A Mother's Rosary (II)

A few years later, God's will called this young priest to work as a chaplain in a hospital. One day, a poor sick patient was brought in. He exclaimed to the priest as he entered, "Don't you start speaking to me about religion. I believe in nothing and nobody." Nevertheless, the chaplain kindly visited this man as often as possible, only to be pushed away scornfully. So one day the priest said, "In that case, my friend, I will recite the Rosary for you." "Don't mention the word Rosary around me," answered the patient. "But this prayer can only make you feel better," replied the priest. "You don't understand, Father, the Rosary is the reason for my bad luck," confided the patient. "How can that be, my friend? What are you trying to say?" asked the priest. "Well, I will tell you, since you seem to really want to know. When I was little, my mother made me recite the Rosary with her, every day. Then I grew up and I had to go to the nearby town to learn a trade. There, bad comrades influenced me to do evil things and I began to feel contempt for God. I was in pretty bad shape, when my family called me back home because my mother was dying. I didn't want to hurt her, so I lied and promised her that I would say a part of the Rosary, every day as often as possible. Then my poor mother gave me her own rosary. After her funeral, I returned to the workshop in town. On my journey, the Devil made me think this thought, "Get rid of that Rosary; throw it away on the ground!" So I did it. I threw the rosary on the road, but since then, I have been so unhappy that I think I must be cursed." The priest was very moved and asked, "When did this happen? What is the date of your mother's death?" Upon hearing the patient's response, the priest drew the rosary out of his pocket and said, "My friend, do you recognize this one?" The patient could only shout, "It's my mother's rosary!" He took it in his hands lovingly and kissed it with tears in his eyes. "Assuredly," said the chaplain, "this rosary that you call the reason of your bad luck, was for me the reason of my happiness! I owe my priesthood to it. And now, my friend, it will become the occasion of your happiness too." "Yes, Father, and let me confess my sins," replied the patient. The priest answered, "I will come back tomorrow and administer the last sacraments to you. In the meantime, I will leave you the rosary so that you can repair your sins. I will take it back again later." A few days later, the patient died happy and sanctified, kissing his mother's rosary... And then the priest took his simple rosary back again, and these dear memories never left him.