The girl went to church and asked the priest to come to their house and pray for the health of her bedridden father. Upon entering the room, the priest saw a chair next to the man’s bed and thought the old man knew of his arrival.
– Were you expecting me? – asked the priest.
– No, but who are you? – replied the patient.
– I am a priest. Your daughter invited me to pray for your health. When I saw the empty chair, I thought you knew about my visit and put it up for me.
“Yes, the chair…” said the patient, lowering the chair, and continued, “I haven’t told anyone about it. “Throughout my life, I often went to church and there they said that we had to pray, listen to the prayers of the priests, that prayer warms the human heart. However, all the prayers went in one ear and out the other. Then I stopped praying. And only 2 years ago my good friend said that prayer is a conversation with God. He advised me to sit on a chair, put another chair next to me and imagine that Jesus is sitting on it.
Didn’t he say he’s with us forever? And my friend told me to start saying whatever bothers me and to listen carefully, like I am listening to you now. I tried it and I liked it a lot, I started chatting like that for 2 hours a day. But I do it so my daughter can’t see, because she might think I’m crazy.
The priest was happy for the patient, advised him not to stop talking to God, then prayed for him, blessed him and left. A few days later, the man’s daughter came back and said her father was dead.
– How did it happen?
– It was daytime, it was 2 o’clock. My father called me, kissed me, said he loves me very much. Then I went to the store, but when I came back I found him out of breath. However, one thing struck me as odd. in the last few minutes, in all probability, he had gathered all his strength, got up from the pillow, approached the chair which was placed beside his bed, and laid his head on it. I saw him in this same position. What do you think that could mean?
“May God grant us all such a death,” replied the priest, wiping away tears.
The chair was not empty.
