{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_10866/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_10866","id":"gutenberg_10866","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10866","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Biographies","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Jesus Christ -- Passion -- Devotional literature"],"text":"The Dolorous Passion of\n Our Lord Jesus Christ\n\n\n   From the Meditations of\n   Anne Catherine Emmerich\n\n\n    Copyright Notice: This ebook was prepared from the 20th edition of\nthis book, which was published in 1904 by Benziger Brothers in New\nYork. The copyright for that edition is expired and the text is in the\npublic domain. This ebook is not copyrighted and is also in the public\ndomain.\n\nPREFACE TO THE FRENCH TRANSLATION.\n   BY THE ABBE DE CAZALES.\n\n   The writer of this Preface was travelling in Germany, when he\nchanced to meet with a book, entitled, The History of the Passion of\nour Lord Jesus Christ, from the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich,\nwhich appeared to him both interesting and edifying. Its style was\nunpretending, its ideas simple, its tone unassuming, its sentiments\nunexaggerated, and its every sentence expressive of the most complete\nand entire submission to the Church. Yet, at the same time, it would\nhave been difficult anywhere to meet with a more touching and lifelike\nparaphrase of the Gospel narrative. He thought that a book possessing\nsuch qualities deserved to be known on this side the Rhine, and that\nthere could be no reason why it should not be valued for its own sake,\nindependent of the somewhat singular source whence it emanated.\n\nStill, the translator has by no means disguised to himself that this\nwork is written, in the first place, for Christians; that is to say,\nfor men who have the right to be very diffident in giving credence to\nparticulars concerning facts which are articles of faith; and although\nhe is aware that St. Bonaventure and many others, in their paraphrases\nof the Gospel history, have mixed up traditional details with those\ngiven in the sacred text, even these examples have not wholly reassured\nhim. St. Bonaventure professed only to give a paraphrase, whereas these\nrevelations appear to be something more. It is certain that the holy\nmaiden herself gave them no higher title than that of dreams, and that\nthe transcriber of her narratives treats as blasphemous the idea of\nregarding them in any degree as equivalent to a fifth Gospel; still it\nis evident that the confessors who exhorted Sister Emmerich to relate\nwhat she saw, the celebrated poet who passed four years near her couch,\neagerly transcribing all he heard her say, and the German Bishops, who\nencouraged the publication of his book, considered it as something more\nthan a paraphrase. Some explanations are needful on this head.\n\nThe writings of many Saints introduce us into a new, and, if I may\nbe allowed the expression, a miraculous world. In all ages there have\nbeen revelations about the past, the present, the future, and even\nconcerning things absolutely inaccessible to the human intellect. In\nthe present day men are inclined to regard these revelations as simple\nhallucinations, or as caused by a sickly condition of body.\n\nThe Church, according to the testimony of her most approved writers,\nrecognises three descriptions of ecstasy; of which the first is simply\nnatural, and entirely brought about by certain physical tendencies and\na highly imaginative mind; the second divine or angelic, arising from\nintercourse held with the supernatural world; and the third produced by\ninfernal agency. (See, on this head, the work of Cardinal Bona, De\nDiscretione Spirituum.) Lest we should here write a book instead of a\npreface, we will not enter into any development of this doctrine, which\nappears to us highly philosophical, and without which no satisfactory\nexplanation can be given on the subject of the soul of man and its\nvarious states.\n\nThe Church directs certain means to be employed to ascertain by what\nspirit these ecstasies are produced, according to the maxim of St.\nJohn: 'Try the spirits, if they be of God.' (1 Jn 4:1). When circumstances\nor events claiming to be supernatural have been properly examined\naccording to certain rules, the Church has in all ages made a selection\nfrom them.\n\nMany persons who have been habitually in a state of ecstasy have\nbeen canonised, and their books approved. But this approbation has\nseldom amounted to more than a declaration that these books contained\nnothing contrary to faith, and that they were likely to promote a\nspirit of piety among the faithful. For the Church is only founded on\nthe word of Christ and on the revelations made to the Apostles.\nWhatever may since have been revealed to certain saints possesses\npurely a relative value, the reality of which may even be disputed--it\nbeing one of the admirable characteristics of the Church, that, though\ninflexibly one in dogma, she allows entire liberty to the human mind in\nall besides. Thus, we may believe private revelations, above all, when\nthose persons to whom they were made have been raised by the Church to\nthe rank of Saints publicly honoured, invoked, and venerated; but, even\nin these cases, we may, without ceasing to be perfectly orthodox,\ndispute their authenticity and divine origin. It is the place of reason\nto dispute and to select as it sees best.\n\nWith regard to the rule for discerning between the good and the evil\nspirit, it is no other, according to all theologians, than that of the\nGospel. A fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos. By their fruits you shall\nknow them. It must be examined in the first place whether the person\nwho professes to have revelations mistrusts what passes within himself;\nwhether he would prefer a more common path; whether far from boasting\nof the extraordinary graces which he receives, he seeks to hide them,\nand only makes them known through obedience; and, finally, whether he\nis continually advancing in humility, mortification, and charity. Next,\nthe revelations themselves must be very closely examined into; it must\nbe seen whether there is anything in them contrary to faith; whether\nthey are conformable to Scripture and Apostolic tradition; and whether\nthey are related in a headstrong spirit, or in a spirit of entire\nsubmission to the Church.\n\nWhoever reads the life of Anne Catherine Emmerich, and her book,\nwill be satisfied that no fault can be found in any of these respects\neither with herself or with her revelations. Her book resembles in many\npoints the writings of a great number of saints, and her life also\nbears the most striking similitude to theirs. To be convinced of this\nfact, we need but study the writings or what is related of Saints\nFrancis of Assisi, Bernard, Bridget, Hildegard, Catherine of Genoa,\nCatherine of Sienna, Ignatius, John of the Cross, Teresa, and an\nimmense number of other holy persons who are less known. So much being\nconceded, it is clear that in considering Sister Emmerich to have been\ninspired by God's Holy Spirit, we are not ascribing more merit to her\nbook than is allowed by the Church to all those of the same class. They\nare all edifying, and may serve to promote piety, which is their sole\nobject. We must not exaggerate their importance by holding as an\nabsolute fact that they proceed from divine inspiration, a favour so\ngreat that its existence in any particular case should not be credited\nsave with the utmost circumspection.\n\nWith regard, however, to our present publication, it may be urged\nthat, considering the superior talents of the transcriber of Sister\nEmmerich's narrations, the language and expressions which he has made use\nof may not always have been identical with those which she employed. We\nhave no hesitation whatever in allowing the force of this argument.\nMost fully do we believe in the entire sincerity of M. Clement\nBrentano, because we both know and love him, and, besides, his\nexemplary piety and the retired life which he leads, secluded from a\nworld in which it would depend but on himself to hold the highest\nplace, are guarantees amply sufficient to satisfy any impartial mind of\nhis sincerity. A poem such as he might publish, if he only pleased,\nwould cause him to be ranked at once among the most eminent of the\nGerman poets, whereas the office which he has taken upon himself of\nsecretary to a poor visionary has brought him nothing but contemptuous\nraillery. Nevertheless, we have no intention to assert that in giving\nthe conversations and discourses of Sister Emmerich that order and\ncoherency in which they were greatly wanting, and writing them down in\nhis own way, he may not unwittingly have arranged, explained, and\nembellished them. But this would not have the effect of destroying the\noriginality of the recital, or impugning either the sincerity of the\nnun, or that of the writer.\n\nThe translator professes to be unable to understand how any man can\nwrite for mere writing's sake, and without considering the probable\neffects which his work will produce. This book, such as it is, appears\nto him to be at once unusually edifying, and highly poetical. It is\nperfectly clear that it has, properly speaking, no literary pretensions\nwhatever. Neither the uneducated maiden whose visions are here relate,\nnor the excellent Christian writer who had published them in so entire\na spirit of literary disinterestedness, ever had the remotest idea of\nsuch a thing. And yet there are not, in our opinion, many highly\nworked-up compositions calculated to produce an effect in any degree\ncomparable to that which will be brought about by the perusal of this\nunpretending little work. It is our hope that it will make a strong\nimpression even upon worldlings, and that in many hearts it will\nprepare the way for better ideas,--perhaps even for a lasting change of\nlife.\n\nIn the next place, we are not sorry to call public attention in some\ndegree to all that class of phenomena which preceded the foundation of\nthe Church, which has since been perpetuated uninterruptedly, and which\ntoo many Christians are disposed to reject altogether, either through\nignorance and want of reflection, or purely through human respect. This\nis a field which has hitherto been but little explored historically,\npsychologically, and physiologically; and it would be well if\nreflecting minds were to bestow upon it a careful and attentive\ninvestigation. To our Christian readers we must remark that this work\nhas received the approval of ecclesiastical authorities. It has been\nprepared for the press under the superintendence of the two late\nBishops of Ratisbonne, Sailer and Wittman. These names are but little\nknown in France; but in Germany they are identical with learning,\npiety, ardent charity, and a life wholly devoted to the maintenance and\npropagation of the Catholic faith. Many French priests have given their\nopinion that the translation of a book of this character could not but\ntend to nourish piety, without, however, countenancing that weakness of\nspirit which is disposed to lend more importance in some respects to\nprivate than to general revelations, and consequently to substitute\nmatters which we are simply permitted to believe, in the place of those\nwhich are of faith.\n\nWe feel convinced that no one will take offence at certain details\ngiven on the subject of the outrages which were suffered by our divine\nLord during the course of his passion. Our readers will remember the\nwords of the psalmist: 'I am a worm and no man; the reproach of men, and\nthe outcast of the people;' (Ps 22:6) and those of the Apostle: 'Tempted in\nall things like as we are, without sin.' (Heb 4:15). Did we stand in need\nof a precedent, we should request our readers to remember how plainly\nand crudely Bossuet describes the same scenes in the most eloquent of\nhis four sermons on the Passion of our Lord. On the other hand, there\nhave been so many grand platonic or rhetorical sentences in the books\npublished of late years, concerning that abstract entity; on which the\nwriters have been pleased to bestow the Christian title of the Word, or\nLogos, that it may be eminently useful to show the Man-God, the Word\nmade flesh, in all the reality of his life on earth, of his\nhumiliation, and of his sufferings. It must be evident that the cause\nof truth, and still more that of edification, will not be the losers.\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nThe following meditations will probably rank high among many similar\nworks which the contemplative love of Jesus has produced; but it is our\nduty here plainly to affirm that they have no pretensions whatever to\nbe regarded as history.1 They are but intended to take one of the\nlowest places among those numerous representations of the Passion which\nhave been given us by pious writers and artists, and to be considered\nat the very utmost as the Lenten meditations of a devout nun, related\nin all simplicity, and written down in the plainest and most literal\nlanguage, from her own dictation. To these meditations, she herself\nnever attached more than a mere human value, and never related them\nexcept through obedience, and upon the repeated commands of the\ndirectors of her conscience.\n\nThe writer of the following pages was introduced to this holy\nreligious by Count Leopold de Stolberg. (The Count de Stolberg is one\nof the most eminent converts whom the Catholic Church has made from\nProtestantism. He died in 1819.) Dean Bernard Overberg, her director\nextraordinary, and Bishop Michael Sailer, who had often been her\ncounsellor and consoler, urged her to relate to us in detail all that\nshe experienced; and the latter, who survived her, took the deepest\ninterest in the arrangement and publication of the notes taken down\nfrom her dictation. (The Bishop of Ratisbonne, one of the most\ncelebrated defenders of the faith in Germany.) These illustrious and\nholy men, now dead, and whose memory is blessed, were in continual\ncommunion of prayer with Anne Catherine, whom they loved and respected,\non account of the singular graces with which God had favoured her. The\neditor of this book received equal encouragement, and met with no less\nsympathy in his labours, from the late Bishop of Ratisbonne, Mgr.\nWittman. (Mgr. Wittman was the worthy successor of Sailer, and a man of\neminent sanctity, whose memory is held in veneration by all the\nCatholics of the south of Germany.) This holy Bishop, who was so deeply\nversed in the ways of Divine grace, and so well acquainted with its\neffects on certain souls, both from his private investigations of the\nsubject, and his own experience, took the most lively interest in all\nthat concerned Anne Catherine, and on hearing of the work in which the\neditor of this book was engaged, he strongly exhorted him to publish\nit. 'These things have not been communicated to you for nothing,' would he\noften say; 'God had his views in all. Publish something at least of what\nyou know, for you will thereby benefit many souls.' He at the same time\nbrought forward various instances from his own experience and that of\nothers, showing the benefit which had been derived from the study of\nworks of a similar character. He delighted in calling such privileged\nsouls as Anne Catherine the marrow of the bones of the Church,\naccording to the expression of St. John Chrysostom, medulla enim hujus\nmundi sunt, and he encouraged the publication of their lives and\nwritings as far as lay in his power.\n\nThe editor of this book being taken by a kind friend to the dying\nbed of the holy Bishop, had no reason whatever to expect to be\nrecognised, as he had only once in his life conversed with him for a\nfew minutes; nevertheless the dying saint knew him again, and after a\nfew most kind words blessed and exhorted him to continue his work for\nthe glory of God.\n\nEncouraged by the approbation of such men, we therefore yield to the\nwishes of many virtuous friends in publishing the Meditations on the\nPassion, of this humble religious, to whom God granted the favour of\nbeing at times simple, ingenuous, and ignorant as a child, while at\nothers she was clear sighted, sensible, possessed of a deep insight\ninto the most mysterious and hidden things, and consumed with burning\nand heroic zeal, but ever forgetful of self, deriving her whole\nstrength from Jesus alone, and steadfast in the most perfect humility\nand entire self-abnegation.\n\nWe give our readers a slight sketch of her life, intending at some\nfuture day to publish her biography more in full.\n\n\nThe Life Of Anne Catherine Emmerich,\n\nReligious Of The Order Of St. Augustine,\n\nAt The Convent Of Agnetenberg, Dulmen, Westphalia.\n\n\n\nVenerable Anne Catherine Emmerich2 was born at Flamske, a village\nsituated about a mile and a half from Coesfeld, in the bishopric of\nMunster, on the 8th of September 1774, and was baptised in the church\nof St. James at Coesfeld. Her parents, Bernard Emmerich and Anne\nHiller, were poor peasants, but distinguished for their piety and\nvirtue.\n\nThe childhood of Anne Catherine bore a striking resemblance to that\nof the Venerable Anne Garzias de St. Barthelemi, of Dominica del\nParadiso, and of several other holy persons born in the same rank of\nlife as herself. Her angel-guardian used to appear to her as a child;\nand when she was taking care of sheep in the fields, the Good Shepherd\nhimself, under the form of a young shepherd, would frequently come to\nher assistance. From childhood she was accustomed to have divine\nknowledge imparted to her in visions of all kinds, and was often\nfavoured by visits from the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, who,\nunder the form of a sweet, lovely, and majestic lady, would bring the\nDivine Child to be, as it were, her companion, and would assure her\nthat she loved and would ever protect her. Many of the saints would\nalso appear to her, and receive from her hands the garlands of flowers\nwhich she had prepared in honour of their festivals. All these favours\nand visions surprised the child less than if an earthly princess and\nthe lords and ladies of her court had come to visit her. Nor was she,\nlater in life, more surprised at these celestial visits, for her\ninnocence caused her to feel far more at her ease with our Divine Lord,\nhis Blessed Mother and the Saints, than she could ever be with even the\nmost kind and amiable of her earthly companions. The names of Father,\nMother, Brother, and Spouse, appeared to her expressive of the real\nconnections subsisting between God and man, since the Eternal word had\nbeen pleased to be born of a woman, and so to become our Brother, and\nthese sacred titles were not mere words in her mouth.