THE MIRACLE OF THE THIEF

 THE MIRACLE OF THE THIEF

An innocent six year old

Sad I lived for not being able to walk

Always sitting in a wheelchair

He looked sadly at his friends playing...

José was a boy of poor origin...six years old. He was always sad. It wasn't for less. Afflicted with polio, he couldn't run around the yard like his little friends. Because he couldn't walk, he was always sitting down. At great cost, his parents managed to get him a wheelchair, which at least allowed him to move around with less sacrifice... but the fact that he could go, with a certain freedom, from one corner to the other the anguish of not being able to run through the fields, play with Pitoco, the family dog, play ball with the children in the neighborhood. Yes, the sadness at not being able to participate in the fun of children of his age was such that he could not disguise it...

Rosana, his mother, seeing the boy's suffering, did everything to try to cheer him up. Of course, in some moments he succeeded, but soon the sadness returned to his face. She tried everything...she told stories, took the boy for walks around, so that he could enjoy the nature around her, like the waterfall that was not far from where they lived. A little further on, the river opened into a large lake, protected by native vegetation, where birds made their nests. Every day, at dawn, when they left their homes to fight for life, their flight made an explosion of colors and sounds in the sky, making this one of the most beautiful spectacles that could be appreciated... and not infrequently, Rosana and Marcelo, her husband, took the boy to the place so that he could enjoy this divine vision, celebrating life in every dawn...

"But, how", you might ask me, "did they get the child out of bed so early to go into the woods? Were those parents crazy?" Well, in the countryside everyone usually gets up early. And it's not uncommon to go deep into the woods when the dew is still on the leaves and the sun hasn't made it mix with the earth to feed it. And many times, when Marcelo went to the farm to provide for the family, Rosana would go deep into the forest to get firewood that she would use to prepare the family's meals. Yes, country life is not easy. And if you have a health problem, this life becomes a little more difficult...

People from the countryside usually put all their faith in the Creator, giving their lives to Him and letting Him take care of providing what they need to live their lives. Rosanna was no different. Her faith was so strong that she was sure that one day the Almighty would heal her little boy. And she always told him that. At night, before going to sleep, every day she prayed with her son, asking God to grant them the grace to heal the boy's legs, so that he could lead a normal life, like everyone else. And Joseph clung to that hope, closing his eyes and asking Heavenly Father to grant him this miracle...

The days passed. And Joseph firm in his faith, certain that one day the Lord would visit him. Of course, when he said this to the children around him, they laughed at his hopes. What do you mean, he thought he would be healed and walk like everyone else? There was no way that could happen... but her mother always revived her faith, when it was shaken by the innocent but harsh words of her little friends...

Joseph each passing day had his hope increased. One day he asked his mother what Jesus looked like, so that he could recognize him when the Savior came to visit him... so his mother told him that Jesus was a very poor old man, with a long beard and gray hair, just like his grandfather Manoel. She explained to him that the Lord did not flaunt wealth, he would come in simple clothes, because his power was in the soul and not in the exterior...

José slept in a room separate from his parents, with space for his wheelchair beside the bed. The window, closed with a lattice, as all the doors and windows of the neighboring houses were closed, was on the opposite side of his bed. As the place was quiet, it was not unusual to leave the windows unlocked and often open, so that on hot days you could feel the refreshing breeze coming from the forest. One day, or rather one night, the heavens dumped on the earth all the water that was kept in the divine reservoirs. Lightning and thunder streaked the sky, offering a divine show in the dark night that was presented. José's window was closed, but not locked, as was usual in his life. It was then, during the glittering seconds of another bolt of lightning cutting across the sky, that he saw a figure slipping through the window, entering the room. He immediately recognized the figure who had come to visit him... it was Jesus, finally... he had come to give him the gift of healing!

Such was the boy's faith that he got up from his bed without the help of anything. He approached the figure that entered his room, knelt down in front of him and thanked her for the gift she had given him. He got up, held the hand of the man in front of him, and asked him to sit with him on his bed, and pray together the prayers that his mother had taught him.... then, after finishing the prayer, Joseph kissed the face so dear and desired for him, the Man who had come to heal his legs and restore his ability to walk, no longer depending on crutches and chairs... from that moment on, Jesus had given him the the gift of being able to walk on your own two legs, you could help your parents in the fields, play ball, dodgeball, tag with your friends... wow, my God, what a beautiful gift the Lord had given you...

Just as he entered the room, the man left. Tears rolled down his face, tears that the boy didn't see, because it was dark. As he was lost in the night mists, the little boy waved to him, thanking him for healing him... and never, for a moment, did he realize that the man he had taken for Jesus was a thief who had broken into his home to stealing the little they had... but who, upon seeing the miracle happen, repented and left for the world of God...

It's 8:00 in the morning, it's 18ºC... is it finally going to warm up today? I don't know... I hope so!

Stay with God and may He grant us His Blessing and allow us to live the best of all the Fridays we've ever had in our lives... A kiss for everyone who reads this little story, based on the song by Zilo and Zalo, called " The Thief's Miracle