I

 

Mrs. Price reached down and pulled off the white cloth. Throughout the classroom a happy “Awwwwww” was heard because underneath the white cloth was a very beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary! The artist had painted her with a pure white robe and a sky-blue veil. Her delicate hands were folded and held a shiny jeweled Rosary. Her lovely face, with its soft eyes and gentle smile, was exquisitely painted. The statue indeed was a true work of art!

 

Mrs. Price explained, “This beautiful statue was given to me by one of my former students.” Then with a big smile she added, “He is now in Rome studying to be a priest.” 

 

The children began whispering in a lively manner to one another but Mrs. Price held up her hand as a signal for silence and the room became quiet again. 

 

She continued, “When this young man was your age, I remember him looking up at the Crucifix.” Here Mrs. Price paused and pointed to the Crucifix hanging above the white board. “We were in the middle of religion class when he exclaimed, ‘Just think about how much Jesus loves us!’ Then turning to his classmates said, ‘What are we going to do for Jesus to show Him that we love Him in return? Why, I want to be full of good deeds for Jesus!’” 

 

Mrs. Price paused a moment to let those words sink in and then continued. “This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday we will begin the season of Lent. It is especially during Lent that we should think often about how much Jesus loves us. He proved His love by dying on the Cross to save us from our sins. As I was thinking about this last night, the words of my former student came back to me: ‘What are we going to do for Jesus to show Him that we love Him in return? I want to be full of good deeds for Jesus!’ Boys and girls, that is the attitude and determination we should all have!”

 

The class erupted with lively chatter and once again Mrs. Price held up her hand for silence. 

 

“So here is what I thought we would do this Lent. I would like each one of you to think long and hard about what good deeds you are going to do for Jesus to show Him that you love Him.”

 

Mrs. Price paused and then continued, “During Holy Week, the week before Easter Sunday, I’d like each one of you to write me a letter telling me what good deeds you did for Jesus during Lent. On Easter Sunday, I will read all your letters telling me about all your good deeds and I will choose one very BEST deed.” 

 

Then, looking at the beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she said, “When we are back to school the next day, Easter Monday, I will tell you about the very BEST deed and that child will be given this statue.” 

 

If you would have been walking by Mrs. Price’s classroom at that moment, you would have heard a very loud chorus of very happy voices! 

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II

"Dear Mother Mary, for me please pray,

what is the very BEST deed I can give to Jesus for Easter day?"

 

Now there was a girl in that class named Rose. Rose Anderson. Rose thought and thought about what would be the very BEST deed to give to Jesus for Easter. At dinner she explained to her family what Mrs. Price had told her class. 

 

“What do you think would be the very BEST deed to give to Jesus?” asked Rose. 

 

“Don’t eat candy and offer up that sacrifice to Jesus!” exclaimed her little brother, Peter. Peter loved candy. 

 

“Give up playing video games during Lent,” said her older brother Mark. Mark beat everyone at video games. 

 

“Bring flowers to Aunt Agnes during Lent when we visit her in the nursing home on Sundays,” said Mom. Her mother was an amazing gardener. 

 

“Pray extra prayers for my hospital patients during Lent,” said Dad. Rose’s father was a doctor. 

 

Rose thought and thought and thought. What would be the very BEST deed to give to Jesus?

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III

"What is the BEST deed that I can do,

To show, dear Lord, my love for You?"

​

After dessert, Dr. Anderson headed toward the garage. He was going to drive to the nearby hospital where he worked to check on a couple of his patients. Rose quickly ran out to the car before he drove away and asked if she could go with him. She wanted to go up to the floor with the newborn babies and look at them through the window. She was allowed to go up to that floor if her father took her. She had finished all her homework and it was Peter’s turn to do the dishes so her father said, “yes.”

 

When they got to the hospital, Dr. Anderson said he had to stop and check on one of his patients first before going up to the maternity floor. Her father told Rose that she could wait in the waiting area by the man’s room and he would be done shortly. Rose had been in the waiting area for only a few minutes when she suddenly heard a very loud, angry voice yell, “I told you, I don’t want any more shots! Get out of here!” Rose jumped up and peeked in the room to see what was happening. She saw a man with black hair and big dark eyes. He must have been the one yelling at the nurse who was all alone with the man. Rose wondered where her father was. Just then Rose heard him yell some bad curse words at the nurse. Rose went back and sat down in the waiting area just in time to see the nurse walk out of the room. She looked very upset. Rose watched the nurse walk down the hallway and then she saw her father turn the corner. The two of them began talking. 