\n\nWhile yet a child, she used to speak with innocent candour and\nsimplicity of all that she saw, and her listeners would be filled with\nadmiration at the histories she would relate from Holy Writ; but their\nquestions and remarks having sometimes disturbed her peace of mind, she\ndetermined to keep silence on such subjects for the future. In her\ninnocence of heart, she thought that it was not right to talk of things\nof this sort, that other persons never did so, and that her speech\nshould be only Yea, yea, and Nay, nay, or Praise be to Jesus Christ.\nThe visions with which she was favoured were so like realities, and\nappeared to her so sweet and delightful, that she supposed all\nChristian children were favoured with the same; and she concluded that\nthose who never talked on such subjects were only more discreet and\nmodest than herself, so she resolved to keep silence also, to be like\nthem.\n\n\nAlmost from her cradle she possessed the gift of distinguishing what\nwas good or evil, holy or profane, blessed or accursed, in material as\nwell as in spiritual things, thus resembling St. Sibyllina of Pavia,\nIda of Louvain, Ursula Benincasa, and some other holy souls. In her\nearliest childhood she used to bring out of the fields useful herbs,\nwhich no one had ever before discovered to be good for anything, and\nplant them near her father's cottage, or in some spot where she was\naccustomed to work and play; while on the other hand she would root up\nall poisonous plants, and particularly those ever used for\nsuperstitious practices or in dealings with the devil. Were she by\nchance in a place where some great crime had been committed, she would\nhastily run away, or begin to pray and do penance. She used also to\nperceive by intuition when she was in a consecrated spot, return thanks\nto God, and be filled with a sweet feeling of peace. When a priest\npassed by with the Blessed Sacrament, even at a great distance from her\nhome or from the place where she was taking care of her flock, she\nwould feel a strong attraction in the direction whence he was coming,\nrun to meet him, and be kneeling in the road, adoring the Blessed\nSacrament, long before he could reach the spot.\n\nShe knew when any object was consecrated, and experienced a feeling\nof disgust and repugnance when in the neighbourhood of old pagan\ncemeteries, whereas she was attracted to the sacred remains of the\nsaints as steel by the magnet. When relics were shown to her, she knew\nwhat saints they had belonged to, and could give not only accounts of\nthe minutest and hitherto unknown particulars of their lives, but also\nhistories of the relics themselves, and of the places where they had\nbeen preserved. During her whole life she had continual intercourse\nwith the souls in purgatory; and all her actions and prayers were\noffered for the relief of their sufferings. She was frequently called\nupon to assist them, and even reminded in some miraculous manner, if\nshe chanced to forget them. Often, while yet very young, she used to be\nawakened out of her sleep by bands of suffering souls, and to follow\nthem on cold winter's nights with bare feet, the whole length of the Way\nof the Cross to Coesfeld, though the ground was covered with snow.\n\nFrom her infancy to the day of her death she was indefatigable in\nrelieving the sick, and in dressing and curing wounds and ulcers, and\nshe was accustomed to give to the poor every farthing she possessed. So\ntender was her conscience, that the slightest sin she fell into caused\nher such pain as to make her ill, and absolution then always restored\nher immediately to health.\n\nThe extraordinary nature of the favours bestowed on her by Almighty\nGod was no hindrance in the way of her devoting herself to hard labour,\nlike any other peasant-girl; and we may also be allowed to observe that\na certain degree of the spirit of prophecy is not unusually to be found\namong her country men and women. She was taught in the school of\nsuffering and mortification, and there learned lessons of perfection.\nShe allowed herself no more sleep or food than was absolutely\nnecessary; passed whole hours in prayer every night; and in winter\noften knelt out of doors on the snow. She slept on the ground on planks\narranged in the form of a cross. Her food and drink consisted of what\nwas rejected by others; she always kept the best parts even of that for\nthe poor and sick, and when she did not know of anyone to give them to,\nshe offered them to God in a spirit of child-like faith, begging him to\ngive them to some person who was more in need than herself. When there\nwas anything to be seen or heard which had no reference to God or\nreligion, she found some excuse for avoiding the spot to which others\nwere hastening, or, if there, closed her eyes and ears. She was\naccustomed to say that useless actions were sinful, and that when we\ndenied our bodily senses any gratification of this kind, we were amply\nrepaid by the progress which we made in the interior life, in the same\nmanner as pruning renders vines and other fruittrees more productive.\nFrom her early youth, and wherever she went, she had frequent\nsymbolical visions, which showed her in parables, as it were, the\nobject of her existence, the means of attaining it, and her future\nsufferings, together with the dangers and conflicts which she would\nhave to go through.\n\nShe was in her sixteenth year, when one day, whilst at work in the\nfields with her parents and sisters, she heard the bell ringing at the\nConvent of the Sisters of the Annunciation, at Coesfeld. This sound so\ninflamed her secret desire to become a nun, and had so great an effect\nupon her, that she fainted away, and remained ill and weak for a long\ntime after. When in her eighteenth year she was apprenticed at Coesfeld\nto a dressmaker, with whom she passed two years, and then returned to\nher parents. She asked to be received at the Convents of the\nAugustinians at Borken, of the Trappists at Darfeld, and of the Poor\nClares at Munster; but her poverty, and that of these convents, always\npresented an insuperable obstacle to her being received. At the age of\ntwenty, having saved twenty thalers (about 3l. English), which she had\nearned by her sewing, she went with this little sum--a perfect fortune for\na poor peasant-girl--to a pious organist of Coesfeld, whose daughter she\nhad known when she first lived in the town. Her hope was that, by\nlearning to play on the organ, she might succeed in obtaining\nadmittance into a convent. But her irresistible desire to serve the\npoor and give them everything she possessed left her no time to learn\nmusic, and before long she had so completely stripped herself of\neverything, that her good mother was obliged to bring her bread, milk,\nand eggs, for her own wants and those of the poor, with whom she shared\neverything. Then her mother said: 'Your desire to leave your father and\nmyself, and enter a convent, gives us much pain; but you are still my\nbeloved child, and when I look at your vacant seat at home, and reflect\nthat you have given away all your savings, so as to be now in want, my\nheart is filled with sorrow, and I have now brought you enough to keep\nyou for some time.' Anne Catherine replied: 'Yes, dear mother, it is true\nthat I have nothing at all left, because it was the holy will of God\nthat others should be assisted by me; and since I have given all to\nhim, he will now take care of me, and bestow his divine assistance upon\nus all.' She remained some years at Coesfeld, employed in labour, good\nworks, and prayer, being always guided by the same inward inspirations.\nShe was docile and submissive as a child in the hands of her\nguardian-angel.\n\nAlthough in this brief sketch of her life we are obliged to omit\nmany interesting circumstances, there is one which we must not pass\nover in silence. When about twenty-four years of age, she received a\nfavour from our Lord, which has been granted to many persons devoted in\nan especial manner to meditation on his painful Passion; namely, to\nexperience the actual and visible sufferings of his sacred Head, when\ncrowned with thorns. The following is the account she herself has given\nof the circumstances under which so mysterious a favour was bestowed\nupon her: 'About four years previous to my admittance into the convent,\nconsequently in 1798, it happened that I was in the Jesuits' Church at\nCoesfeld, at about twelve o'clock in the day, kneeling before a crucifix\nand absorbed in meditation, when all on a sudden I felt a strong but\npleasant heat in my head, and I saw my Divine Spouse, under the form of\na young man clothed with light, come towards me from the altar, where\nthe Blessed Sacrament was preserved in the tabernacle. In his left hand\nhe held a crown of flowers, in his right hand a crown of thorns, and he\nbade me choose which I would have. I chose the crown of thorns; he\nplaced it on my head, and I pressed it down with both hands. Then he\ndisappeared, and I returned to myself, feeling, however, violent pain\naround my head. I was obliged to leave the church, which was going to\nbe closed. One of my companions was kneeling by my side, and as I\nthought she might have seen what happened to me, I asked her when we\ngot home whether there was not a wound on my forehead, and spoke to her\nin general terms of my vision, and of the violent pain which had\nfollowed it. She could see nothing outwardly, but was not astonished at\nwhat I told her, because she knew that I was sometimes in an\nextraordinary state, without her being able to understand the cause.\nThe next day my forehead and temples were very much swelled, and I\nsuffered terribly. This pain and swelling often returned, and sometimes\nlasted whole days and nights. I did not remark that there was blood on\nmy head until my companions told me I had better put on a clean cap,\nbecause mine was covered with red spots. I let them think whatever they\nliked about it, only taking care to arrange my head dress so as to hide\nthe blood which flowed from my head, and I continued to observe the\nsame precaution even after I entered the convent, where only one person\nperceived the blood, and she never betrayed my secret.'\n\nSeveral other contemplative persons, especially devoted to the\npassion of our Lord, have been admitted to the privilege of suffering\nthe torture inflicted by the crown of thorns, after having seen a\nvision in which the two crowns were offered them to choose between, for\ninstance, among others, St. Catherine of Sienna, and Pasithea of\nCrogis, a Poor Clare of the same town, who died in 1617.\n\nThe writer of these pages may here be allowed to remark that he\nhimself has, in full daylight, several times seen blood flow down the\nforehead and face, and even beyond the linen wrapped round the neck of\nAnne Catherine. Her desire to embrace a religious life was at length\ngratified. The parents of a young person whom the Augustinian nuns of\nDulmen wished to receive into their order, declared that they would not\ngive their consent except on condition that Anne Catherine was taken at\nthe same time. The nuns yielded their assent, though somewhat\nreluctantly, on account of their extreme poverty; and on the 13th\nNovember 1802, one week before the feast of the Presentation of the\nBlessed Virgin, Anne Catherine entered on her novitiate. At the present\nday vocations are not so severely tested as formerly; but in her case,\nProvidence imposed special trials, for which, rigorous as they were,\nshe felt she never could be too grateful. Sufferings or privations,\nwhich a soul, either alone or in union with others, imposes upon\nherself, for God's greater glory, are easy to bear; but there is one\ncross more nearly resembling the cross of Christ than any other, and\nthat is, lovingly and patiently to submit to unjust punishment,\nrebuffs, or accusations. It was the will of God that during her year's\nnovitiate she should, independently of the will of any creature, be\ntried as severely as the most strict mistress of novices could have\ndone before any mitigations had been allowed in the rules. She learned\nto regard her companions as instruments in the hands of God for her\nsanctification; and at a later period of her life many other things\nappeared to her in the same light. But as it was necessary that her\nfervent soul should be constantly tried in the school of the Cross, God\nwas pleased that she should remain in it all her life.\n\nIn many ways her position in the convent was excessively painful.\nNot one of her companions, nor even any priest or doctor, could\nunderstand her case. She had learned, when living among poor peasants,\nto hide the wonderful gifts which God had bestowed on her; but the case\nwas altered now that she was in familiar intercourse with a large\nnumber of nuns, who, though certainly good and pious, were filled with\never-increasing feelings of curiosity, and even of spiritual jealousy\nin her regard. Then, the contracted ideas of the community, and the\ncomplete ignorance of the nuns concerning all those exterior phenomena\nby which the interior life manifests itself, gave her much to endure,\nthe more so, as these phenomena displayed themselves in the most\nunusual and astonishing manner. She heard everything that was said\nagainst her, even when the speakers were at on end of the convent and\nshe at the other, and her heart was most deeply wounded as if by\npoisoned arrows. Yet she bore all patiently a lovingly without showing\nthat she knew what was said of her. More than once charity impelled her\nto cast herself at the feet of some nun who was particularly prejudiced\nagainst her, and ask her pardon with tears. Then, she was suspected of\nlistening at the doors, for the private feelings of dislike entertained\nagainst her became known, no one knew how, and the nuns felt\nuncomfortable and uneasy, in spite of themselves, when in her company.\n\nWhenever the rule (the minutest point of which was sacred in her\neyes) was neglected in the slightest degree, she beheld in spirit each\ninfringement, and at times was inspired to fly to the spot where the\nrule was being broken by some infringement of the vow of poverty, or\ndisregards of the hours of silence, and she would then repeat suitable\npassages from the rule, without having ever learned them. She thus\nbecame an object of aversion to all those religious who broke the rule;\nand her sudden appearance among them had almost the effect of\napparitions. God had bestowed upon her the gift of tears to so great an\nextent, that she often passed whole hours in the church weeping over\nthe sins and ingratitude of men, the sufferings of the Church, the\nimperfections of the community, and her own faults. But these tears of\nsublime sorrow could be understood by none but God, before whom she\nshed them, and men attributed them to mere caprice, a spirit of\ndiscontent, or some other similar cause. Her confessor had enjoined\nthat she should receive the holy communion more frequently than the\nother nuns, because, so ardently did she hunger after the bread of\nangels, that she had been more than once near dying. These heavenly\nsentiments awakened feelings of jealousy in her sisters, who sometimes\neven accused her of hypocrisy.\n\nThe favour which had been shown her in her admittance into the\nconvent, in spite of her poverty, was also made a subject of reproach.\nThe thought of being thus an occasion of sin to others was most painful\nto her, and she continually besought God to permit her to bear herself\nthe penalty of this want of charity in her regard. About Christmas, of\nthe year 1802, she had a very severe illness, which began by a violent\npain about her heart.\n\nThis pain did not leave her even when she was cured, and she bore it\nin silence until the year 1812, when the mark of a cross was imprinted\nexteriorly in the same place, as we shall relate further on. Her\nweakness and delicate health caused her to be looked upon more as\nburdensome than useful to the community; and this, of course, told\nagainst her in all ways, yet she was never weary of working and serving\nthe others, nor was she ever so happy as at this period of her life--spent\nin privations and sufferings of every description.\n\nOn the 13th of November 1803, at the age of twenty-nine, she\npronounced her solemn vows, and became the spouse of Jesus Christ, in\nthe Convent of Agnetenberg, at Dulmen. 'When I had pronounced my vows,' she\nsays, 'my relations were again extremely kind to me. My father and my\neldest brother brought me two pieces of cloth. My father, a good, but\nstern man, and who had been much averse to my entering the convent, had\ntold me, when we parted, that he would willingly pay for my burial, but\nthat he would give nothing for the convent; and he kept his word, for\nthis piece of cloth was the winding sheet used for my spiritual burial\nin the convent.'\n\n'I was not thinking of myself,' she says again, 'I was thinking of nothing\nbut our Lord and my holy vows. My companions could not understand me;\nnor could I explain my state to them. God concealed from them many of\nthe favours which he bestowed upon me, otherwise they would have had\nvery false ideas concerning me. Notwithstanding all my trials and\nsufferings, I was never more rich interiorly, and my soul was perfectly\nflooded with happiness. My cell only contained one chair without a\nseat, and another without a back; yet in my eyes, it was magnificently\nfurnished, and when there I often thought myself in Heaven. Frequently\nduring the night, impelled by love and by the mercy of God, I poured\nforth the feelings of my soul by conversing with him on loving and\nfamiliar language, as I had always done from my childhood, and then\nthose who were watching me would accuse me of irreverence and\ndisrespect towards God. Once, I happened to say that it appeared to me\nthat I should be guilty of greater disrespect did I receive the Body of\nour Lord without having conversed familiarly with him, and I was\nseverely reprimanded. Amid all these trials, I yet lived in peace with\nGod and with all his creatures. When I was working in the garden, the\nbirds would come and rest on my head and shoulders, and we would\ntogether sing the praises of God. I always beheld my angel-guardian at\nmy side, and although the devil used frequently to assault and terrify\nme in various ways, he was never permitted to do me much harm. My\ndesire for the Blessed Sacrament was so irresistible, that often at\nnight I left my cell and went to the church, if it was open; but if\nnot, I remained at the door or by the walls, even in winter, kneeling\nor prostrate, with my arms extended in ecstasy. The convent chaplain,\nwho was so charitable as to come early to give me the Holy Communion,\nused to find me in this state, but as soon as he was come and had\nopened the church, I always recovered, and hastened to the holy table,\nthere to receive my Lord and my God. When I was sacristan, I used all\non a sudden to feel myself ravished in spirit, and ascend to the\nhighest parts of the church, on to cornices, projecting parts of the\nbuilding, and mouldings, where it seemed impossible for any being to\nget by human means. Then I cleaned and arranged everything, and it\nappeared to me that I was surrounded by blessed spirits, who\ntransported me about and held me up in their hands. Their presence did\nnot cause me the least uneasiness, for I had been accustomed to it from\nmy childhood, and I used to have the most sweet and familiar\nintercourse with them. It was only when I was in the company of certain\nmen that I was really alone; and so great was then my feeling of\nloneliness that I could not help crying like a child that has strayed\nfrom home.'