22nd March

One foot in the tomb

We are in 1942 in a village in the central massif of France. A young man is confined to bed by tuberculosis. He is very week, nearly unconscious. Three doctors are beside him and they speak with a deep voice. One of them says: "Poor boy, he is already in the tomb with one foot." The young boy hears him! These words pierce him. He is stunned, doesn't say a word and he doesn't react.

All through the night the words of the doctor come back to him with insistance. He cries in silence. He sees himself appearing before God's justice. Through his bad behaviour he walked away from God... He is thinking of the gospel, of Jesus who calls him and who died for him. He takes the big decision and accepts Jesus as his Saviour.