艾神父正在給一位非天主教徒的醫生講道，他帶他到聖堂去看新的彩色玻璃窗，當他們進到聖堂時，注意到兩個小孩跪在耶穌聖心像前；

醫生告訴神父：「那兩個小孩的臉多麼漂亮!我想知道他們要什麼，他們看起來很誠懇。」

神父跟著醫生走近小孩，問道：「你們在做什麼? 」

「我們在求耶穌聖心。」

神父問：「耶穌在那兒 ? 」

「那兒了。」兩隻圓胖的食指指向聖體鑫，然後指向上面的聖像。

「你們向耶穌求什麼? 」

「我們要祂治好媽媽，她病得很嚴重，我們感到很孤單，因為媽媽不能跟我們玩。」

現在醫生問小孩：「媽媽有沒有去看醫生？」

「沒有，媽媽沒有錢。」

「神父，我會處理這件事，請跟我來。」

神父說：「好的。」

幾分鐘後，小孩子們和艾神父都坐在醫生的車子上。

蘇太太很訝異，當她看到神父和醫生到家裡來，但是神父很技巧的解釋了。

布朗醫生立刻明白，蘇太太需要到醫院接受治療，就建議她到醫院去，那兒有一個房間給她住。

母親說：「但是我不能離開我的孩子。」

醫生告訴她，他的管家是一個年長的婦人，很喜歡小孩，他們很高興有小男孩跟他們在一起，直到她病好。

蘇太太喃喃自語：「耶穌聖心的確對我很好。」

艾神父離開前降福了她，一切都安排好了，幾小時後，這個病人就住進了醫院，小男孩們就探勘布朗醫生的家，睡覺的時間到了，在那兒祈禱呢?因為房間裡沒有耶穌聖心像；最後，他們決定不能唸經就不去睡覺。

醫生在他的辦公室看書，兩個穿白衣服的小男孩走進來告訴他：

「我們不能去睡覺，你知道嗎?媽媽常告訴我們要在耶穌聖像前祈禱，既然耶穌不在這兒，我們就不能去睡覺。」

管家覺得很好玩，醫生卻感到困惑，他就打電話給艾神父：

「神父，這兒的聖人造反了，我怎麼辦?」他解釋一切情況給神父聽。

神父回答說：「我不知道我送了這麼好的傳道士，我這兒有一個聖像妳可以拿去，告訴他們天主是無所不在的，耶穌聖心像明天我會送過去，今天晚上，他們可以先祈禱，然後去睡覺。」

醫生傳遞了這個信息，兩個愛睏小孩對他們的決定讓步了，第二天一大早，醫生開車到神父的寓所去取聖像，馬上就掛在小孩睡覺的房間，平安再度來臨。

因著很好的照顧，蘇太太很快的康復了，但是醫生不能忍受與孩子們分離，他問孩子的媽，願不願意留在他的辦公室工作，因為他的管家在廚房工作太忙了，蘇太太很感激的接受了。

二十年過去了，一位年輕的神父要做他的首祭，
在最前排坐著他的母親和兩位醫生 :
一位白髮的和一位年輕的么兒，彌撒結束後，他們進入更衣所接受年輕神父的降福，當他們經過耶穌聖心神龕前就跪下來感恩，
他們起來時，布朗醫生喃喃自語：

「這就是二十年前，我看見你們兩個小男孩祈禱的地方。」

    蘇太太說：「那樣的祈禱帶給我很大的幸福。」

    布朗醫生說：「是的，那祈禱送給我兩位年輕的使徒，幫助我的靈魂點燃信仰之光。」

    年輕人加上說：「那也給了我們一位非常好的教父。」

   蘇神父把手放在母親的頭上，降福她時說：「在彌撤中，我感謝耶穌聖心賜給我們所有的恩寵，特別賜給我們一位這樣的母親，她教她的孩子們要信賴耶穌聖心。」

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25.The Instruction of A Mother

     Father R. was instructing a non-Catholic physician.   He brought him into the church to show him some new stained-glass windows.   As   they entered, they noticed two little boys kneeling before the statue of the Sacred Heart.   The doctor remarked to Father R.,  “What beautiful faces those children have!  I wonder what they can want, they look so earnest.”

        The priest, followed by the physician, approached the children and asked,  “What are you doing?”  “We are praying to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”  “Where is Jesus?”  asked the priest.  “There,” and two chubby fingers pointed to the tabernacle, then to the statue above.  “What are you asking Jesus to give you?”  “We want Him to make mother better.   She is very sick and we are lonesome, for mother cannot play with us.”  The physician now asked the children if mother had been attended by a doctor.  “No, mother has no money.”  “I guess this is a case for me, Father.  Will you come with me?”  “Certainly,: replied the priest.  In a few moments the children were settled in the doctor’s automobile with Father R. 

        Mrs. Sullivan was amazed when the priest and doctor arrived, but Father very tactfully explained matters.  Doctor Brown soon realized  that Mrs.  Sullivan was in need of hospital treatment and suggested her removal to a hospital where he had a room at his disposal.  “But I cannot leave the children,”  the mother said.  The doctor told her that his housekeeper was an elderly woman who was very fond of children and that they would enjoy having the little boys with them until she was well.  “Surely the Heart of Jesus has been very good to me!”  murmured Mrs. Sullivan, as Father R.  gave her his blessing before leaving.  All was arranged and, in a few hours, the sick woman was in the hospital and the boys were exploring Dr. Brown’s house.  When bedtime came, there was the question of prayers to be said.  As they had seen no picture of the Sacred Heart in the house, they decided they would  not say their prayers and consequently could not go to bed.

        The doctor was reading in his office when two white-clad figures appeared and told him that they could not go to bed.  “You see, mother told us always to say our prayers before the picture of Jesus.  Since He is not here, we cannot go to bed.”  The housekeeper was amused and the doctor bewildered.  He went to the telephone and called Father R.  “Father, the saints have rebelled.  What shall I do?”  He explained the case to the priest who answered,   “I did not know that I was sending such good apostles.  I have a picture here that you may have.  Tell them that God is everywhere and the Sacred Heart picture will be there in the morning, if they will say their prayers tonight and retire.”  The doctor delivered the message and two sleepy children were glad to submit to the decision.  Early the next morning the physician drove over to the rectory to get the picture, which was soon hung in the room where the children slept, and peace reigned once more.

        With good care, Mrs. Sullivan was restored  to health, but the doctor could not bear to part with the children.  He asked their mother if she would be willing to do his office work, as the housekeeper was kept pretty busy in the kitchen.  Mrs. Sullivan accepted the offer most gratefully.

        Twenty years passed and a young priest was about to say his first Mass.  In the front pew sat his mother and two physicians – one a white-haired man, and the other her younger son.  When Mass was finished, they went into the sacristy to receive the young priest’s blessing. As they passed the Sacred Heart shrine, they knelt for a prayer of thanksgiving.  Dr. Brown whispered as they arose,   “This is the very spot where I saw your two boys praying twenty years ago.”  Mrs. Sullivan answered,  “That prayer brought me much happiness.”  “Yes,”  said the doctor,  “and it sent me two young apostles who helped to enkindle the light of Faith in my soul.”  The young man added, “and it gave us a fairy godfather.”  As Father Sullivan placed his hands in blessing on his mother’s head, he said,  “During my Mass I thanked the Sacred Heart for all graces He has bestowed on us and especially for having given us a mother who taught her children to place their trust in the Heart of Christ.”