\n\nWe now proceed to her illnesses, omitting any description of some\nother remarkable phenomena of her ecstatic life, only recommending the\nreader to compare the accounts we have already given with what is\nrelated of St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi.\n\nAnne Catherine had always been weak and delicate, and yet had been,\nfrom her earliest childhood, in the habit of practising many\nmortifications, of fasting and of passing the night in watching and\nprayer in the open air. She had been accustomed to continue hard labour\nin the fields, at all seasons of the year, and her strength was also\nnecessarily much tried by the exhausting and supernatural states\nthrough which she so frequently passed. At the convent she continued to\nwork in the garden and in the house, whilst her spiritual labours and\nsufferings were ever on the increase, so that it is by no means\nsurprising that she was frequently ill; but her illnesses arose from\nyet another cause. We have learned, from careful observations made\nevery day for the space of four years, and also from what she herself\nwas unwillingly forced to admit, that during the whole course of her\nlife, and especially during that part of it which she spent at the\nconvent, when she enjoyed the highest spiritual favours, a great\nportion of her illnesses and sufferings came from taking upon herself\nthe sufferings of others. Sometimes she asked for the illness of a\nperson who did not bear it patiently, and relieved him of the whole or\nof a part of his sufferings, by taking them upon herself; sometimes,\nwishing to expiate a sin or put an end to some suffering, she gave\nherself up into the hands of God, and he, accepting her sacrifice,\npermitted her thus, in union with the merits of his passion, to expiate\nthe sin by suffering some illness corresponding to it. She had\nconsequently to bear, not only her own maladies, but those also of\nothers--to suffer in expiation of the sins of her brethren, and of the\nfaults and negligences of certain portions of the Christian\ncommunity--and, finally, to endure many and various sufferings in\nsatisfaction for the souls of purgatory. All these sufferings appeared\nlike real illnesses, which took the most opposite and variable forms,\nand she was placed entirely under the care of the doctor, who\nendeavoured by earthly remedies to cure illnesses which in reality were\nthe very sources of her life. She said on this subject--'Repose in suffering\nhas always appeared to me the most desirable condition possible. The\nangels themselves would envy us, were envy not an imperfection. But for\nsufferings to bear really meritorious we must patiently and gratefully\naccept unsuitable remedies and comforts, and all other additional\ntrials. I did not myself fully understand my state, nor know what it\nwas to lead to. In my soul I accepted my different sufferings, but in\nmy body it was my duty to strive against them. I had given myself\nwholly and entirely to my Heavenly Spouse, and his holy will was being\naccomplished in me; but I was living on earth, where I was not to rebel\nagainst earthly wisdom and earthly prescriptions. Even had I fully\ncomprehended my state, and had both time and power to explain it, there\nwas no one near who would have been able to understand me. A doctor\nwould simply have concluded that I was entirely mad, and would have\nincreased his expensive and painful remedies tenfold. I have suffered\nmuch in this way during the whole of my life, and particularly when I\nwas at the convent, from having unsuitable remedies administered to me.\nOften, when my doctors and nurses had reduced me to the last agony, and\nthat I was near death, God took pity on me, and sent me some\nsupernatural assistance, which effected an entire cure.'\n\nFour years before the suppression of her convent she went to Flamske\nfor two days to visit her parents. Whilst there she went once to kneel\nand pray for some hours before the miraculous Cross of the Church of\nSt. Lambert, at Coesfeld. She besought the Almighty to bestow the gifts\nof peace and unity upon her convent, offered him the Passion of Jesus\nChrist for that intention, and implored him to allow her to feel a\nportion of the sufferings which were endured by her Divine Spouse on\nthe Cross. From the time that she made this prayer her hands and feet\nbecame burning and painful, and she suffered constantly from fever,\nwhich she believed was the cause of the pain in her hands and feet, for\nshe did not dare to think that her prayer had been granted. Often she\nwas unable to walk, and the pain in her hands prevented her from\nworking as usual in the garden. On the 3rd December 1811, the convent\nwas suppressed, and the church closed. (Under the Government of Jerome\nBonaparte, King of Westphalia.) The nuns dispersed in all directions,\nbut Anne Catherine remained, poor and ill. A kindhearted servant\nbelonging to the monastery attended upon her out of charity, and an\naged emigrant priest, who said Mass in the convent, remained also with\nher. These three individuals, being the poorest of the Community, did\nnot leave the convent until the spring of 1812. She was still very\nunwell, and could not be moved without great difficulty. The priest\nlodged with a poor widow who lived in the neighbourhood, and Anne\nCatherine had in the same house a wretched little room on the\nground-floor, which looked on the street. There she lived, in poverty\nand sickness, until the autumn of 1813. Her ecstasies in prayer, and\nher spiritual intercourse with the invisible world, became more and\nmore frequent. She was about to be called to a state with which she was\nherself but imperfectly acquainted, and in order to enter which she did\nnothing but submissively abandon herself to the will of God. Our Lord\nwas pleased about this time to imprint upon her virginal body the\nstigmas of his cross and of his crucifixion, which were to the Jews a\nstumbling-block, and to the Gentiles folly, and to many persons who\ncall themselves Christians, both the one and the other. From her very\nearliest childhood she had besought our Lord to impress the marks of\nhis cross deeply upon her heart, that so she might never forget his\ninfinite love for men; but she had never thought of receiving any\noutward marks. Rejected by the world, she prayed more fervently than\never for this end. On the 28th of August, the feast of St. Augustine,\nthe patron of her order, as she was making this prayer in bed, ravished\nin ecstasy and her arms stretched forth, she beheld a young man\napproach her surrounded with light. It was under this form that her\nDivine Spouse usually appeared to her, and he now made upon her body\nwith his right hand the mark of a common cross. From this time there\nwas a mark like a cross upon her bosom, consisting of two bands\ncrossed, about three inches long and one wide. Later the skin often\nrose in blisters on this place, as if from a burn, and when these\nblisters burst a burning colourless liquid issued from them, sometimes\nin such quantities as to soak through several sheets. She was long\nwithout perceiving what the case really was, and only thought that she\nwas in a strong perspiration. The particular meaning of this mark has\nnever been known.\n\nSome weeks later, when making the same prayer, she fell into an\necstasy, and beheld the same apparition, which presented her with a\nlittle cross of the shape described in her accounts of the Passion. She\neagerly received and fervently pressed it to her bosom, and then\nreturned it. She said that this cross was as soft and white as wax, but\nshe was not at first aware that it had made an external mark upon her\nbosom. A short time after, having gone with her landlady's little girl to\nvisit an old hermitage near Dulmen, she all on a sudden fell into an\necstasy, fainted away, and on her recovery was taken home by a poor\npeasant woman. The sharp pain which she felt in her chest continued to\nincrease, and she saw that there was what looked like a cross, about\nthree inches in length, pressed tightly upon her breast-bone, and\nlooking red through the skin. As she had spoken about her vision to a\nnun with whom she was intimate, her extraordinary state began to be a\ngood deal talked of. On All Souls' day, 1812, she went out for the last\ntime, and with much difficulty succeeded in reaching the church. From\nthat time till the end of the year she seemed to be dying, and received\nthe last Sacraments. At Christmas a smaller cross appeared on the top\nof that upon her chest. It was the same shape as the larger one, so\nthat the two together formed a double forked cross. Blood flowed from\nthis cross every Wednesday, so as to leave the impression of its shape\non paper laid over it. After a time this happened on Fridays instead.\nIn 1814 this flow of blood took place less frequently, but the cross\nbecame as red as fire every Friday. At a later period of her life more\nblood flowed from this cross, especially every Good Friday; but no\nattention was paid to it. On the 30th March 1821, the writer of these\npages saw this cross of a deep red colour, and bleeding all over. In\nits usual state it was colourless, and its position only marked by\nslight cracks in the skin... Other Ecstaticas have received similar marks\nof the Cross; among others, Catherine of Raconis, Marina de l' Escobar,\nEmilia Bichieri, S. Juliani Falconieri, etc.\n\nShe received the stigmas on the last days of the year 1812. On the\n29th December, about three o'clock in the afternoon, she was lying on her\nbed in her little room, extremely ill, but in a state of ecstasy and\nwith her arms extended, meditating on the sufferings of her Lord, and\nbeseeching him to allow her to suffer with him. She said five Our\nFathers in honour of the Five Wounds, and felt her whole heart burning\nwith love. She then saw a light descending towards her, and\ndistinguished in the midst of it the resplendent form of her crucified\nSaviour, whose wounds shone like so many furnaces of light. Her heart\nwas overflowing with joy and sorrow, and, at the sight of the sacred\nwounds, her desire to suffer with her Lord became intensely violent.\nThen triple rays, pointed like arrows, of the colour of blood, darted\nforth from the hands, feet, and side of the sacred apparition, and\nstruck her hands, feet, and right side. The triple rays from the side\nformed a point like the head of a lance. The moment these rays touched\nher, drops of blood flowed from the wounds which they made. Long did\nshe remain in a state of insensibility, and when she recovered her\nsenses she did not know who had lowered her outstretched arms. It was\nwith astonishment that she beheld blood flowing from the palms of her\nhands, and felt violent pain in her feet and side. It happened that her\nlandlady's little daughter came into her room, saw her hands bleeding,\nand ran to tell her mother, who with great anxiety asked Anne Catherine\nwhat had happened, but was begged by her not to speak about it. She\nfelt, after having received the stigmas, that an entire change had\ntaken place in her body; for the course of her blood seemed to have\nchanged, and to flow rapidly towards the stigmas. She herself used to\nsay: 'No words can describe in what manner it flows.'\n\nWe are indebted to a curious incident for our knowledge of the\ncircumstances which we have here related. On the 15th December 1819,\nshe had a detailed vision of all that had happened to herself, but so\nthat she thought it concerned some other nun who she imagined must be\nliving not far off, and who she supposed had experienced the same\nthings as herself. She related all these details with a very strong\nfeeling of compassion, humbling herself, without knowing it, before her\nown patience and sufferings. It was most touching to hear her say: 'I\nought never to complain anymore, now that I have seen the sufferings of\nthat poor nun; her heart is surrounded with a crown of thorns, but she\nbears it placidly and with a smiling countenance. It is shameful indeed\nfor me to complain, for she had a far heavier burden to bear than I\nhave.'\n\nThese visions, which she afterwards recognised to be her own\nhistory, were several times repeated, and it is from them that the\ncircumstances under which she received the stigmas became known.\nOtherwise she would not have related so many particulars about what her\nhumility never permitted her to speak of, and concerning which, when\nasked by her spiritual superiors whence her wounds proceeded, the\nutmost she said was: 'I hope that they come from the hand of God.'\n\nThe limits of this work preclude us from entering upon the subject\nof stigmas in general, but we may observe that the Catholic Church has\nproduced a certain number of persons, St. Francis of Assisi being the\nfirst, who have attained to that degree of contemplative love of Jesus\nwhich is the most sublime effect of union with his sufferings, and is\ndesignated by theologians, Vulnus divinum, Plago amoris viva. There are\nknown to have been at least fifty. Veronica Giuliani, a Capuchiness,\nwho died at Citta di Castello in 1727, is the last individual of the\nclass who has been canonised (on the 26th May 1831). Her biography,\npublished at Cologne in 1810, gives a description of the state of\npersons with stigmas, which in many ways is applicable to Anne\nCatherine. Colomba Schanolt, who died at Bamberg in 1787, Magdalen\nLorger, who died at Hadamar in 1806, both Dominicanesses, and Rose\nSerra, a Capuchiness at Ozieri in Sardinia, who received the stigmas in\n1801, are those of our own times of whom we know the most. Josephine\nKumi, of the Convent of Wesen, near Lake Wallenstadt in Switzerland,\nwho was still living in 1815, also belonged to this class of persons,\nbut we are not entirely certain whether she had the stigmas. 3\n\nAnne Catherine being, as we have said, no longer able to walk or\nrise from her bed, soon became unable also to eat. Before long she\ncould take nothing but a little wine and water, and finally only pure\nwater; sometimes, but very rarely, she managed to swallow the juice of\na cherry or a plum, but she immediately vomited any solid food, taken\nin ever so small a quantity. This inability to take food, or rather\nthis faculty of living for a great length of time upon nothing but\nwater, we are assured by learned doctors is not quite unexampled in the\nhistory of the sick.\n\nTheologians will be perfectly aware that here are many instances of\ncontemplative ascetics, and particularly of persons frequently in a\nstate of ecstasy and who have received the stigmas, remaining long\nwithout taking any other food than the Blessed Sacrament; for instance,\nSt. Nicholas of Flue, St. Liduvina of Schiedam, St. Catherine of\nSienna, St. Angela of Foligno, and St. Louise de l'Ascension. All the\nphenomena exhibited in the person of Anne Catherine remained concealed\neven from those who had the most intercourse with her, until the 25th\nFebruary 1812, when they were discovered accidentally by one of her old\nconvent companions. By the end of March, the whole town talked of them.\nOn the 23rd of March, the physician of the neighbourhood forced her to\nundergo an examination. Contrary to his expectation, he was convinced\nof the truth, drew up an official report of what he had seen, became\nher doctor and her friend, and remained such to her death. On the 28th\nof March, commissioners were appointed to examine into her case by the\nspiritual authorities of Munster. The consequence of this was that Anne\nCatherine was henceforth looked upon kindly by her superiors, and\nacquired the friendship of the late Dean Overberg, who from that time\npaid her every year a visit of several days' duration, and was her\nconsoler and spiritual director. The medical counsellor from Druffel,\nwho was present at this examination in the capacity of doctor, never\nceased to venerate her. In 1814, he published in the Medical Journal of\nSalzbourg a detailed account of the phenomena which he had remarked in\nthe person of Anne Catherine, and to this we refer those of our readers\nwho desire more particulars upon the subject. On the 4th of April, M.\nGarnier, the Commissary-General of the French police, came from Munster\nto see her; he inquired minutely into her case, and having learned that\nshe neither prophesied nor spoke on politics, declared that there was\nno occasion for the police to occupy themselves about her. In 1826, he\nstill spoke of her at Paris with respect and emotion.