Even the dead
sense and know the good deeds that are performed for them. Christians need not have any doubt in
this. A good deed spreads through the
heavenly world like an electrical current.
An imperial
clerk, Magistrian, was sent by the emperor on an important errand. Along the way, Magistrian saw a poor dead
man, completely naked. He was moved with
pity, removed his shirt, dressed the dead man, and buried him honorably. After a while, Magistrian had an unfortunate
accident: he fell from his horse and broke his leg, and lay sick in bed for a
long time. On one occasion, several
doctors gathered around him to take counsel concerning his illness. The doctors agreed that his leg would have to
be amputated.
That night
Magistrian could not sleep, but grieved and wept. At midnight a man suddenly appeared in his
room and asked him, “Why are you weeping?”
When Magistrian explained his condition, the unknown man then rubbed the
infected leg with his hand and the leg was healed. “For God’s sake, tell me—who are you?” asked
Magistrian. The unknown man replied, “Look
at me, and see, is not this your shirt?
I am he whom you saw naked and dead, and whom you dressed in this
shirt. And behold, for your good deed
God has sent me to heal you. Give thanks
to God!”
No comments:
Post a Comment