MEDITATION TIPS (No. 276)
— All Souls’ Day,
November 2, 2025

“Those who trust in him shall live with the Lord in his love” (Wisdom 3:9)

　Some time ago, a parishioner called me. A non-Christian friend living near the church had a child with a serious illness and wanted the church priest to pray for the child. I immediately visited the next day. The child had pediatric cancer which had invaded the whole body, and he had lost his sight. To me, it seemed he did not have long to live. The child’s name was Yoshitsugu. Since the cancer was discovered a year ago, the mother had not left the hospital room for a moment, constantly nursing him. Though not a believer herself, the mother seemed to have a fondness for the Virgin Mary, so I prayed asking for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and poured the Lourdes water I brought onto the child's forehead.

　The last day I visited was a Friday. I took the small child’s hand, who was lying in bed, and prayed aloud to the Virgin Mary like this: ‘Mother Mary, you too must have had difficult days raising such a young child long ago. Therefore, you must understand this mother’s feelings better than anyone else. So please, I beg you. Please find a way to save this child.’ Then, as usual, I poured Lourdes water on Yoshitsugu’s forehead. At that moment, the conversation turned to the church bell. The mother had apparently sometimes talked with the nurses about hearing a lovely bell sound, but she did not seem to know that the bell belonged to my church. I pointed to the small church tower visible from the hospital window and told her it was coming from there, and I promised to pray for Yoshitsugu when the bell rang the next day before leaving.

　The next day, Saturday, at 6 PM, the church bell rang. As promised, I offered the prayer I had with me for Yoshitsugu:

　'O Holy Mother of God, Virgin Mary, grant me to keep the heart of a child,
A heart as pure and clear as a spring, a heart that does not break even in loneliness,
A heart that smiles, giving itself without hesitation, a gentle heart full of compassion,
A heart that does not hate, but is considerate, a sincere and generous heart,
A heart that gives love freely and does not seek compassion, a meek and humble heart,
A heart that willingly yields everything for the glory of your Son Jesus,
A heart that is not discouraged by ingratitude or coldness, a broad and strong heart,
A heart burning with the love of Jesus and thirsting for that love,
O Mother, grant me a heart that looks up to and longs for eternal heaven.’ (By Father Grandmaison)

　Two hours later, I received a call informing me that Yoshitsugu had passed away around 6 PM, in his sleep. 6 PM was the very moment I was praying to the Blessed Mother for Yoshitsugu, accompanied by the sound of the church bell. Yoshitsugu ascended to heaven with the sound of the bell. At that moment, I recalled the words I had spoken to the Virgin Mary, holding Yoshitsugu’s hand the day before, on Friday. How did the Virgin Mary accept those words? Surely, as a mother who had also held a young child, the Virgin Mary herself must have thought, “I don't want this child to suffer any more. This child has fully lived his four years of life in his own way.” She must have promised to let this child’s flower bloom again after his ascent to heaven, and then took this innocent child to paradise.

　A period of lonely days followed for the mother, and Yoshitsugu frequently appeared in her dreams. One day, Yoshitsugu, who appeared in a dream, was holding hands with someone. She did not know who that person was. She did not know if it was a man or a woman. Soon, she heard a voice saying, ‘Come, let’s go,’ and Yoshitsugu walked away from his mother, hand in hand with that unknown person. Since then, Yoshitsugu has never appeared in her dreams again. Who was it that was holding Yoshitsugu’s hand? Could it have been the Virgin Mary? However, what Yoshitsugu wanted to tell his mother through the dream was surely, ‘Mom, you can’t cry forever. I’m going to be with God.’ Later, the family of three—the parents and Yoshitsugu’s older brother—were baptized together at the church.

“Those who trust in him shall live with the Lord in his love.”

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Yutaka Akabae)