\n\nOn the 22nd of July 1813, Overberg came to see her, with Count de\nStolberg and his family. They remained two days with her, and Stolberg,\nin a letter which has been several times printed, bore witness to the\nreality of the phenomena observed in Anne Catherine, and gave\nexpression to his intense veneration for her. He remained her friend as\nlong as he lived, and the members of his family never ceased\nrecommending themselves to her prayers. On the 29th of September 1813,\nOverberg took the daughter of the Princess Galitzin (who died in 1806)\nto visit her, and they saw with their own eyes blood flow copiously\nfrom her stigmas. This distinguished lady repeated her visit, and,\nafter becoming Princess of Salm, never varied in her sentiments, but,\ntogether with her family, remained in constant communion of prayer with\nAnne Catherine. Many other persons in all ranks of life were, in like\nmanner, consoled and edified by visiting her bed of suffering. On the\n23rd of October 1813, she was carried to another lodging, the window of\nwhich looked out upon a garden. The condition of the saintly nun became\nday by day more painful. Her stigmas were a source of indescribable\nsuffering to her, down to the moment of her death. Instead of allowing\nher thoughts to dwell upon those graces to the interior presence of\nwhich they bore such miraculous outward testimony, she learned from\nthem lessons of humility, by considering them as a heavy cross laid\nupon her for her sins. Her suffering body itself was to preach Jesus\ncrucified. It was difficult indeed to be an enigma to all persons, an\nobject of suspicion to the greatest number, and of respect mingled with\nfear to some few, without yielding to sentiments of impatience,\nirritability, or pride. Willingly would she have lived in entire\nseclusion from the world, but obedience soon compelled her to allow\nherself to be examined and to have judgment passed upon her by a vast\nnumber of curious persons. Suffering, as she was, the most excruciating\npains, she was not even allowed to be her own mistress, but was\nregarded as something which everyone fancied he had a right to look at\nand to pass judgment upon,--often with no good results to anyone, but\ngreatly to the prejudice of her soul and body, because she was thus\ndeprived of so much rest and recollection of spirit. There seemed to be\nno bounds to what was expected of her, and one fat man, who had some\ndifficulty in ascending her narrow winding staircase, was heard to\ncomplain that a person like Anne Catherine, who ought to be exposed on\nthe public road, where everyone could see her, should remained in a\nlodging so difficult to reach. In former ages, persons in her state\nunderwent in private the examination of the spiritual authorities, and\ncarried out their painful vocation beneath the protecting shadow of\nhallowed walls; but our suffering heroine had been cast forth from the\ncloister into the world at a time when pride, coldness of heart, and\nincredulity were all the vogue; marked with the stigmas of the Passion\nof Christ, she was forced to wear her bloody robe in public, under the\neyes of men who scarce believed in the Wounds of Christ, far less in\nthose which were but their images.\n\nThus this holy woman, who in her youth had been in the habit of\npraying for long hours before pictures of all the stages of Christ's\npainful Passion, or before wayside crosses, was herself made like unto\na cross on the public road, insulted by one passer by, bathed in warm\ntears of repentance by a second, regarded as a mere physical curiosity\nby a third, and venerated by a fourth, whose innocent hands would bring\nflowers to lay at her feet.\n\nIn 1817 her aged mother came from the country to die by her side.\nAnne Catherine showed her all the love she could by comforting and\npraying for her, and closing her eyes with her own hands--those hands\nmarked with the stigmas on the 13th of March of the same year. The\ninheritance left to Anne Catherine by her mother was more than\nsufficient for one so imbued with the spirit of mortification and\nsufferings; and in her turn she left it unimpaired to her friends. It\nconsisted of these three sayings:--'Lord, thy will, not mine, be done; '\n'Lord, give me patience, and then strike hard;' 'Those things which are not\ngood to put in the pot are at least good to put beneath it.' The meaning\nof this last proverb was: If things are not fit to be eaten, they may\nat least be burned, in order that food may be cooked; this suffering\ndoes not nourish my heart, but by bearing it patiently, I may at least\nincrease the fire of divine love, by which alone life can profit us\nanything. She often repeated these proverbs, and then thought of her\nmother with gratitude. Her father had died some little time before.\n\nThe writer of these pages became acquainted with her state first\nthrough reading a copy of that letter of Stolberg, to which we have\nalready alluded, and afterwards through conversation with a friend who\nhad passed several weeks with her. In September 1818 he was invited by\nBishop Sailer to meet him at the Count de Stolberg's, in Westphalia; and\nhe went in the first place to Sondermuhlen to see the count, who\nintroduced him to Overberg, from whom he received a letter addressed to\nAnne Catherine's doctor. He paid her his first visit on the 17th of\nSeptember 1818; and she allowed him to pass several hours by her side\neach day, until the arrival of Sailer. From the very beginning, she\ngave him her confidence to a remarkable extent, and this in the most\ntouching and ingenuous manner. No doubt she was conscious that by\nrelating without reserve the history of all the trials, joys, and\nsorrows of her whole life, she was bestowing a most precious spiritual\nalms upon him. She treated him with the most generous hospitality, and\nhad no hesitation in doing so, because he did not oppress her and alarm\nher humility by excessive admiration. She laid open her interior to him\nin the same charitable spirit as a pious solitary would in the morning\noffer the flowers and fruit which had grown in his garden during the\nnight to some way-worn traveller, who, having lost his road in the\ndesert of the world, finds him sitting near his hermitage. Wholly\ndevoted to her God, she spoke in this open manner as a child would have\ndone, unsuspectingly, with no feelings of mistrust, and with no selfish\nend in view. May God reward her!\n\nHer friend daily wrote down all the observations that he made\nconcerning her, and all that she told him about her life, whether\ninterior or exterior. Her words were characterised alternately by the\nmost childlike simplicity and the most astonishing depth of thought,\nand they foreshadowed, as it were, the vast and sublime spectacle which\nlater was unfolded, when it became evident that the past, the present,\nand the future, together with all that pertained to the sanctification,\nprofanation, and judgment of souls, formed before and within her an\nallegorical and historical drama, for which the different events of the\necclesiastical year furnished subjects, and which it divided into\nscenes, so closely linked together were all the prayers and sufferings\nwhich she offered in sacrifice for the Church militant.\n\nOn the 22nd of October 1818 Sailer came to see her, and having\nremarked that she was lodging at the back of a public house, and that\nmen were playing at nine-pins under her window, said in the playful yet\nthoughtful manner which was peculiar to him: 'See, see; all things are as\nthey should be--the invalid nun, the spouse of our Lord, is lodging in a\npublichouse above the ground where men are playing at nine-pins, like\nthe soul of man in his body.' His interview with Anne Catherine was most\naffecting; it was indeed beautiful to behold these two souls, who were\nboth on fire with the love of Jesus, and conducted by grace through\nsuch different paths, meet thus at the foot of the Cross, the visible\nstamp of which was borne by one of them. On Friday, the 23rd of\nOctober, Sailer remained alone with her during nearly the whole of the\nday; he saw blood flow from her head, her hands, and her feet, and he\nwas able to bestow upon her great consolation in her interior trials.\nHe most earnestly recommended her to tell everything without reserve to\nthe writer of these pages, and he came to an understanding upon the\nsubject with her ordinary director. He heard her confession, gave her\nthe Holy Communion on Saturday, the 24th, and then continued his\njourney to the Count de Stolberg's. On his return, at the beginning of\nNovember, he again passed a day with her. He remained her friend until\ndeath, prayed constantly for her, and asked her prayers whenever he\nfound himself in trying of difficult positions. The writer of these\npages remained until January. He returned in May 1819, and continued to\nwatch Anne Catherine almost uninterruptedly until her death.\n\nThe saintly maiden continually besought the Almighty to remove the\nexterior stigmas, on account of the trouble and fatigue which they\noccasioned, and her prayer was granted at the end of seven years.\nTowards the conclusion of the year 1819, the blood first flowed less\nfrequently from her wounds, and then ceased altogether. On the 25th of\nDecember, scabs fell from her feet and hands, and there only remained\nwhite scars, which became red on certain days, but the pain she\nsuffered was undiminished in the slightest degree. The mark of the\ncross, and the wound on her right side, were often to be seen as\nbefore, but not at any stated times. On certain days she always had the\nmost painful sensations around her head, as though a crown of thorns\nwere being pressed upon it. On these occasions she could not lean her\nhead against anything, nor even rest it on her hand, but had to remain\nfor long hours, sometimes even for whole nights, sitting up in her bed,\nsupported by cushions, whilst her pallid face, and the irrepressible\ngroans of pain which escaped her, made her like an awful living\nrepresentation of suffering. After she had been in this state, blood\ninvariably flowed more or less copiously from around her head.\nSometimes her head-dress only was soaked with it, but sometimes the\nblood would flow down her face and neck. On Good Friday, April 19th,\n1819, all her wounds re-opened and bled, and closed again on the\nfollowing days. A most rigorous inquiry into her state was made by some\ndoctors and naturalists. For that end she was placed alone in a strange\nhouse, where she remained from the 7th to the 29th of August; but this\nexamination appears to have produced no particular effects in any way.\nShe was brought back to her own dwelling on the 29th of August, and\nfrom that time until she died she was left in peace, save that she was\noccasionally annoyed by private disputes and public insults. On this\nsubject Overberg wrote her the following words: 'What have you had to\nsuffer personally of which you can complain? I am addressing a soul\ndesirous of nothing so much as to become more and more like to her\ndivine Spouse. Have you not been treated far more gently than was your\nadorable Spouse? Should it not be a subject of rejoicing to you,\naccording to the spirit, to have been assisted to resemble him more\nclosely, and thus to be more pleasing in his eyes? You had suffered\nmuch with Jesus, but hitherto insults had been for the most part spared\nyou. With the crown of thorns you had not worn the purple mantle and\nthe robe of scorn, much less had you yet heard, Away with him! Crucify\nhim! Crucify him! I cannot doubt but that these sentiments are yours.\nPraise be to Jesus Christ.'\n\nOn Good Friday, the 30th of March 1820, blood flowed from her head,\nfeet, hands, chest, and side. It happened that when she fainted, one of\nthe persons who were with her, knowing that the application of relics\nrelieved her, placed near her feet a piece of linen in which some were\nwrapped, and the blood which came from her wounds reached this piece of\nlinen after a time. In the evening, when this same piece of linen with\nthe relics was being placed on her chest and shoulders, in which she\nwas suffering much, she suddenly exclaimed, while in a state of\necstasy: 'It is most wonderful, but I see my Heavenly spouse lying in the\ntomb in the earthly Jerusalem; and I also see him living in the\nheavenly Jerusalem surrounded by adoring saints, and in the midst of\nthese saints I see a person who is not a saint--a nun. Blood flows from\nher head, her side, her hands, and her feet, and the saints are above\nthe bleeding parts.'\n\nOn the 9th February 1821 she fell into an ecstasy at the time of the\nfuneral of a very holy priest. Blood flowed from her forehead, and the\ncross on her breast bled also. Someone asked her, 'What is the matter\nwith you?' She smiled, and spoke like one awakening from a dream: 'We were\nby the side of the body. I have been accustomed lately to hear sacred\nmusic, and the De Profundis made a great impression upon me.' She died\nupon the same day three years later. In 1821, a few weeks before\nEaster, she told us that it had been said to her during her prayer: 'Take\nnotice, you will suffer on the real anniversary of the Passion, and not\non the day marked this year in the Ecclesiastical Calendar.' On Friday,\nthe 30th of March, at ten o'clock in the morning, she sank down\nsenseless. Her face and bosom were bathed in blood, and her body\nappeared covered with bruises like what the blows of a whip would have\ninflicted. At twelve o'clock in the day, she stretched herself out in the\nform of a cross, and her arms were so extended as to be perfectly\ndislocated. A few minutes before two o'clock, drops of blood flowed from\nher feet and hands. On Good Friday, the 20th of April, she was simply\nin a state of quiet contemplation. This remarkable exception to the\ngeneral rule seemed to be an effect of the providence of God, for, at\nthe hour when her wounds usually bled, a number of curious and\nill-natured individuals came to see her with the intention of causing\nher fresh annoyances, by publishing what they saw; but they thus were\nmade unintentionally to contribute to her peace, by saying that her\nwounds had ceased to bleed.\n\nOn the 19th of February 1822 she was again warned that she would\nsuffer on the last Friday of March, and not on Good Friday.\n\nOn Friday the 15th, and again on Friday the 29th, the cross on her\nbosom and the wound of her side bled. Before the 29th, she more than\nonce felt as though a stream of fire were flowing rapidly from her\nheart to her side, and down her arms and legs to the stigmas, which\nlooked red and inflamed. On the evening of Thursday the 28th, she fell\ninto a state of contemplation on the Passion, and remained in it until\nFriday evening. Her chest, head, and side bled; all the veins of her\nhands were swollen, and there was a painful spot in the centre of them,\nwhich felt damp, although blood did not flow from it. No blood flowed\nfrom the stigmas excepting upon the 3rd of March, the day of the\nfinding of the holy Cross. She had also a vision of the discovery of\nthe true cross by St. Helena, and imagined herself to be lying in the\nexcavation near the cross. Much blood came in the morning from her head\nand side, and in the afternoon from her hands and feet, and it seemed\nto her as though she were being made the test of whether the cross was\nreally the Cross of Jesus Christ, and that her blood was testifying to\nits identity.\n\nIn the year 1823, on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, which came on\nthe 27th and 28th of March, she had visions of the Passion, during\nwhich blood flowed from all her wounds, causing her intense pain. Amid\nthese awful sufferings, although ravished in spirit, she was obliged to\nspeak and give answers concerning all her little household affairs, as\nif she had been perfectly strong and well, and she never let fall a\ncomplaint, although nearly dying. This was the last time that her blood\ngave testimony to the reality of her union with the sufferings of him\nwho has delivered himself up wholly and entirely for our salvation.\nMost of the phenomena of the ecstatic life which are shown us in the\nlives and writings of Saints Bridget, Gertrude, Mechtilde, Hildegarde,\nCatherine of Sienna, Catherine of Genoa, Catherine of Bologna, Colomba\nda Rieti, Lidwina of Schiedam, Catherine Vanini, Teresa of Jesus, Anne\nof St. Bartholomew, Magdalen of Pazzi, Mary Villana, Mary Buonomi,\nMarina d' Escobar, Crescentia de Kaufbeuern, and many other nuns of\ncontemplative orders, are also to be found in the history of the\ninterior life of Anne Catherine Emmerich. The same path was marked out\nfor her by God. Did she, like these holy women, attain the end? God\nalone knows. Our part is only to pray that such may have been the case,\nand we are allowed to hope it. Those among our readers who are not\nacquainted with the ecstatic life from the writings of those who have\nlived it, will find information on this subject in the Introduction of\nGoerres to the writings of Henry Suso, published at Ratisbonne in 1829.\n\nSince many pious Christians, in order to render their life one\nperpetual act of adoration, endeavour to see in their daily employments\na symbolical representation of some manner of honouring God, and offer\nit to him in union with the merits of Christ, it cannot appear\nextraordinary that those holy souls who pass from an active life to one\nof suffering and contemplation, should sometimes see their spiritual\nlabours under the form of those earthly occupations which formerly\nfilled their days. Then their acts were prayers; now their prayers are\nacts; but the form remains the same. It was thus that Anne Catherine,\nin her ecstatic life, beheld the series of her prayers for the Church\nunder the forms of parables bearing reference to agriculture,\ngardening, weaving, sowing, or the care of sheep. All these different\noccupations were arranged, according to their signification, in the\ndifferent periods of the common as well as the ecclesiastical year, and\nwere pursued under the patronage and with the assistance of the saints\nof each day, the special graces of the corresponding feasts of the\nChurch being also applied to them. The signification of this circles of\nsymbols had reference to all the active part of her interior life. One\nexample will help to explain our meaning. When Anne Catherine, while\nyet a child, was employed in weeding, she besought God to root up the\ncockle from the field of the Church. If her hands were stung by the\nnettles, or if she was obliged to do afresh the work of idlers, she\noffered to God her pain and her fatigue, and besought him, in the name\nof Jesus Christ, that the pastor of souls might not become weary, and\nthat none of them might cease to labour zealously and diligently. Thus\nher manual labour became a prayer.\n\nI will now give a corresponding example of her life of contemplation\nand ecstasy. She had been ill several times, and in a state of almost\ncontinual ecstasy, during which she often moaned, and moved her hands\nlike a person employed in weeding. She complained one morning that her\nhands and arms smarted and itched, and on examination they were found\nto be covered with blisters, like what would have been produced by the\nstinging of nettles. She then begged several persons of her\nacquaintance to join their prayers to hers for a certain intention. The\nnext day her hands were inflamed and painful, as they would have been\nafter hard work; and when asked the cause, she replied: 'Ah! I have so\nmany nettles to root up in the vineyard, because those whose duty it\nwas to do it only pulled off the stems, and I was obliged to draw the\nroots with much difficulty out of a stony soil.' The person who had asked\nher the question began to blame these careless workmen, but he felt\nmuch confused when she replied: 'You were one of them,--those who only pull\noff the stems of the nettles, and leave the roots in the earth, are\npersons who pray carelessly.' It was afterwards discovered that she had\nbeen praying for several dioceses which were shown to her under the\nfigure of vineyards laid waste, and in which labour was needed. The\nreal inflammation of her hands bore testimony to this symbolical\nrooting up of the nettles; and we have, perhaps, reason to hope that\nthe churches shown to her under the appearances of vineyards\nexperienced the good effects of her prayer and spiritual labour; for\nsince the door is opened to those who knock, it must certainly be\nopened above all to those who knock with such energy as to cause their\nfingers to be wounded.