concern. Take your money here and walk away, get out of here!”

Ruth picks up the money and sets some apart.

Rita asks curiously, "Now, why did you separate the money?" Rachel, the eldest daughter explains: "My mother is going to donate it to the Mouse Kingdom Church."

Rita speaks very loudly. “See? You complains that I paid little, but instead of getting everything for you, you will give it to the Church!”

Ruth speaks softly: "Of course, it is our gratitude for all that we have and are. We live in community.”

Mouse Rita thinks that the milkmaid is pretending: - “I'm talking about the money you give to the Church and you change the subject and talk of community?”

Her daughter Rachel shows how much she knows: - “At the Church we join: we love each other, respect each other, and work for the good of all. This is living in community.”

Rita insists, "Yes, yes, but do not ignore the matter... And what does the Church do with money?"

Ruth explains: "We use it to keep all activities. We buy material for the pastoral, for the celebrations: wafer, wine, candle, flowers, we help the needy people, we pay employees, water, electric power...”

Rita interrupts: - “Okay, okay, but since you are so poor you should not be obliged to give to the Church.”

With great fondness, Ruth gives a real lesson: - “But I am not obliged, I give because I want, because all of us always have something that we can share with those who have less. We love to share with joy.”

Mouse Rita laughs: "Is this good, besides giving, still smiling? See, poor creature, you got less… Is it a reason for joy?”

Ruth replies: “Mouse Rita...” Rita demands the correct treatment: - “Mouse Rita rich.”

Ruth, always humbly says: - “Yes, Mouse Rita rich, you are only thinking about the money, please feel your heart!”

Rita is curious to know how they felt her heart, but she is very angry at the intrusion: "How did you find out that I had a breakdown? It was only a lack of air, a tingling that I felt, but it has gone already, I have got better by myself and now my heart is fine.”

Rachel seeing the mess explains: - “My mother is talking about feelings, being well with yourself, feeling you're happy, with friends around you."

Rachel's mother adds, "You live for your cheese, for your money. You can hardly walk because of so fat you got.”

Mouse Rita, cooler and thoughtful, agrees: "That's true, but it's because I spend all day and night working, do you think it's easy to get rich? I do everything by myself. Look, I’m here talking and the milk curled.” She runs to try to save the cheese.

Ruth goes after Rita and speaks in a very soft voice: "If you learned and lived the teachings that speak of love, solidarity and sharing, you would be very happy."

Then someone knocks at the door: "Is there anybody at home?"

Rita peeps through the keyhole and says, "Um, it’s that dirty mouse who's always begging."

Rachel pitied, “Mom, you know who is it, it is Rufus.”

Ruth, very kind and friendly to all confides: - “He is unemployed and lives on charity. Mouse Rita, why do not you give Rufus a job? He could make the cheese for you.”

Rita thinks for a few minutes and says: - “A helper? Looks like a good idea! Get in, Rufus."

She opens the door and looks down at the Mouse: “Um, um. With a good shower and with clean clothes, you can come into my kitchen and help me.”

Rufus is very happy: “Does this mean a job? Will you give me a job? Thank you, thank you very much!”

He hugs Rita, and she is surprised with the hug of gratitude and displays a small smile.

Ruth embraces Rita and says: “You see, Mrs. Rita, the hug of a friend is priceless!”

Ruth’s children, seeing that Rita is happy run hug her too.

Moved, Rita says: - “Wow! How good it is to live in peace with others! Ruth, take a little more money for the milk I bought from you and take this one to the Church.”

Ruth makes an invitation: - “It is good that you are donating this money, but come with me, I want to show you the pastoral, all of the community...”

Rachel tells that they have the mass of the children and each Sunday a new animal shows up.

Mouse Rita talks about her learning: - “Today I learned so much with you... All the animals living together, in peace, one helping each other? Interesting! Let us now know this community!”

Rufus, Ruth and the children are very excited and together they will take Mouse Rita to meet the community of Mouse Kingdom Church.