I read from the book “The Next 500 Stories” compiled by Frank Mihalic an amusing story during the late war where some soldiers carried their Bibles to a small chapel for a Sunday service. One soldier, not having a Bible, spread out his deck of cards on an empty pew. He was brought to court for desecrating the Lord’s house. But he explained to the judge that his deck of cards was his prayer book. Here is what he said:

“The Ace reminds me that there is only one God."

“The Two tells me that there are an Old and New Testament."

“The Three makes me think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

“The Four reminds me of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

“The Five recalls the five virgins who trimmed their lamps."

“The Six says that God made heaven and earth in six days."

“The Seven is the Sabbath, on which He rested."

“The Eight is for the eight persons God saved from the flood: Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives."

“The Nine stands for the nine lepers who forgot to say thank you."

“The Ten, of course, represents the ten commandments."

“The King stands for the only king of heaven, God Almighty."

“The Queen is for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the queen of heaven."

“The Jack - or knave - is the devil."

“There are 365 spots in a deck of cards, like the 365 days in a year."

“There are 52 cards in a deck, like the 52 weeks in a year."

“There are 13 tricks in a deck, like the 13 weeks of each quarter."

“There are 4 suits of cards, like the 4 weeks in a month."

“There are 12 picture cards, just as there are 12 months in a year."

“So now you can see, your honor, that my deck of cards serves me not only as a Bible and almanac but also as a prayer book.”

The judge tapped the bench with his gravel and pronounced judgment: “This soldier has no case to answer.”