The Day Jesus Came to My School

Monday morning came after a long weekend. On Sunday night I couldn’t fall asleep, and now I’m paying the price. I’m running behind and most people are already in their seats when I arrive in the classroom. I only see one empty spot; it belongs to a thin girl named Marissa. Marissa didn’t really have many people she could call friends. She seemed like she could be nice, but nobody ever gave an effort to get to know her. She often times got picked on for being so small. There were a few times when I would try to talk to her, but she would become tense and aggressive.

Other than Marissa missing school, the day started in the usual way. First hour was a breeze, second hour wasn’t too hard, but third hour something happened. We were in the middle of reviewing a chapter for a religion test that we would be taking tomorrow, when two angelic figures step into the classroom doorway. The first is a male, and the figure behind Him is a female. Both seem very familiar.

Everyone pauses as the figures come into the room. We are all in awe. Questions race through our minds. Who are they? What are they doing here? Why do they look different than us? Are they aliens? We are in utter shock and confusion. Our questions are answered when the male figure speaks saying, “I am the Son of God. Thou have not acted towards the Will of God.” Now everyone is even more confused, why would Jesus be visiting a Catholic school saying that we are not doing the Will of God?

The next few moments are spent in silence. No one knows what to say in reply. Then as the female figure stepped from behind Jesus, we understood. It was Marissa. For the first time ever, we saw her at peace. The reason why she wasn’t at school was because she had an abusive father. He had come home drunk on Sunday night. He had been drinking and experimenting with methamphetamine. When he saw Marissa watching TV, something upset him and he went into a rage of violence. Marissa’s small body couldn’t handle the beating.

Now I understand why she would become aggressive those few times I tried to reach out to her. Why didn’t I pay more attention? Why didn’t I see the pain in her face? Why? Now because I was too selfish to care, Marissa was gone. If I would have just gotten through to her and found out what was happening in her life, this all could have been avoided. She needed a friend, but I didn’t give enough of an effort.

Marissa is now with Jesus. For the first time in her life, she doesn’t have to be afraid of her father. She is with God. She is in a place where she has all the friends she needs, all the family she deserves, and the love that she lacked on Earth.

When Jesus came to our school, he opened our eyes to what it actually means to be a Catholic. He showed us that being a Catholic isn’t just going to church, it’s showing love to everyone. It’s caring for others when you really don’t want to. Being a Catholic is letting Jesus into your heart, and when Jesus is in your heart, you are unstoppable, and Marissa now knows that.