\n\nSimilar reactions of the spirit upon the body are often found in the\nlives of persons subject to ecstasies, and are by no means contrary to\nfaith. St. Paula, if we may believe St. Jerome, visited the holy places\nin spirit just as if she had visited them bodily; and a like thing\nhappened to St. Colomba of Rieti and St. Lidwina of Schiedam. The body\nof the latter bore tracks of this spiritual journey, as if she had\nreally travelled; she experienced all the fatigue that a painful\njourney would cause: her feet were wounded and covered with marks which\nlooked as if they had been made by stones or thorns, and finally she\nhad a sprain from which she long suffered.\n\nShe was led on this journey by her guardian angel, who told her that\nthese corporeal wounds signified that she had been ravished in body and\nspirit.\n\nSimilar hurts were also to be seen upon the body of Anne Catherine\nimmediately after some of her visions. Lidwina began her ecstatic\njourney by following her good angel to the chapel of the Blessed Virgin\nbefore Schiedam; Anne Catherine began hers by following her angel\nguardian either to the chapel which was near her dwelling, or else to\nthe Way of the Cross of Coesfeld.\n\nHer journeys to the Holy Land were made, according to the accounts\nshe gave of them, by the most opposite roads; sometimes even she went\nall round the earth, when the task spiritually imposed upon her\nrequired it. In the course of these journeys from her home to the most\ndistant countries, she carried assistance to many persons, exercising\nin their regard works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual, and this\nwas done frequently in parables. At the end of a year she would go over\nthe same ground again, see the same persons, and give an account of\ntheir spiritual progress or of their relapse into sin. Every part of\nthis labour always bore some reference to the Church, and to the\nkingdom of God upon earth.\n\nThe end of these daily pilgrimages which she made in spirit was\ninvariably the Promised Land, every part of which she examined in\ndetail, and which she saw sometimes in its present state, and sometimes\nas it was at different periods of sacred history; for her\ndistinguishing characteristic and special privilege was an intuitive\nknowledge of the history of the Old and New Testaments, and of that of\nthe members of the Holy Family, and of all the saints whom she was\ncontemplating in spirit. She saw the signification of all the festival\ndays of the ecclesiastical year under both a devotional and a\nhistorical point of view. She saw and described, day by day, with the\nminutest detail, and by name, places, persons, festivals, customs, and\nmiracles, all that happened during the public life of Jesus until the\nAscension, and the history of the Apostles for several weeks after the\nDescent of the Holy Ghost. She regarded al her visions not as mere\nspiritual enjoyments, but as being, so to speak, fertile fields,\nplentifully strewn with the merits of Christ, and which had not as yet\nbeen cultivated; she was often engaged in spirit in praying that the\nfruit of such and such sufferings of our Lord might be given to the\nChurch, and she would beseech God to apply to his Church the merits of\nour Saviour which were its inheritance, and of which she would, as it\nwere, take possession, in its name, with the most touching simplicity\nand ingenuousness.\n\nShe never considered her visions to have any reference to her\nexterior Christian life, nor did she regard them as being of any\nhistorical value. Exteriorly she knew and believed nothing but the\ncatechism, the common history of the Bible, the gospels for Sundays and\nfestivals, and the Christian almanac, which to her far-sighted vision\nwas an inexhaustible mine of hidden riches, since it gave her in a few\npages a guiding thread which led her through all time, and by means of\nwhich she passed from mystery to mystery, and solemnised each with all\nthe saints, in order to reap the fruits of eternity in time, and to\npreserve and distribute them in her pilgrimage around the\necclesiastical year, that so the will of God might be accomplished on\nearth as it is in Heaven. She had never read the Old or the New\nTestaments, and when she was tired of relating her visions, she would\nsometimes say: 'Read that in the Bible,' and then be astonished to learn\nthat it was not there; 'for,' she would add, 'people are constantly saying\nin these days that you need read nothing but the Bible, which contains\neverything, etc., etc.'\n\nThe real task of her life was to suffer for the Church and for some\nof its members, whose distress was shown her in spirit, or who asked\nher prayers without knowing that this poor sick nun had something more\nto do for them than to say the Pater noster, but that all their\nspiritual and corporal sufferings became her own, and that she had to\nendure patiently the most terrible pains, without being assisted, like\nthe contemplatives of former days, by the sympathising prayers of an\nentire community. In the age when she lived, she had no other\nassistance than that of medicine. While thus enduring sufferings which\nshe had taken upon herself for others, she often turned her thoughts to\nthe corresponding sufferings of the Church, and when thus suffering for\none single person, she would likewise offer all she endured for the\nwhole Church.\n\nThe following is a remarkable instance of the sort: During several\nweeks she had every symptom of consumption; violent irritation of the\nlungs, excessive perspiration, which soaked her whole bed, a racking\ncough, continual expectoration, and a strong continual fever. So\nfearful were her sufferings that her death was hourly expected and even\ndesired. It was remarked that she had to struggle strangely against a\nstrong temptation to irritability. Did she yield for an instant, she\nburst into tears, her sufferings increased tenfold, and she seemed\nunable to exist unless she immediately gained pardon in the sacrament\nof penance.\n\nShe had also to combat a feeling of aversion to a certain person\nwhom she had not seen for years. She was in despair because this\nperson, with whom nevertheless she declared she had nothing in common,\nwas always before her eyes in the most evil dispositions, and she wept\nbitterly, and with much anxiety of conscience, saying that she would\nnot commit sin, that her grief must be evident to all, and other things\nwhich were quite unintelligible to the persons listening to her. Her\nillness continued to increase, and she was thought to be on the point\nof death. At this moment one of her friends saw her, to his great\nsurprise, suddenly raise herself up on her bed, and say:\n\n'Repeat with me the prayers for those in their last agony.' He did as\nrequested, and she answered the Litany in a firm voice. After some\nlittle time, the bell for the agonising was heard, and a person came in\nto ask Anne Catherine's prayers for his sister, who was just dead. Anne\nCatherine asked for details concerning her illness and death, as if\ndeeply interested in the subject, and the friend above-mentioned heard\nthe account given by the new comer of a consumption resembling in the\nminutest particulars the illness of Anne Catherine herself. The\ndeceased woman had at first been in so much pain and so disturbed in\nmind that she had seemed quite unable to prepare herself for death; but\nduring the last fortnight she had been better, had made her peace with\nGod, having in the first place been reconciled to a person with whom\nshe was at enmity, and had died in peace, fortified by the last\nsacraments, and attended by her former enemy. Anne Catherine gave a\nsmall sum of money for the burial and funeral-service of this person.\nHer sweatings, cough, and fever now left her, and she resembled a\nperson exhausted with fatigue, whose linen has been changed, and who\nhas been placed on a fresh bed. Her friend said to her, 'When this\nfearful illness came upon you, this woman grew better, and her hatred\nfor another was the only obstacle to her making peace with God. You\ntook upon yourself, for the time, her feelings of hatred, she died in\ngood dispositions, and now you seem tolerably well again. Are you still\nsuffering on her account?' 'No, indeed!' she replied; 'that would be most\nunreasonable; but how can any person avoid suffering when even the end\nof this little finger is in pain? We are all one body in Christ.' 'By the\ngoodness of God,' said her friend, 'you are now once more somewhat at ease.'\n'Not for very long, though,' she replied with a smile; 'there are other\npersons who want my assistance.' Then she turned round on her bed, and\nrested awhile.\n\nA very few days later, she began to feel intense pain in all her\nlimbs, and symptoms of water on the chest manifested themselves. We\ndiscovered the sick person for whom Anne Catherine was suffering, and\nwe saw that his sufferings suddenly diminished or immensely increased\nin exact inverse proportion to those of Anne Catherine.\n\nThus did charity compel her to take upon herself the illnesses and\neven the temptations of others, that they might be able in peace to\nprepare themselves for death. She was compelled to suffer in silence,\nboth to conceal the weaknesses of her neighbour, and not to be regarded\nas mad herself; she was obliged to receive all the aid that medicine\ncould afford her for an illness thus taken voluntarily for the relief\nof others, and to be reproached for temptations which were not her own;\nfinally, it was necessary that she should appear perverted in the eyes\nof men; that so those for whom she was suffering might be converted\nbefore God.\n\nOne day a friend in deep affliction was sitting by her bedside, when\nshe suddenly fell into a state of ecstasy, and began to pray aloud: 'O,\nmy sweet Jesus, permit me to carry that heavy stone!' Her friend asked\nher what was the matter. 'I am on my way to Jerusalem,' she replied, 'and I\nsee a poor man walking along with the greatest difficulty, for there is\na large stone upon his breast, the weight of which nearly crushes him.'\nThen again, after a few moments, she exclaimed: 'Give me that heavy\nstone, you cannot carry it any farther; give it to me.' All on a sudden\nshe sank down fainting, as if crushed beneath some heavy burden, and at\nthe same moment her friend felt himself relieved from the weight of\nsorrow which oppressed him, and his heart overflowing with\nextraordinary happiness. Seeing her in such a state of suffering, he\nasked her what the matter was, and she looking at him with a smile,\nreplied: 'I cannot remain here any longer. Poor man, you must take back\nyour burden.' Instantly her friend felt all the weight of his affliction\nreturn to him, whilst she, becoming as well again as before, continued\nher journey in spirit to Jerusalem.\n\nWe will give one more example of her spiritual exertions. One\nmorning she gave her friend a little bag containing some rye-flour and\neggs, and pointed out to him a small house where a poor woman, who was\nin a consumption, was living with her husband and two little children.\nHe was to tell her to boil and take them, as when boiled they would be\ngood for her chest. The friend, on entering the cottage, took the bag\nfrom under his cloak, when the poor mother, who, flushed with fever,\nwas lying on a mattress between her half-naked children fixed her eyes\nbright upon him, and holding out her thin hands, exclaimed: 'O, sir, it\nmust be God or Sister Emmerich who sends you to me! You are bringing me\nsome ryeflour and eggs.' Here the poor woman, overcome by her feelings,\nburst into tears, and then began to cough so violently that she had to\nmake a sign to her husband to speak for her. He said that the previous\nnight Gertrude had been much disturbed, and had talked a great deal in\nher sleep, and that on awaking she had told him her dream in these\nwords: 'I thought that I was standing at the door with you, when the holy\nnun came out of the door of the next house, and I told you to look at\nher. She stopped in front of us, and said to me: \"Ah, Gertrude, you look\nvery ill; I will send you some rye-flour and eggs, which will relieve\nyour chest.\" Then I awoke.' Such was the simple tale of the poor man; he\nand his wife both eagerly expressed their gratitude, and the bearer of\nAnne Catherine's alms left the house much overcome. He did not tell her\nanything of this when he saw her, but a few days after, she sent him\nagain to the same place with a similar present, and he then asked her\nhow it was she knew that poor woman? 'You know,' she replied, 'that I pray\nevery evening for all those who suffer; I should like to go and relieve\nthem, and I generally dream that I am going from one abode of suffering\nto another, and that I assist them to the best of my power. In this way\nI went in my dream to that poor woman's house; she was standing at the\ndoor with her husband, and I said to her: \"Ah, Gertrude, you look very\nill; I will send you some rye-flour and eggs, which will relieve your\nchest.\" And this I did through you, the next morning.' Both persons had\nremained in their beds, and dreamed the same thing, and the dream came\ntrue. St. Augustine, in his City of God, book 18, c. 18, relates a\nsimilar thing of two philosophers, who visited each other in a dream,\nand explained some passages of Plato, both remaining asleep in their\nown houses.\n\nThese sufferings, and this peculiar species of active labour, were\nlike a single ray of light, which enlightened her whole life. Infinite\nwas the number of spiritual labours and sympathetic sufferings which\ncame from all parts and entered into her heart--that heart so burning with\nlove of Jesus Christ. Like St. Catherine of Sienna and some other\necstatics, she often felt the most profound feeling of conviction that\nour Saviour had taken her heart out of her bosom, and placed his own\nthere instead for a time.\n\nThe following fragment will give some idea of the mysterious\nsymbolism by which she was interiorly directed. During a portion of the\nyear 1820 she performed many labours in spirit, for several different\nparishes; her prayers being represented under the figure of most severe\nlabour in a vineyard. What we have above related concerning the nettles\nis of the same character.\n\nOn the 6th of September her heavenly guide said to her: ' \"You weeded,\ndug around, tied, and pruned the vine; you ground down the weeds so\nthat they could never spring up anymore; and then you went away\njoyfully and rested from your prayers. Prepare now to labour hard from\nthe feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin to that of St. Michael;\nthe grapes are ripening and must be well watched.\" Then he led me,' she\ncontinued, 'to the vineyard of St. Liboire, and showed me the vines at\nwhich I had worked. My labour had been successful, for the grapes were\ngetting their colour and growing large, and in some parts the red juice\nwas running down on the ground from them. My guide said to me: \"When the\nvirtues of the good begin to shine forth in public, they have to combat\nbravely, to be oppressed, to be tempted, and to suffer persecution. A\nhedge must be planted around the vineyard in order that the ripe grapes\nmay not be destroyed by thieves and wild beasts, i.e. by temptation and\npersecution.\" He then showed me how to build a wall by heaping up stones,\nand to raise a thick hedge of thorns all around. As my hands bled from\nsuch severe labour, God, in order to give me strength, permitted me to\nsee the mysterious signification of the vine, and of several other\nfruit trees. Jesus Christ is the true Vine, who is to take root and\ngrow in us; all useless wood must be cut away, in order not to waste\nthe sap, which is to become the wine, and in the Most Blessed Sacrament\nthe Blood of Christ. The pruning of the vine has to be done according\nto certain rules which were made known to me. This pruning is, in a\nspiritual sense, the cutting off whatever is useless, penance and\nmortification, that so the true Vine may grow in us, and bring forth\nfruit, in the place of corrupt nature, which only bears wood and\nleaves. The pruning is done according to fixed rules, for it is only\nrequired that certain useless shoots should be cut off in man, and to\nlop off more would be to mutilate in a guilty manner. No pruning should\never be done upon the stock which has been planted in humankind through\nthe Blessed Virgin, and is to remain in it for ever. The true Vine\nunites heaven to earth, the Divinity to humanity; and it is the human\npart that is to be pruned, that so the divine alone may grow. I saw so\nmany other things relating to the vine that a book as large as the\nBible could not contain them. One day, when I was suffering acute pain\nin my chest, I besought our Lord with groans not to give me a burthen\nabove my strength to bear; and then my Heavenly Spouse appeared, and\nsaid to me, ... \"I have laid thee on my nuptial couch, which is a couch of\nsuffering; I have given thee suffering and expiation for thy bridal\ngarments and jewels. Thou must suffer, but I will not forsake thee;\nthou art fastened to the Vine, and thou wilt not be lost.\" Then I was\nconsoled for all my sufferings. It was likewise explained to me why in\nmy visions relating to the feasts of the family of Jesus, such, for\ninstance, as those of St. Anne, St. Joachim, St. Joseph, etc., I always\nsaw the Church of the festival under the figure of a shoot of the vine.\nThe same was the case on the festivals of St. Francis of Assisi, St.\nCatherine of Sienna, and of all the saints who have had the stigmas.\n\n'The signification of my sufferings in all my limbs was explained to\nme in the following vision: I saw a gigantic human body in a horrible\nstate of mutilation, and raised upwards towards the sky. There were no\nfingers or toes on the hands and feet, the body was covered with\nfrightful wounds, some of which were fresh and bleeding, others covered\nwith dead flesh or turned into excrescences. The whole of one side was\nblack, gangrened, and as it were half eaten away. I suffered as though\nit had been my own body that was in this state, and then my guide said\nto me \"This is the body of the Church, the body of all men and thine also.\"\nThen, pointing to each wound, he showed me at the same time some part\nof the world; I saw an infinite number of men and nations separated\nfrom the Church, all in their own peculiar way, and I felt pain as\nexquisite from this separation as if they had been torn from my body.