English Original
A poor peasant boy once heard a priest say in church that whoever wished to enter the kingdom of heaven must always go straight onward. So he set out, walking straight ahead over hill and valley without ever turning aside. Eventually, his path led him into a great town and into the midst of a church, where a service was being held.
When he beheld all the magnificence, he thought he had reached heaven. He sat down and rejoiced with his whole heart. After the service, when the clerk asked him to leave, he replied, "No, I will not go out again. I am glad to be in heaven at last." The clerk told the priest there was a child in the church who refused to leave, believing he was in heaven.
The priest said, "If he believes that, we will let him stay." He went to the boy and asked if he wished to work. "Yes," the boy replied, "I am used to work, but I will not leave heaven again." So he stayed. Seeing people kneel and pray to a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus, he thought, "That is God." He said, "Dear God, how thin you are! The people must be letting you starve. I will give you half my dinner every day."
From then on, he shared half his meal with the statue daily, and the statue seemed to enjoy the food. After a few weeks, people noticed the statue growing larger, stouter, and stronger, and wondered greatly. The priest, also puzzled, stayed to observe and saw how the boy shared his food with the Virgin Mary and how she appeared to accept it.
Some time later, the boy fell ill and was bedridden for eight days. As soon as he could rise, his first act was to take food to the statue. The priest followed and heard him say, "Dear God, do not take it amiss that I have brought you nothing for so long. I have been ill and could not get up." Then the statue answered, "I have seen your goodwill, and that is enough. Next Sunday, you shall go with me to the wedding."
The boy rejoiced and told the priest, who begged him to ask if he too might go. "No," answered the statue, "you alone." The priest prepared the boy by giving him Holy Communion. The next Sunday, when the host was given to him, the boy fell down and died, and was at the eternal wedding.
中文翻译
一个贫穷的农家男孩有一次在教堂里听到神父说，凡是想进入天国的人，必须一直向前走。于是他出发了，径直翻山越谷，从不拐弯。最终，他的路将他带进了一座大城镇，并走进了一座正在举行礼拜的教堂中央。
当他看到这一切的宏伟景象时，他以为自己到达了天堂。他坐下来，满心欢喜。礼拜结束后，当教堂执事请他离开时，他回答说：“不，我不会再出去了。我很高兴终于到了天堂。”执事告诉神父，教堂里有个孩子不肯离开，因为他相信自己就在天堂。
神父说：“如果他相信这个，我们就让他留下吧。”他走到男孩面前，问他是否愿意工作。“愿意，”男孩回答，“我习惯干活，但我不会再离开天堂了。”于是他就留了下来。看到人们跪拜并向一尊怀抱小耶稣的圣母玛利亚木雕祈祷，他想：“那就是上帝。”他说：“亲爱的上帝，您多么瘦啊！人们一定让您挨饿了。我每天都会把我的一半晚餐分给您。”
从那时起，他每天都把一半的食物分给雕像，而雕像似乎开始享用这些食物。几周后，人们注意到雕像变得更大、更结实、更强壮了，感到非常惊奇。神父也困惑不解，他留下来观察，看到了男孩如何与圣母玛利亚分享食物，以及她如何似乎接受了它。
过了一段时间，男孩病了，在床上躺了八天。他一能起床，做的第一件事就是给雕像送食物。神父跟着他，听到他说：“亲爱的上帝，请不要怪我这么久没给您带东西。我病了，起不来床。”这时雕像回答说：“我已看到你的善意，这就足够了。下个星期日，你将随我去参加婚礼。”
男孩很高兴，把这事告诉了神父。神父恳求他去问问雕像，自己是否也能去。“不，”雕像回答，“只有你。”神父为男孩做了准备，给他举行了圣餐礼。到了下个星期日，当圣体递给他时，男孩倒地而死，去赴那永恒的婚礼了。