One day, the devil appeared to three monks and asked them, one by one, what they would change in the past.
He asked: If I gave you the power to change something in your past, what would you change?
The first monk, with great apostolic zeal, quickly responded: I would prevent you from causing Adam and Eve to fall into sin so that humanity would not stray from God.
The second monk, whose heart was full of mercy, replied: I would stop you from turning away from God and condemning yourself forever.
The third monk was the simplest of the three. Instead of answering the devil, he knelt down, made the sign of the cross, and prayed: Lord, deliver me from the temptation of what could have been but never was.
The devil then let out a shrill scream and, writhing in pain, disappeared.