\nThen my guide said to me: \"Let thy sufferings teach thee a lesson, and\noffer them to God in union with those of Jesus for all who are\nseparated. Should not one member call upon another, and suffer in order\nto cure and unite it once more to the body? When those parts which are\nmost closely united to the body detach themselves, it is as though the\nflesh were torn from around the heart.\" In my ignorance, I thought that\nhe was speaking of those brethren who are not in communion with us, but\nmy guide added: \"Who are our brethren? It is not our blood relations who\nare the nearest to our hearts, but those who are our brethren in the\nblood of Christ--the children of the Church who fall away.\" He showed me\nthat the black and gangrened side of the body would soon be cured; that\nthe putrefied flesh which had collected around the wounds represented\nheretics who divide one from the other in proportion as they increase;\nthat the dead flesh was the figure of all who are spiritually dead, and\nwho are void of any feeling; and that the ossified parts represented\nobstinate and hardened heretics. I saw and felt in this manner every\nwound and its signification. The body reached up to heaven. It was the\nbody of the Bride of Christ, and most painful to behold. I wept\nbitterly, but feeling at once deeply grieved and strengthened by sorrow\nand compassion, I began again to labour with all my strength.'\n\nSinking beneath the weight of life and of the task imposed upon her\nshe often besought God to deliver her, and she then would appear to be\non the very brink of the grave. But each time she would say: 'Lord, not\nmy will but thine be done! If my prayers and sufferings are useful let\nme live a thousand years, but grant that I may die rather than ever\noffend thee.' Then she would receive orders to live, and arise, taking up\nher cross, once more to bear it in patience and suffering after her\nLord. From time to time the road of life which she was pursuing used to\nbe shown to her, leading to the top of a mountain on which was a\nshining and resplendent city--the heavenly Jerusalem. Often she would\nthink she had arrived at that blissful abode, which seemed to be quite\nnear her, and her joy would be great. But all on a sudden she would\ndiscover that she was still separated from it by a valley and then she\nwould have to descend precipices and follow indirect paths, labouring,\nsuffering, and performing deeds of charity everywhere. She had to\ndirect wanderers into the right road, raise up the fallen, sometimes\neven carry the paralytic, and drag the unwilling by force, and all\nthese deeds of charity were as so many fresh weights fastened to her\ncross. Then she walked with more difficulty, bending beneath her burden\nand sometimes even falling to the ground.\n\nIn 1823 she repeated more frequently than usual that she could not\nperform her task in her present situation, that she had not strength\nfor it, and that it was in a peaceful convent that she needed to have\nlived and died. She added that God would soon take her to himself, and\nthat she had besought him to permit her to obtain by her prayers in the\nnext world what her weakness would not permit her to accomplish in\nthis. St. Catherine of Sienna, a short time before death, made a\nsimilar prayer.\n\nAnne Catherine had previously had a vision concerning what her\nprayers might obtain after death, with regard to things that were not\nin existence during her life. The year 1823, the last of which she\ncompleted the whole circle, brought her immense labours. She appeared\ndesirous to accomplish her entire task, and thus kept the promise which\nshe had previously made of relating the history of the whole Passion.\nIt formed the subject of her Lenten meditations during this year, and\nof them the present volume is composed. But she did not on this account\ntake less part in the fundamental mystery of this penitential season,\nor in the different mysteries of each of the festival days of the\nChurch, if indeed the words to take part be sufficient to express the\nwonderful manner in which she rendered visible testimony to the mystery\ncelebrated in each festival by a sudden change in her corporal and\nspiritual life. See on this subject the chapter entitled Interruption\nof the Pictures of the Passion.\n\nEveryone of the ceremonies and festivals of the Church was to her\nfar more than the consecration of a remembrance. She beheld in the\nhistorical foundation of each solemnity an act of the Almighty, done in\ntime for the reparation of fallen humanity. Although these divine acts\nappeared to her stamped with the character of eternity, yet she was\nwell aware that in order for man to profit by them in the bounded and\nnarrow sphere of time, he must, as it were, take possession of them in\na series of successive moments, and that for this purpose they had to\nbe repeated and renewed in the Church, in the order established by\nJesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. All festivals and solemnities were in\nher eyes eternal graces which returned at fixed epochs in every\necclesiastical year, in the same manner as the fruits and harvests of\nthe earth come in their seasons in the natural year.\n\nHer zeal and gratitude in receiving and treasuring up these graces\nwere untiring, nor was she less eager and zealous in offering them to\nthose who neglected their value. In the same manner as her compassion\nfor her crucified Saviour had pleased God and obtained for her the\nprivilege of being marked with the stigmas of the Passion as with a\nseal of the most perfect love, so all the sufferings of the Church and\nof those who were in affliction were repeated in the different states\nof her body and soul. And all these wonders took place within her,\nunknown to those who were around her; nor was she herself even more\nfully conscious of them than is the bee of the effects of its work,\nwhile yet she was tending and cultivating, with all the care of an\nindustrious and faithful gardener, the fertile garden of the\necclesiastical year. She lived on its fruits, and distributed them to\nothers; she strengthened herself and her friends with the flowers and\nherbs which she cultivated; or, rather, she herself was in this garden\nlike a sensitive plant, a sunflower, or some wonderful plant in which,\nindependent of her own will, were reproduced all the seasons of the\nyear, all the hours of the day, and all the changes of the atmosphere.\n\nAt the end of the ecclesiastical year of 1823, she had for the last\ntime a vision on the subject of making up the accounts of that year.\nThe negligences of the Church militant and of her servants were shown\nto Anne Catherine, under various symbols; she saw how many graces had\nnot been cooperated with, or been rejected to a greater or less extent,\nand how many had been entirely thrown away. It was made known to her\nhow our Blessed Redeemer had deposited for each year in the garden of\nthe Church a complete treasure of his merits, sufficient for every\nrequirement, and for the expiation of every sin. The strictest account\nwas to be given of all graces which had been neglected, wasted, or\nwholly rejected, and the Church militant was punished for this\nnegligence of infidelity of her servants by being oppressed by her\nenemies, or by temporal humiliations. Revelations of this description\nraised to excess her love for the Church, her mother. She passed days\nand nights in praying for her, in offering to God the merits of Christ,\nwith continual groans, and in imploring mercy. Finally, on these\noccasions, she gathered together all her courage, and offered to take\nupon herself both the fault and the punishment, like a child presenting\nitself before the king's throne, in order to suffer the punishment she\nhad incurred. It was then said to her, 'See how wretched and miserable\nthou art thyself; thou who art desirous to satisfy for the sins of\nothers.' And to her great terror she beheld herself as one mournful mass\nof infinite imperfection. But still her love remained undaunted, and\nburst forth in these words, 'Yes, I am full of misery and sin; but I am\nthy spouse, O my Lord, and my Saviour! My faith in thee and in the\nredemption which thou hast brought us covers all my sins as with thy\nroyal mantle. I will not leave thee until thou hast accepted my\nsacrifice, for the superabundant treasure of thy merits is closed to\nnone of thy faithful servants.' At length her prayer became wonderfully\nenergetic, and to human ears there was like a dispute and combat with\nGod, in which she was carried away and urged on by the violence of\nlove. If her sacrifice was accepted, her energy seemed to abandon her,\nand she was left to the repugnance of human nature for suffering. When\nshe had gone through this trial, by keeping her eyes fixed on her\nRedeemer in the Garden of Olives, she next had to endure indescribable\nsufferings of every description, bearing them all with wonderful\npatience and sweetness. We used to see her remain several days\ntogether, motionless and insensible, looking like a dying lamb. Did we\nask her how she was, she would half open her eyes, and reply with a\nsweet smile, 'My sufferings are most salutary.'\n\nAt the beginning of Advent, her sufferings were a little soothed by\nsweet visions of the preparations made by the Blessed Virgin to leave\nher home, and then of her whole journey with St. Joseph to Bethlehem.\nShe accompanied them each day to the humble inns where they rested for\nthe night, or went on before them to prepare their lodgings. During\nthis time she used to take old pieces of linen, and at night, while\nsleeping, make them into baby clothes and caps for the children of poor\nwomen, the times of whose confinements were near at hand. The next day\nshe would be surprised to see all these things neatly arranged in her\ndrawers. This happened to her every year about the same time, but this\nyear she had more fatigue and less consolation. Thus, at the hour of\nour Saviour's birth, when she was usually perfectly overwhelmed with joy,\nshe could only crawl with the greatest difficulty to the crib where the\nChild Jesus was lying, and bring him no present but myrrh, no offering\nbut her cross, beneath the weight of which she sank down half dying at\nhis feet. It seemed as though she were for the last time making up her\nearthly accounts with God, and for the last time also offering herself\nin the place of a countless number of men who were spiritually and\ncorporally afflicted. Even the little that is known of the manner in\nwhich she took upon herself the sufferings of others is almost\nincomprehensible. She very truly said: 'This year the Child Jesus has\nonly brought me a cross and instruments of suffering.'\n\nShe became each day more and more absorbed in her sufferings, and\nalthough she continued to see Jesus travelling from city to city during\nhis public life, the utmost she ever said on the subject was, briefly\nto name in which direction he was going. Once, she asked suddenly in a\nscarcely audible voice, 'What day is it?' When told that it was the 14th of\nJanuary, she added: 'Had I but a few days more, I should have related the\nentire life of our Saviour, but now it is no longer possible for me to\ndo so.' These words were the more incomprehensible as she did not appear\nto know even which year of the public life of Jesus she was then\ncontemplating in spirit. In 1820 she had related the history of our\nSaviour down to the Ascension, beginning at the 28th of July of the\nthird year of the public life of Jesus, and had continued down to the\n10th of January of the third year of his public life. On the 27th of\nApril 1823, in consequence of a journey made by the writer, an\ninterruption of her narrative took place, and lasted down to the 21st\nof October. She then took up the tread of her narrative where she had\nleft it, and continued it to the last weeks of her life. When she spoke\nof a few days being wanted her friend himself did not know how far her\nnarrative went, not having had leisure to arrange what he had written.\nAfter her death he became convinced that if she had been able to speak\nduring the last fourteen days of her life, she would have brought it\ndown to the 28th of July of the third year of the public life of our\nLord, consequently to where she had taken it up in 1820.4\n\nHer condition daily became more frightful. She, who usually suffered\nin silence, uttered stifled groans, so awful was the anguish she\nendured. On the 15th of January she said: 'The Child Jesus brought me\ngreat sufferings at Christmas. I was once more by his manger at\nBethlehem. He was burning with fever, and showed me his sufferings and\nthose of his mother. They were so poor that they had no food but a\nwretched piece of bread. He bestowed still greatest sufferings upon me,\nand said to me: \"Thou art mine; thou art my spouse; suffer as I suffered,\nwithout asking the reason why.\" I do not know what my sufferings are to\nbe, nor how long they will last. I submit blindly to my martyrdom,\nwhether for life or for death: I only desire that the hidden designs of\nGod may be accomplished in me. On the other hand, I am calm, and I have\nconsolations in my sufferings. Even this morning I was very happy.\nBlessed be the Name of God!'\n\nHer sufferings continued, if possible, to increase. Sitting up, and\nwith her eyes closed, she fell from one side to another, while\nsmothered groans escaped her lips. If she laid down, she was in danger\nof being stifled; her breathing was hurried and oppressed, and all her\nnerves and muscles were shaken and trembled with anguish. After violent\nretching, she suffered terrible pain in her bowels, so much so that it\nwas feared gangrene must be forming there. Her throat was parched and\nburning, her mouth swollen, her cheeks crimson with fever, her hands\nwhite as ivory. The scars of the stigmas shone like silver beneath her\ndistended skin.\n\nHer pulse gave from 160 to 180 pulsations per minute. Although\nunable to speak from her excessive suffering, she bore every duty\nperfectly in mind. On the evening of the 26th, she said to her friend,\n'Today is the ninth day, you must pay for the wax taper and novena at the\nchapel of St. Anne.' She was alluding to a novena which she had asked to\nhave made for her intention, and she was afraid lest her friends should\nforget it. On the 27th, at two o'clock in the afternoon, she received\nExtreme Unction, greatly to the relief both of her soul and body. In\nthe evening her friend, the excellent Cure of H___, prayed at her\nbedside, which was an immense comfort to her. She said to him: 'How good\nand beautiful all this is!' And again: 'May God be a thousand times praised\nand thanked!'\n\nThe approach of death did not wholly interrupt the wonderful union\nof her life with that of the Church. A friend having visited her on the\n1st of February in the evening, had placed himself behind her bed where\nshe could not see him, and was listening with the utmost compassion to\nher low moans and interrupted breathing, when suddenly all became\nsilent, and he thought that she was dead. At this moment the evening\nbell ringing for the matins of the Purification was heard. It was the\nopening of this festival which had caused her soul to be ravished in\necstasy. Although still in a very alarming state, she let some sweet\nand loving  words concerning the Blessed Virgin escape her lips during\nthe night and day of the festival. Towards twelve o'clock in the day, she\nsaid in a voice already changed by the near approach of death, 'It was\nlong since I had felt so well. I have been ill quite a week, have I\nnot? I feel as though I knew nothing about this world of darkness! O,\nwhat light the Blessed Mother of God showed me! She took me with her,\nand how willingly would I have remained with her!' Here she recollected\nherself for a moment, and then said, placing her finger on her lip: 'But\nI must not speak of these things.' From that time she said that the\nslightest word in her praise greatly increased her sufferings.\n\nThe following days she was worse. On the 7th, in the evening, being\nrather more calm, she said: 'Ah, my sweet Lord Jesus, thanks be to thee\nagain and again for every part of my life. Lord, thy will and not mine\nbe done.' On the 8th of February, in the evening, a priest was praying\nnear her bed, when she gratefully kissed his hand, begged him to assist\nat her death and said, 'O Jesus, I live for thee, I die for thee. O Lord,\npraise be to thy holy name, I no longer see or hear!' Her friends wished\nto change her position, and thus ease her pain a little; but she said, 'I\nam on the Cross, it will soon all be over, leave me in peace.' She had\nreceived all the last Sacraments, but she wished to accuse herself once\nmore in confession of a slight fault which she had already many times\nconfessed; it was probably of the same nature as a sin which she had\ncommitted in her childhood, of which she often accused herself, and\nwhich consisted in having gone through a hedge into a neighbour's garden,\nand coveted some apples which had fallen on the ground. She had only\nlooked at them; for, thank God, she said, she did not touch them, but\nshe thought that was a sin against the tenth commandment. The priest\ngave her a general absolution; after which she stretched herself out,\nand those around her thought that she was dying. A person who had often\ngiven her pain now drew near her bed and asked her pardon. She looked\nat him in surprise, and said with the most expressive accent of truth, 'I\nhave nothing to forgive any living creature.'\n\nDuring the last days of her life, when her death was momentarily\nexpected, several of her friends remained constantly in the room\nadjoining hers. They were speaking in a low tone, and so that she could\nnot hear them, of her patience, faith, and other virtues, when all on a\nsudden they heard her dying voice saying: 'Ah, for the love of God, do\nnot praise me--that keeps me here, because I then have to suffer double. O\nmy God! how many fresh flowers are falling upon me!' She always saw\nflowers as the forerunners and figures of sufferings. Then she rejected\nall praises, with the most profound conviction of her own unworthiness,\nsaying: 'God alone is good: everything must be paid, down to the last\nfarthing. I am poor and loaded with sin, and I can only make up for\nhaving been praised by sufferings united to those of Jesus Christ. Do\nnot praise me, but let me die in ignominy with Jesus on the cross.'\n\nBoudon, in his life of Father Surin, relates a similar trait of a\ndying man, who had been thought to have lost the sense of hearing, but\nwho energetically rejected a word of praise pronounced by those who\nwere surrounding his bed.