 

Rose got up again and peeked into the man’s room. The man must have sensed Rose by the door because he looked right over at her and yelled, “What are you looking at?”

 

Rose answered, “Well, I’m looking at you. I heard you yelling bad curse words. The nurse didn’t like it when you yelled those bad curse words at her but most of all it hurt Jesus.”

 

The man didn’t say anything. He just looked very surprised! Then he looked away. 

 

Rose cautiously took a few steps into the room. 

 

“If you tell Jesus that you are sorry, He will forgive you.”

 

“Sorry for what?” answered the poor, sick man. “I always talk that way. It’s just the way I am.”

 

Rose wanted to say, “If you aren’t sorry and don’t try to change then you are in danger of going to hell!” But she thought this would be too much for the poor, sick man to hear right then.

 

The man turned and looked carefully at Rose. Neither of them said anything. Rose thought she saw tears come into the man’s eyes. Then he said in a kinder voice, “Well, maybe I could stop saying bad curse words if you came around here some time.”

 

Rose thought for a moment and then smiled. She had an idea.

 

“This is what we can do,” she explained. “I have to go to school during the day and do my homework after school. But when my dad makes his evening hospital visits, I will ask him if I can come back and visit you. I will bring you my picture of Jesus. I keep it on the little prayer table that I set up in my bedroom. The picture is called: “Jesus, Divine Mercy.” I love the picture very much but I’m going to let you borrow it. Every time you feel like saying a bad curse word, look at the picture and say: “My Jesus, mercy!”

 

Just then Dr. Anderson came into the room and asked Rose to wait outside for him. Rose obeyed him right away. 

 

 

IV

"Dear Mother Mary, for me please pray,

What is the very BEST deed I can give to Jesus for Easter day?"

​

The next evening Rose and her dad went again to the hospital. Dr. Anderson said that Rose could go with him to visit her poor, sick man. Before they left, Rose ran upstairs to her room and got her picture of “Jesus, Divine Mercy.” Rose knew that Jesus would be so happy if the poor, sick man would stop saying bad curse words!

 

When Rose walked into the man’s room, he smiled right away. She wanted to ask him if he had said any more bad curse words, but she decided not to. She asked him how he was feeling. 

 

Then she said, “I brought you my picture of Jesus. Remember what we talked about yesterday?”

 

The man nodded.

 

Then Rose asked the man a question she had been wondering. “Are you Catholic?”

 

The man eyed her carefully and then slowly nodded his head “yes.” 

 

“Oh!” exclaimed Rose. “Then you can go to Confession!”

 

The man looked down. He did not say anything. Finally, he looked at Rose and said, “I have not been to Confession since I made my first Holy Communion as a little boy. I don’t think I remember what to do. Besides, I’ve been too bad. Jesus hasn’t any use for someone like me.”

 

Big tears came to Rose’s eyes. “Oh! How dark your soul must be! How much Jesus wants to come and make your soul all full of light again! I will talk with my pastor, Father Michael. He will come and see you right away so you can go to Confession. Jesus will forgive you all your sins!”

 

The man turned his head and looked out the window. Then he said in the saddest voice that Rose had ever heard, “No, I’ve been too bad. Jesus couldn’t possibly want anything to do with a terrible person like me. You are such a good girl. You just don’t understand.” The man paused and then continued, “I used to go out to the bars. I would go drinking with my buddies. One day, I left the bar and got into my car. When I was driving, I went through a red light and hit a boy about your age who was crossing the street. I tried to help him but…” The man stopped talking. He didn’t say anything more. The room was very quiet. Finally, the man broke the silence and said to Rose, “You have been very kind to me but I’m feeling tired now. I need to rest. It’s best if you leave me alone now.”

