說故事談聖心
Home > 30.耶穌的心愛人到底

夕陽的餘暉照射仁慈醫院病房的白色牆上,映出金黃色的光芒,病床上一個老婦人安祥的睡著,坐在床旁的護士修女正看著她美麗的臉龐,總是那樣安靜平安,病人張開他的眼睛微笑著說:「修女,你還是這樣的看著我。」

「是的。」修女回答:「我正在想你對天主那麼棒的信心。」

「修女,我要告訴你,我怎麼會有這樣無止境的信賴,假如你有時間聽我的故事。」

修女說:「我喜歡聽你的故事。」

「當我還是一個小孩的時候,我門住在緬因州北部的一個小村莊,那兒沒有教堂,只有三戶天主教家庭,神父每個月一次來家裡做彌撒,準備這偉大日子經常是我們小孩子喜樂的泉源,我姊姊和我去摘最可愛的野花來美化房間,以迎接神聖客人的來臨。」

「神父很仁慈,很愛小孩子們,他總會給我門帶來小禮物,使我門幼小的心靈歡愉雀躍,有一次,她帶給我門每一個人一個耶穌聖心聖牌,教我門唸聖心短誦:『至聖耶穌聖心,我依賴禰!』當我六歲的時候,我開始跟隨姊姊去學校。」  

「去學校的路上,沿著河邊有從上面村莊木材的集散地滑留下來的原木,浮游在河上,我的媽媽禁止我們在原木上玩,我平常都很聽話;

但是有一天,我想騎在上面過河,我姊姊求我不要這樣,我拒絕了,當我離岸不遠,我站在上面的原木和別的木頭分開了,我失去了立足點,就往後跌落到水裡,當我沉下去的時候,我的長頭髮勾住了一根很粗的原木,使我能浮上來,於是,從我的心裡閃出一個短誦:『至聖耶穌聖心,我依賴祢!』立刻所有的恐懼消失了,因為我感受到主的手支撐著我,使我安全。」

「我的姐姐沿著河邊拼命的尖叫,但是沒有人聽到,我一直慢慢的浮浮沉沉,直到我幾乎到了水霸;然後一件奇妙的事發生了,原木改變了方向,轉頭往河岸走,到了岸,我姐姐抓住了原木,成功的把我拉上來。母親沒有懲罰我,她認為我已經得了一個教訓,當神父再來時,她告訴他,這一切能夠逃離死亡,應歸功於耶穌聖心的仁慈照顧。   

我永遠不會忘記,當神父把手放在我的頭上降福我時所說的那句重要而仁慈的話:   

「【我的孩子,要常常信賴耶穌聖心,那麼,就永遠沒有什麼可怕的事了!】」   

「從那以後,我遭遇到很多的困難和痛苦,但是,從來沒有對耶穌聖心失去信心;我常常在每次的試煉中,感覺到祂大能的手在保護著我。」  

 當她講完了她的故事,大家沉默了幾分鐘,從打開的窗戶,聽到從聖堂傳來的讚美詩:

「我救主的心,我朋友的心,禰愛他們愛到底,忠實的心,誠信的心,禰是永遠受讚美,永遠受欽慕的。」


30.The Sacred Heart of Jesus Loves People Unlimitted

        The golden rays of the setting sun were tinting the white walls of a room in Mercy Hospital.  An old lady lay sleeping, while a nurse sat by the bedside watching the beautiful face, always so calm and peaceful.  The patient opened her eyes and smiled,  “You are still watching, Sister.”

        “Yes,” replied the nun, “and I have been thinking of your wonderful confidence in God.”

        “Sister, I shall tell you how I came to have such unbounded    trust, if you have time to listen to my tale.”  “I should like to hear it,”  the nun replied.

        “When I was a child, we lived in a little village in the northern part of Maine.  There was no church and, as there were but three Catholic families, the priest came only once a month and said Mass in our house.

       “The preparations for the great day were always a source of much joy for us children.  My sister and I would pick the loveliest wild flowers we could find to beautify the room for its divine Guest.

        “The priest was very kind and loved children.  He gave us little gifts that charmed our young hearts.  On one occasion he brought us each a Sacred Heart badge and taught us the aspiration, ‘Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,  I place my trust I You!’  When I had reached the age of six years, I began to accompany my sister to school.

        “The path that led to the schoolhouse followed the bank of the river on which the logs floated down from the lumbers camps above the village.  My mother forbade us ever to play on the logs.  I was generally obedient, but one day decided to cross the river on them.  My sister begged me to stop, but I refused.  When I was out some distance from the shore, the log on which I stood became detached from the others.  I lost my foothold and fell backwards into the stream.  As I went down, my long, flowing hair caught in the rough wood of the log and kept me afloat.  Then through my mind flashed the words of the aspiration:  ‘Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.’  At once all fear left me, for I felt that the arms of our Lord would sustain me and keep me safe.

        “My sister, screaming wildly, ran along the bank, but there was no one in sight and I continued to float slowly down the river until I had nearly reached the dam.  Them a strange thing happened, for the log veered and turned in toward the shore, where my sister caught hold of the end and succeeded in pulling me to land.  Mother did not punish me, for she felt that I had already learned my lesson.  When the priest came again,  however, she told him of the narrow escape, which she attributed to the loving care of the Sacred Heart.  I have never forgotten his grave, kindly words as he laid his hand in blessing upon my head.  ‘My child, always trust in the Heart of Christ and you will never have anything to fear!”

        “Since then I have had many troubles and sorrows, but have never lost confidence in that divine Heart; I have always felt His protecting hand in every trial.”

        When she had finished, there was silence in the little room for a few minutes and then, in through the open window floated the words of a hymn that was being sung in the chapel:   “Heart of my Savior,  “Heart of my Friend, You who have loved Your own to the end, Heart ever faithful, Heart ever true, Be You forever loved and adored.”