\n\nA few hours before death, for which she was longing, saying, 'O Lord\nassist me; come, O Lord Jesus!' a word of praise appeared to detain her,\nand she most energetically rejected it by making the following act of\nhumility: 'I cannot die if so many good persons think well of me through\na mistake; I beg of you to tell them all that I am a wretched sinner!\nWould that I could proclaim so as to be heard by all men, how great a\nsinner I am! I am far beneath the good thief who was crucified by the\nside of Jesus, for he and all his contemporaries had not so terrible an\naccount as we shall have to render of all the graces which have been\nbestowed upon the Church.' After this declaration, she appeared to grow\ncalm, and she said to the priest who was comforting her: 'I feel now as\npeaceful and as much filled with hope and confidence as if I had never\ncommitted a sin.' Her eyes turned lovingly towards the cross which was\nplaced at the foot of her bed, her breathing became accelerated, she\noften drank some liquid; and when the little crucifix was held to her,\nshe from humility only kissed the feet. A friend who was kneeling by\nher bedside in tears, had the comfort of often holding her the water\nwith which to moisten her lips. As he had laid her hand, on which the\nwhite scar of the wound was most distinctly visible, on the\ncounterpane, he took hold of that hand, which was already cold, and as\nhe inwardly wished for some mark of farewell from her, she slightly\npressed his. Her face was calm and serene, bearing an expression of\nheavenly gravity, and which can only be compared to that of a valiant\nwrestler, who after making unheard of efforts to gain the victory,\nsinks back and dies in the very act of seizing the prize. The priest\nagain read through the prayers for persons in their last agony, and she\nthen felt an inward inspiration to pray for a pious young friend whose\nfeast day it was. Eight o'clock struck; she breathed more freely for the\nspace of a few minutes, and then cried three times with a deep groan: 'O\nLord, assist me: Lord, Lord, come!' The priest rang his bell, and said,\n'She is dying.' Several relations and friends who were in the next room\ncame in and knelt down to pray. She was then holding in her hand a\nlighted taper, which the priest was supporting. She breathed forth\nseveral slight sighs, and then her pure soul escaped her chaste lips,\nand hastened, clothed in the nuptial garment, to appear in heavenly\nhope before the Divine Bridegroom, and be united for ever to that\nblessed company of virgins who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.\nHer lifeless body sank gently back on the pillows at halfpast eight\no'clock p.m., on the 9th February 1824.\n\nA person who had taken great interest in her during life wrote as\nfollows: 'After her death, I drew near to her bed. She was supported by\npillows, and lying on her left side. Some crutches, which had been\nprepared for her by her friends on one occasion when she had been able\nto take a few turns in the room, were hanging over her head, crossed,\nin a corner. Near them hung a little oil painting representing the\ndeath of the Blessed Virgin, which had been given her by the Princess\nof Salm. The expression of her countenance was perfectly sublime, and\nbore the traces of the spirit of self-sacrifice, the patience and\nresignation of her whole life; she looked as though she had died for\nthe love of Jesus, in the very act of performing some work of charity\nfor others. Her right hand was resting on the counterpane--that hand on\nwhich God had bestowed the unparalleled favour of being able at once to\nrecognise by the touch anything that was holy, or that had been\nconsecrated by the Church--a favour which perhaps no one had ever before\nenjoyed to so great an extent--a favour by which the interests of\nreligion might be inconceivably promoted, provided it was made use of\nwith discretion, and which surely had not been bestowed upon a poor\nignorant peasant girl merely for her own personal gratification. For\nthe last time I took in mine the hand marked with a sign so worthy of\nour utmost veneration, the hand which was as a spiritual instrument in\nthe instant recognition of whatever was holy, that it might be honoured\neven in a grain of sand--the charitable industrious hand, which had so\noften fed the hungry and clothed the naked--this hand was now cold and\nlifeless. A great favour had been withdrawn from earth, God had taken\nfrom us the hand of his spouse, who had rendered testimony to, prayed,\nand suffered for the truth. It appeared as though it had not been\nwithout meaning, that she had resignedly laid down upon her bed the\nhand which was the outward expression of a particular privilege granted\nby Divine grace. Fearful of having the strong impression made upon me\nby the sight of her countenance diminished by the necessary but\ndisturbing preparations which were being made around her bed, I\nthoughtfully left her room. If, I said to myself--if, like so many holy\nsolitaries, she had died alone in a grave prepared by her own hands,\nher friends--the birds--would have covered her with flowers and leaves; if,\nlike other religious, she had died among virgins consecrated to God,\nand that their tender care and respectful veneration had followed her\nto the grave, as was the case, for example, with St. Colomba of Rieti,\nit would have been edifying and pleasing to those who loved her; but\ndoubtless such honours rendered to her lifeless remains would not have\nbeen conformable to her love for Jesus, whom she so much desired to\nresemble in death as in life.'\n\nThe same friend later wrote as follows: 'Unfortunately there was no\nofficial post-mortem examination of her body, and none of those\ninquiries by which she had been so tormented during life were\ninstituted after her death. The friends who surrounded her neglected to\nexamine her body, probably for fear of coming upon some striking\nphenomenon, the discovery of which might have caused much annoyance in\nvarious ways. On Wednesday the 11th of February her body was prepared\nfor burial. A pious female, who would not give up to anyone the task of\nrendering her this last mark of affection, described to me as follows\nthe condition in which she found her: \"Her feet were crossed like the\nfeet of a crucifix. The places of the stigmas were more red than usual.\nWhen we raised her head blood flowed from her nose and mouth. All her\nlimbs remained flexible and with none of the stiffness of death even\ntill the coffin was closed.\" On Friday the 13th of February she was taken\nto the grave, followed by the entire population of the place. She\nreposes in the cemetery, to the left of the cross, on the side nearest\nthe hedge. In the grave in front of hers there rests a good old peasant\nof Welde, and in the grave behind a poor but virtuous female from\nDernekamp.\n\nOn the evening of the day when she was buried, a rich man went, not\nto Pilate, but to the cure of the place. He asked for the body of Anne\nCatherine, not to place it in a new sepulchre, but to buy it at a high\nprice for a Dutch doctor. The proposal was rejected as it deserved, but\nit appears that the report was spread in the little town that the body\nhad been taken away, and it is said that the people went in great\nnumbers to the cemetery to ascertain whether the grave had been robbed.'\n\nTo these details we will add the following extract from an account\nprinted in December 1824, in the Journal of Catholic literature of\nKerz. This account was written by a person with whom we are\nunacquainted, but who appears to have been well informed: 'About six or\nseven weeks after the death of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a report having\ngot about that her body had been stolen away, the grave and coffin were\nopened in secret, by order of the authorities, in the presence of seven\nwitnesses. They found with surprise not unmixed with joy that\ncorruption had not yet begun its work on the body of the pious maiden.\nHer features and countenance were smiling like those of a person who is\ndreaming sweetly. She looked as though she had but just been placed in\nthe coffin, nor did her body exhale any corpse-like smell. It is good\nto keep the secret of the king, says Jesus the son of Sirach; but it is\nalso good to reveal to the world the greatness of the mercy of God.'\n\nWe have been told that a stone has been placed over her grave. We\nlay upon it these pages; may they contribute to immortalise the memory\nof a person who has relieved so many pains of soul and body, and that\nof the spot where her mortal remains lie awaiting the Day of\nResurrection.\n\n\nTO THE READER\n\nWhoever compares the following meditations with the short history of\nthe Last Supper given in the Gospel will discover some slight\ndifferences between them. An explanation should be given of this,\nalthough it can never be sufficiently impressed upon the reader that\nthese writings have no pretensions whatever to add an iota to Sacred\nScripture as interpreted by the Church.\n\nSister Emmerich saw the events of the Last Supper take place in the\nfollowing order:--The Paschal Lamb was immolated and prepared in the\nsupper-room; our Lord held a discourse on that occasion--the guests were\ndressed as travellers, and ate, standing, the lamb and other food\nprescribed by the law--the cup of wine was twice presented to our Lord,\nbut he did not drink of it the second time; distributing it to his\nApostles with these words: I shall drink no more of the fruit of the\nvine, etc. Then they sat down; Jesus spoke of the traitor; Peter feared\nlest it should be himself; Judas received from our Lord the piece of\nbread dipped, which was the sign that it was he; preparations were made\nfor the washing of the feet; Peter strove against his feet being\nwashed; then came the institution of the Holy Eucharist: Judas\ncommunicated, and afterwards left the apartment; the oils were\nconsecrated, and instructions given concerning them; Peter and the\nother Apostles received ordination; our Lord made his final discourse;\nPeter protested that he would never abandon him; and then the Supper\nconcluded. By adopting this order, it appears, at first, as though it\nwere in contradiction to the passages of St. Matthew (31:29), and of\nSt. Mark (14:26), in which the words: I will drink no more of the fruit\nof the vine, etc., come after the consecration, but in St. Luke, they\ncome before. On the contrary, all that concerns the traitor Judas comes\nhere, as in St. Matthew and St. Mark, before the consecration; whereas\nin St. Luke, it does not come till afterwards. St. John, who does not\nrelate the history of the institution of the Holy Eucharist, gives us\nto understand that Judas went out immediately after Jesus had given him\nthe bread; but it appears most probable, from the accounts of the other\nEvangelists, that Judas received the Holy Communion under both forms,\nand several of the fathers--St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and St.\nLeo the Great--as well as the tradition of the Catholic Church, tell us\nexpressly that such was the case. Besides, were the order in which St.\nJohn presents events taken literally, he would contradict, not only St.\nMatthew and St. Mark, but himself, for it must follow, from verse 10,\nchap. 13, that Judas also had his feet washed. Now, the washing of the\nfeet took place after the eating of the Paschal lamb, and it was\nnecessarily whilst it was being eaten that Jesus presented the bread to\nthe traitor. It is plain that the Evangelists here, as in several other\nparts of their writings, gave their attention to the sacred narrative\nas a whole, and did not consider themselves bound to relate every\ndetail in precisely the same order, which fully explains the apparent\ncontradictions of each other, which are to be found in their Gospels.\nThe following pages will appear to the attentive reader rather a simple\nand natural concordance of the Gospels than a history differing in any\npoint of the slightest importance from that of Scripture.\n\n\nMEDITATION I.\n\nPreparations for the Pasch\n\n\nHoly Thursday, the 13th Nisan (29th of March).\n\n\n\nYesterday evening it was that the last great public repast of our\nLord and his friends took place in the house of Simon the Leper, at\nBethania, and Mary Magdalen for the last time anointed the feet of\nJesus with precious ointment. Judas was scandalised upon this occasion,\nand hastened forthwith to Jerusalem again to conspire with the\nhigh-priests for the betrayal of Jesus into their hands. After the\nrepast, Jesus returned to the house of Lazarus, and some of the\nApostles went to the inn situated beyond Bethania. During the night\nNicodemus again came to Lazarus' house, had a long conversation with our\nLord, and returned before daylight to Jerusalem, being accompanied part\nof the way by Lazarus.\n\nThe disciples had already asked Jesus where he would eat the Pasch.\nTo-day, before dawn, our Lord sent for Peter, James, and John, spoke to\nthem at some length concerning all they had to prepare and order at\nJerusalem, and told them that when ascending Mount Sion, they would\nmeet the man carrying a pitcher of water. They were already well\nacquainted with this man, for at the last Pasch, at Bethania, it had\nbeen he who prepared the meal for Jesus, and this is why St. Matthew\nsays: a certain man. They were to follow him home, and say to him: the\nMaster saith, My time is near at hand, with thee I make the Pasch with\nmy disciples (Matt. 26:18). They were than to be shown the supper-room,\nand make all necessary preparations.\n\nI saw the Apostles ascending towards Jerusalem, along a ravine, to\nthe south of the Temple, and in the direction of the north side of\nSion. On the southern side of the mountain on which the Temple stood,\nthere were some rows of houses; and they walked opposite these houses,\nfollowing the stream of an intervening torrent. When they had reached\nthe summit of Mount Sion, which is higher than the mountain of the\nTemple, they turned their steps towards the south, and, just at the\nbeginning of a small ascent, met the man who had been named to them;\nthey followed and spoke to him as Jesus had commanded. He was much\ngratified by their words, and answered, that a supper had already been\nordered to be prepared at his house (probably by Nicodemus), but that\nhe had not been aware for whom, and was delighted to learn that it was\nfor Jesus. This man's name was Heli, and he was the brother-in-law of\nZachary of Hebron, in whose house Jesus had in the preceding year\nannounced the death of John the Baptist. He had only one son, who was a\nLevite, and a friend of St. Luke, before the latter was called by our\nLord, and five daughters, all of whom were unmarried. He went up every\nyear with his servants for the festival of the Pasch, hired a room and\nprepared the Pasch for persons who had no friend in the town to lodge\nwith. This year he had hired a supper-room which belonged to Nicodemus\nand Joseph of Arimathea. He showed the two Apostles its position and\ninterior arrangement.\n\n\nMEDITATION II.\n\nThe Supper-Room.\n\n\n\nOn the southern side of Mount Sion, not far from the ruined Castle\nof David, and the market held on the ascent leading to that Castle,\nthere stood, towards the east, an ancient and solid building, between\nrows of thick trees, in the midst of a spacious court surrounded by\nstrong walls. To the right and left of the entrance, other buildings\nwere to be seen adjoining the wall, particularly to the right, where\nstood the dwelling of the major-domo, and close to it the house in\nwhich the Blessed Virgin and the holy women spent most of their time\nafter the death of Jesus. The supper-room, which was originally larger,\nhad formerly been inhabited by David's brave captains, who had there\nlearned the use of arms.\n\nPrevious to the building of the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant had\nbeen deposited there for a considerable length of time, and traces of\nits presence were still to be found in an underground room. I have also\nseen the Prophet Malachy hidden beneath this same roof: he there wrote\nhis prophecies concerning the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrifice of\nthe New Law. Solomon held this house in honour, and performed within\nits walls some figurative and symbolical action, which I have\nforgotten. When a great part of Jerusalem was destroyed by the\nBabylonians, this house was spared. I have seen many other things\nconcerning this same house, but I only remember what I have now told.\n\nThis building was in a very dilapidated state when it became the\nproperty of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who arranged the\nprincipal building in a very suitable manner, and let it as a\nsupper-room to strangers coming to Jerusalem for the purpose of\ncelebrating the festival of the Pasch. Thus it was that our Lord had\nmade use of it the previous year. Moreover, the house and surrounding\nbuildings served as warehouses for monuments and other stones, and as\nworkshops for the labourers; for Joseph of Arimathea possessed valuable\nquarries in his own country, from which he had large blocks of stone\nbrought, that his workmen might fashion them, under his own eye, into\ntombs, architectural ornaments, and columns, for sale. Nicodemus had a\nshare in this business, and used to spend many leisure hours himself in\nsculpturing. He worked in the room, or in a subterraneous apartment\nwhich saw beneath it, excepting at the times of the festivals; and this\noccupation having brought him into connection with Joseph of Arimathea,\nthey had become friends, and often joined together in various\ntransactions.\n\nThis morning, whilst Peter and John were conversing with the man who\nhad hired the supper-room, I saw Nicodemus in the buildings to the left\nof the court, where a great many stones which filled up the passages\nleading to the supper-room had been placed. A week before, I had seen\nseveral persons engaged in putting the stones on one side, cleaning the\ncourt, and preparing the supper-room for the celebration of the Pasch;\nit even appears to me that there were among them some disciples of our\nLord, perhaps Aram and Themein, the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea.\n\nThe supper-room, properly so called, was nearly in the centre of the\ncourt; its length was greater than its width; it was surrounded by a\nrow of low pillars, and if the spaces between the pillars had been\ncleared, would have formed a part of the large inner room, for the\nwhole edifice was, as it were, transparent; only it was usual, except\non special occasions, for the passages to be closed up. The room was\nlighted by apertures at the top of the walls. In front, there was first\na vestibule, into which three doors gave entrance; next, the large\ninner room, where several lamps hung from the platform; the walls were\nornamented for the festival, half way up, with beautiful matting or\ntapestry, and an aperture had been made in the roof, and covered over\nwith transparent blue gauze.