 

Rose turned and started to leave the room. She felt sad. She didn’t know what to do. Then she remembered what her mother had taught her. Rose asked her Guardian Angel to help her know what to do. She walked quietly back into the room and then carefully placed her picture of Jesus on the table next to the man’s bed. She took a deep breath and said, “I think you are just forgetting about all that Jesus did. Tomorrow, when I come back to see you again, I am going to bring my Stations of the Cross pictures. That will help you to remember.”

 

Then Rose turned and walked out of the room, leaving her poor, sick man all alone. 

 

 

V

"You should be kind to everyone, dear Jesus has said, you see,

That “What you do to others, you do it unto Me.”

 

The next day something happened that Rose hadn’t expected. Her dad had an important meeting and couldn’t bring her to the hospital with him. All day Rose had been thinking about her poor, sick man and now she would not be able to see him! She had her Stations of the Cross pictures all ready to go. Now she would have to wait another day. What if her poor sick man thought that she didn’t want to see him again? Even worse, what if he died during the night? Her dad had said he was very sick. 

 

Rose went to her bedroom after dinner. She looked over in the corner at her little prayer table. How empty it looked without her picture of Jesus. She walked over and knelt down in front of it anyway. She prayed, “Dear Jesus, I know you love my poor, sick man. You are so good. You are so kind. You are so merciful. Please help my poor, sick man know that You love him. Please help him not to be afraid.”

 

Then she picked up her “New Catholic Picture Bible” and opened it up to a random page. She read the title: “The Penitent Woman.” This is how that Gospel story began: “One day a Pharisee, named Simon, asked Jesus to come and take dinner at his house. While Jesus was at the table, a woman came into the dining room. Kneeling at the feet of Jesus, she wept tears of sorrow for her many sins and the tears fell upon His feet. She dried His feet with her hair and kissed them. Afterwards she broke a beautiful jar of costly perfume and anointed His feet by pouring perfume upon them.” Jesus went on to explain, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” And then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

 

Rose closed her Bible. She had an idea! She could hardly wait to see her poor, sick man! Her dad would just have to take her to the hospital tomorrow!

 

 

VI

"What is the BEST deed that I can do,

To show, dear Lord, my love for You?"

 

When they walked into the hospital the next evening, it was all Dr. Anderson could do to keep Rose from running down the hallway! When she got to her poor, sick man’s room, she quietly opened the door and walked in. She didn’t want to startle him in case he was sleeping. When he saw her, he smiled. Then he looked hurt. “I thought you decided not to come and see me anymore,” he said. 

 

“Oh, no!” exclaimed Rose. “I would have come, for sure, but my dad had an important meeting and he said it wouldn’t work out for me to come last night. But I’m here now!”

 

Then Rose got serious. “Have you been remembering what I told you?”

 

The man nodded.

 

“Good!” said Rose. “Now I want to show you my Stations of the Cross pictures.”

 

For a long time, Rose sat on the edge of the bed and showed her poor, sick man the pictures of Our Lord suffering in His Passion. When they got to the picture of Mother Mary holding Jesus in her arms after He was taken down from the Cross, Rose saw tears come to the man’s eyes. 

 

“This one makes me very sad too,” said Rose as she patted her poor, sick man’s hand. 

 

When they were done looking at the Stations of the Cross pictures, Rose took out her Bible and read him the story of “The Penitent Woman.” Then Rose pulled a tiny bottle out of her pocket. “I have brought you something special,” said Rose. “My dad brought this back for me when he went far away to France for a medical convention. It is an expensive bottle of perfume. I was saving it for a very special occasion.”

 

Rose opened up the tiny bottle and put it up to the man’s nose so he could smell it. 

 

“Yes, it is very nice,” he said. 

 

Rose reached over and pulled the picture of Jesus, Divine Mercy, close to the man. 

 

“Now you can pour this tiny bottle of perfume on the feet of Jesus. You can tell Him that you are very sorry for your sins.”

 

The poor, sick man thought about this for a moment. Then, very slowly, he took the tiny bottle from Rose’s hand and carefully poured a few drops of the perfume on the feet of the picture of Jesus. He gently set the bottle down next to the picture. 

 

Then he looked at Rose and asked, “Did you tell me that you know a nice priest?”

 

“Oh, yes!” cried Rose. “Father Michael! I have told him about you. I will have my dad call Father and he will come and see you. I’m sure he will come and see you this very night.”

