The members of a certain congregation noticed that one preacher, whenever he got up to address them, always began by mentioning the wicked – but not in the way you might expect, which is to say, by denouncing their terrible ways, but by praising them and asking for their blessing.

“All powerful Creator,” he would say, “we give thanks for the wicked and their evil ways. Bless their lies and their cheating, their deceit and their cruelty.”

Some members of the congregation approached this preacher, and asked him about his unusual habit. “It would be more understandable to us,” they said, “to condemn all this bad behaviour, and to ask for blessings for those who are kind and considerate and generous. Why do you speak in this way?”

“Because,” the preacher replied, “it was the wickedness of the world that woke me from my sleep. It was hardhearted treachery that made me seek the path of love, and now when I am conscious of God’s Grace I give thanks for all that brought me to this point.”