 

Father came that very night and he talked with Rose’s poor, sick man for a long time. Father heard his Confession. Afterward, the poor sick man was very peaceful. His sins had all been washed away by the precious Blood of Jesus. 

 

Then Father gave him Jesus in Holy Communion. 

 

If Rose had been in the room, she would have then seen Father take out Holy Oil for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. She would have seen him make the Sign of the Cross with it on the poor, sick man several times – on his forehead and on each of his hands. She would have heard him say, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord, in His love and mercy, help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who frees you from sin, save you and raise you up.”

 

 

VII

"Dear Mother Mary, for me please pray,

What is the very BEST deed I can give to Jesus for Easter day?"

 

Rose sat at her desk in her bedroom. Holy Week had begun and she needed to write her letter to Mrs. Price. This is what Rose wrote:

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Dear Mrs. Price, 

 

I am sorry to say I did not do the very BEST deed that I had planned to do to show Jesus that I love Him. You see, I love candy even more then my little brother Peter. He suggested I give up candy and he was right. Giving up candy would have been a really hard thing for me to do to show Jesus that I love Him. But I got so busy helping a poor, sick man get ready for Heaven during Lent that I forgot all about not eating candy. As a matter of fact, one evening when I was visiting my poor, sick man, I ate almost an entire giant chocolate bar as he and I were talking. He only ate one piece of it and I ate the other 9 pieces. So, one of the other kids in the class should get the beautiful statue of Mother Mary who did the very BEST deed for Jesus. 

 

Love, Rose

 

 

As Rose was putting her letter in an envelope, she heard a knock on the door. It was her dad. He sat on Rose’s bed and asked her come sit by him. Her dad told Rose that the nurse had just called him to say that her poor, sick man had died. Rose hugged her dad. She felt both happy and sad at the same time. Dr. Anderson went on to explain that before her poor, sick man died, he asked the nurse to call him and give Rose a message. He said to tell you, “Thank you for everything.”

 

 

VIII

"What is the very BEST deed that I can do,

To show, dear Lord, my love for You?"

 

It was a beautiful, sunny Easter Monday, the day after Easter Sunday, and all the children in Mrs. Price’s class were listening carefully to their teacher. 

 

“Boys and girls, I stayed up late last night re-reading all your wonderful “good deed” letters for Jesus and I want to say I am so proud. I have decided that this Friday we will have an Easter picnic lunch in the park to celebrate.”

 

All the children cheered!

 

Mrs. Price continued, “Like I said, all of your “good deed” letters were wonderful but there was one particular good deed for Jesus that I have chosen as the very BEST deed of all. One child in this class spent her Lent helping a poor, sick man get to Heaven. Rose Anderson, would you please come up here. I would like to present you with this beautiful statue of our Blessed Mother.”

 

All the children began to cheer and clap for Rose!

 

Rose made her way up to the front of the class. She began to protest. “But Mrs. Price, I didn’t do the very BEST deed for Jesus. I wanted to give up candy for Him but I didn’t do it. Someone else who did the very BEST deed should get this beautiful statue.” 

 

Mrs. Price shook her head and smiled. “My sweet Rose, to give up candy is a wonderful sacrifice. When we offer these kinds of sacrifices out of love for Jesus, He takes them and unites them with His big sacrifice on the Cross. This is one way we can join with Him in helping to save souls. But I think you did the very BEST deed by helping a poor, sick man get to Heaven by your friendship. You were not afraid to talk with him and tell him about Jesus. You helped him understand how much Jesus loves him. Father Michael told me that you explained to this man how important it was for him to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before he died. This takes courage and perseverance of a different kind.”

 

Mrs. Price paused and looked around the classroom. “All of the letters I read told of the wonderful deeds you did for Jesus to show Him that you love Him. I’m so proud of each and every one of you!”

 

Then Mrs. Price looked back at Rose, “But yours was the very BEST deed of all.”

 

Rose gazed at the beautiful, smiling statue of our Blessed Mother.  

 

“Remember the end of our poem, dear Rose,” added Mrs. Price. “Remember the end of our poem.”

 

It was then that Rose began to understand:

 

"Jesus, what is the very BEST deed that we can do?

TO HELP BRING LOST SOULS TO HEAVEN FOR YOU!"