\n\nThe back part of this room was separated from the rest by a curtain,\nalso of blue transparent gauze. This division of the supper-room into\nthree parts gave a resemblance to the Temple--thus forming the outer\nCourt, the Holy, and the Holy of Holies. In the last of these\ndivisions, on both sides, the dresses and other things necessary for\nthe celebration of the feast were placed. In the centre there was a\nspecies of altar. A stone bench raised on three steps, and of a\nrectangular triangular shape, came out of the wall; it must have\nconstituted the upper part of the oven used for roasting the Paschal\nLamb, for to-day the steps were quite heated during the repast. I\ncannot describe in detail all that there was in this part of the room,\nbut all kinds of arrangements were being made there for preparing the\nPaschal Supper. Above this hearth of altar, there was a species of\nniche in the wall, in front of which I saw an image of the Paschal\nLamb, with a knife in its throat, and the blood appearing to flow drop\nby drop upon the altar; but I do not remember distinctly how that was\ndone. In a niche in the wall there were three cupboards of various\ncolours, which turned like our tabernacles, for opening or closing. A\nnumber of vessels used in the celebration of the Pasch were kept in\nthem; later, the Blessed Sacrament was placed there.\n\nIn the rooms at the sides of the supper-room, there were some\ncouches, on which thick coverlids rolled up were placed, and which\ncould be used as beds. There were spacious cellars beneath the whole of\nthis building. The Ark of the Covenant was formerly deposited under the\nvery spot where the hearth was afterwards built. Five gutters, under\nthe house, served to convey the refuse to the slope of the hill, on the\nupper part of which the house was built. I had preciously seen Jesus\npreach and perform miraculous cures there, and the disciples frequently\npassed the night in the side rooms.\n\n\nMEDITATION III.\n\nArrangements for eating the Paschal Lamb.\n\n\n\nWhen the disciples had spoken to Heli of Hebron, the latter went\nback into the house by the court, but they turned to the right, and\nhastened down the north side of the hill, through Sion. They passed\nover a bridge, and walking along a road covered with brambles, reached\nthe other side of the ravine, which was in front of the Temple, and of\nthe row of houses which were to the south of that building. There stood\nthe house of the aged Simeon, who died in the Temple after the\npresentation of our Lord; and his sons, some of whom were disciples of\nJesus in secret, were actually living there. The Apostles spoke to one\nof them, a tall dark-complexioned man, who held some office in the\nTemple. They went with him to the eastern side of the Temple, through\nthat part of Ophel by which Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem on\nPalm-Sunday, and thence to the cattle-market, which stood in the town,\nto the north of the Temple. In the southern part of this market I saw\nlittle enclosures in which some beautiful lambs were gambolling about.\nHere it was that lambs for the Pasch were bought. I saw the son of\nSimeon enter one of these enclosures; and the lambs gambolled round him\nas if they knew him. He chose out four, which were carried to the\nsupper-room, engaged in preparing the Paschal Lamb.\n\nI saw Peter and John go to several different parts of the town, and\norder various things. I saw them also standing opposite the door of a\nhouse situated to the north of Mount Calvary, where the disciples of\nJesus lodged the greatest part of the time, and which belonged to\nSeraphia (afterwards called Veronica). Peter and John sent some\ndisciples from thence to the supper-room, giving them several\ncommissions, which I have forgotten.\n\nThey also went into Seraphia's house, where they had several\narrangements to make. Her husband, who was a member of the council, was\nusually absent and engaged in business; but even when he was at home\nshe saw little of him. She was a woman of about the age of the Blessed\nVirgin, and had long been connected with the Holy Family; for when the\nChild Jesus remained the three days in Jerusalem after the feast, she\nit was who supplied him with food.\n\nThe two Apostles took from thence, among other things, the chalice\nof which our Lord made use in the institution of the Holy Eucharist.\n\n\nMEDITATION IV.\n\nThe Chalice used at the Last Supper\n\n\n\nThe chalice which the Apostles brought from Veronica's house was\nwonderful and mysterious in its appearance. It had been kept a long\ntime in the Temple among other precious objects of great antiquity, the\nuse and origin of which had been forgotten. The same has been in some\ndegree the case in the Christian Church, where many consecrated jewels\nhave been forgotten and fallen into disuse with time. Ancient vases and\njewels, buried beneath the Temple, had often been dug up, sold, or\nreset. Thus it was that, by God's permission, this holy vessel, which\nnone had ever been able to melt down on account of its being made of\nsome unknown material, and which had been found by the priests in the\ntreasury of the Temple among other objects no longer made use of, had\nbeen sold to some antiquaries. It was bought by Seraphia, was several\ntimes made use of by Jesus in the celebration of festivals, and, from\nthe day of the Last Supper, became the exclusive property of the holy\nChristian community. This vessel was not always the same as when used\nby our Lord at his Last Supper, and perhaps it was upon that occasion\nthat the various pieces which composed it were first put together. The\ngreat chalice stood upon a plate, out of which a species of tablet\ncould also be drawn, and around it there were six little glasses. The\ngreat chalice contained another smaller vase; above it there was a\nsmall plate, and then came a round cover. A spoon was inserted in the\nfoot of the chalice, and could be easily drawn out for use. All these\ndifferent vessels were covered with fine linen, and, if I am not\nmistaken, were wrapped up in a case made of leather. The great chalice\nwas composed of the cup and of the foot, which last must have been\njoined on to it at a later period, for it was of a different material.\nThe cup was pear-shaped, massive, dark-coloured, and highly polished,\nwith gold ornaments, and two small handles by which it could be lifted.\nThe foot was of virgin gold, elaborately worked, ornamented with a\nserpent and a small bunch of grapes, and enriched with precious stones.\n\nThe chalice was left in the Church of Jerusalem, in the hand of St.\nJames the Less; and I see that it is still preserved in that town--it will\nreappear some day, in the same manner as before. Other Churches took\nthe little cups which surrounded it; one was taken to Antioch, and\nanother to Ephesus. They belonged to the patriarchs, who drank some\nmysterious beverage out of them when they received or gave a\nBenediction, as I have seen many times.\n\nThe great chalice had formerly been in the possession of Abraham;\nMelchisedech brought it with him from the land of Semiramis to the land\nof Canaan, when he was beginning to found some settlements on the spot\nwhere Jerusalem was afterwards built; he made use of it then for\noffering sacrifice, when he offered bread and wine in the presence of\nAbraham, and he left it in the possession of that holy patriarch. This\nsame chalice had also been preserved in Noah's Ark.\n\n\nMEDITATION V.\n\nJesus goes up to Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nIn the morning, while the Apostles were engaged at Jerusalem in\npreparing for the Pasch, Jesus, who had remained at Bethania, took an\naffecting leave of the holy women, of Lazarus, and of his Blessed\nMother, and gave them some final instructions. I saw our Lord\nconversing apart with his Mother, and he told her, among other things,\nthat he had sent Peter, the apostle of faith, and John, the apostle of\nlove, to prepare for the Pasch at Jerusalem. He said, in speaking of\nMagdalen, whose grief was excessive, that her love was great, but still\nsomewhat human, and that on this account her sorrow made her beside\nherself. He spoke also of the schemes of the traitor Judas, and the\nBlessed Virgin prayed for him. Judas had again left Bethania to go to\nJerusalem, under pretence of paying some debts that were due. He spent\nhis whole day in hurrying backwards and forwards from one Pharisee to\nanother, and making his final agreements with them. He was shown the\nsoldiers who had been engaged to seize the person of our Divine\nSaviour, and he so arranged his journeys to and fro as to be able to\naccount for his absence. I beheld all his wicked schemes and all his\nthoughts. He was naturally active and obliging, but these good\nqualities were choked by avarice, ambition, and envy, which passions he\nmade no effort to control. In our Lord's absence he had even performed\nmiracles and healed the sick.\n\nWhen our Lord announced to his Blessed Mother what was going to take\nplace, she besought him, in the most touching terms, to let her die\nwith him. But he exhorted her to show more calmness in her sorrow than\nthe other women, told her that he should rise again, and named the very\nspot where he should appear to her. She did not weep much, but her\ngrief was indescribable, and there was something almost awful in her\nlook of deep recollection. Our Divine Lord returned thanks, as a loving\nSon, for all the love she had borne him, and pressed her to his heart.\nHe also told her that he would make the Last Supper with her,\nspiritually, and named the hour at which she would receive his precious\nBody and Blood. Then once more he, in touching language, bade farewell\nto all, and gave them different instructions.\n\nAbout twelve o'clock in the day, Jesus and the nine Apostles went from\nBethania up to Jerusalem, followed by seven disciples, who, with the\nexception of Nathaniel and Silas, came from Jerusalem and the\nneighbourhood. Among these were John, Mark, and the son of the poor\nwidow who, the Thursday previous, had offered her mite in the Temple,\nwhilst Jesus was preaching there. Jesus had taken him into his company\na few days before. The holy women set off later.\n\nJesus and his companions walked around Mount Olivet, about the\nvalley of Josaphat, and even as far as Mount Calvary. During the whole\nof this walk, he continued giving them instructions. He told the\nApostles, among other things, that until then he had given them his\nbread and his wine, but that this day he was going to give them his\nBody and Blood, his whole self--all that he had and all that he was. The\ncountenance of our Lord bore so touching an expression whilst he was\nspeaking, that his whole soul seemed to breathe forth from his lips,\nand he appeared to be languishing with love and desire for the moment\nwhen he should give himself to man. His disciples did not understand\nhim, but thought that he was speaking of the Paschal Lamb. No words can\ngive an adequate idea of the love and resignation which were expressed\nin these last discourses of our Lord at Bethania, and on his way to\nJerusalem.\n\nThe seven disciples who had followed our Lord to Jerusalem did not\ngo there in his company, but carried the ceremonial habits for the\nPasch to the supper-room, and then returned to the house of Mary, the\nmother of Mark. When Peter and John came to the supper-room with the\nchalice, all the ceremonial habits were already in the vestibule,\nwhither they had been brought by his disciples and some companions.\nThey had also hung the walls with drapery, cleared the higher openings\nin the sides, and put up three lamps. Peter and John then went to the\nValley of Josaphat, and summoned our Lord and the twelve Apostles. The\ndisciples and friends who were also to make their Pasch in the\nsupperroom, came later.\n\n\nMEDITATION VI.\n\nThe Last Pasch.\n\n\n\nJesus and his disciples ate the Paschal Lamb in the supper-room.\nThey divided into three groups. Jesus ate the Paschal Lamb with the\ntwelve Apostles in the supper-room, properly so called; Nathaniel with\ntwelve other disciples in one of the lateral rooms, and Eliacim (the\nson of Cleophas and Mary, the daughter of Heli), who had been a\ndisciple of John the Baptist, with twelve more, in another side-room.\n\nThree lambs were immolated for them in the Temple, but there was a\nfourth lamb which was immolated in the supper-room, and was the one\neaten by Jesus with his Apostles. Judas was not aware of this\ncircumstance, because being engaged in plotting his betrayal of our\nLord, he only returned a few moments before the repast, and after the\nimmolation of the lamb had taken place. Most touching was the scene of\nthe immolation of the lamb to be eaten by Jesus and his Apostles; it\ntook place in the vestibule of the supper-room. The Apostles and\ndisciples were present, singing the 118th Psalm. Jesus spoke of a new\nperiod then beginning, and said that the sacrifice of Moses and the\nfigure of the Paschal Lamb were about to receive their accomplishment,\nbut that on this very account, the lamb was to be immolated in the same\nmanner as formerly in Egypt, and that they were really about to go\nforth from the house of bondage.\n\nThe vessels and necessary instruments were prepared, and then the\nattendants brought a beautiful little lamb, decorated with a crown,\nwhich was sent to the Blessed Virgin in the room where she had remained\nwith the other holy women. The lamb was fastened with its back against\na board by a cord around its body, and reminded me of Jesus tied to the\npillar and scourged. The son of Simeon held the lamb's head; Jesus made a\nslight incision in its neck with the point of a knife, which he then\ngave to the son of Simeon, that he might complete killing it. Jesus\nappeared to inflict the wound with a feeling of repugnance, and he was\nquick in his movements, although his countenance was grave, and his\nmanner such as to inspire respect. The blood flowed into a basin, and\nthe attendants brought a branch of hyssop, which Jesus dipped in it.\nThen he went to the door of the room, stained the sideposts and the\nlock with blood, and placed the branch which had been dipped in blood\nabove the door. He then spoke to the disciples, and told them, among\nother things, that the exterminating angel would pass by, that they\nwould adore in that room without fear or anxiety, when he, the true\nPaschal Lamb, should have been immolated--that a new epoch and a new\nsacrifice were about to begin, which would last to the end of the world.\n\nThey then went to the other side of the room, near the hearth where\nthe Ark of the Covenant had formerly stood. Fire had already been\nlighted there, and Jesus poured some blood upon the hearth,\nconsecrating it as an altar; and the remainder of the blood and the fat\nwere thrown on the fire beneath the altar, after which Jesus, followed\nby his Apostles, walked round the supper-room, singing some psalms, and\nconsecrating it as a new Temple. The doors were all closed during this\ntime. Meanwhile the son of Simeon had completed the preparation of the\nlamb. He passed a stake through its body, fastening the front legs on a\ncross piece of wood; and stretching the hind ones along the stake. It\nbore a strong resemblance to Jesus on the cross, and was placed in the\noven, to be there roasted with the three other lambs brought from the\nTemple.\n\nThe Paschal Lambs of the Jews were all immolated in the vestibule of\nthe Temple, but in different parts, according as the persons who were\nto eat them were rich, or poor, or strangers.5 The Paschal Lamb\nbelonging to Jesus was not immolated in the Temple, but everything else\nwas done strictly according to the law. Jesus again addressed his\ndisciples, saying that the lamb was but a figure, that he himself would\nnext day be the true Paschal Lamb, together with other things which I\nhave forgotten.\n\nWhen Jesus had finished his instructions concerning the Paschal Lamb\nand its signification, the time being come, and Judas also returned,\nthe tables were set out. The disciples put on travelling dresses which\nwere in the vestibule, different shoes, a white robe resembling a\nshirt, and a cloak, which was short in front and longer behind, their\nsleeves were large and turned back, and they girded up their clothes\naround the waist. Each party went to their own table; and two sets of\ndisciples in the side rooms, and our Lord and his Apostles in the\nsupper-room. They held staves in their hands, and went two and two to\nthe table, where they remained standing, each in his own place, with\nthe stave resting on his arms, and his hands upraised.\n\nThe table was narrow, and about half a foot higher than the knees of\na man; in shape it resembled a horseshoe, and opposite Jesus, in the\ninner part of the half-circle, there was a space left vacant, that the\nattendants might be able to set down the dishes. As far as I can\nremember, John, James the Greater, and James the Less sat on the\nright-hand of Jesus; after them Bartholomew, and then, round the\ncorner, Thomas and Judas Iscariot. Peter, Andrew, and Thaddeus sat on\nthe left of Jesus; next came Simon, and then (round the corner) Matthew\nand Philip.\n\nThe Paschal Lamb was placed on a dish in the centre of the table.\nIts head rested on its front legs, which were fastened to a\ncross-stick, its hind legs being stretched out, and the dish was\ngarnished with garlic. By the side there was a dish with the Paschal\nroast meat, then came a plate with green vegetables balanced against\neach other, and another plate with small bundles of bitter herbs, which\nhad the appearance of aromatic herbs. Opposite Jesus there was also one\ndish with different herbs, and a second containing a brown-coloured\nsauce of beverage. The guest had before them some round loaves instead\nof plates, and they used ivory knives.\n\nAfter the prayer, the major-domo laid the knife for cutting the lamb\non the table before Jesus, who placed a cup of wine before him, and\nfilled six other cups, each one of which stood between two Apostles.\nJesus blessed the wine and drank, and the Apostles drank two together\nout of one cup. Then our Lord proceeded to cut up the lamb; his\nApostles presented their pieces of bread in turn, and each received his\nshare. They ate it in haste, separating the flesh from the bone, by\nmeans of their ivory knives, and the bones were afterwards burnt. They\nalso ate the garlic and green herbs in haste, dipping them in the\nsauce. All this time they remained standing, only leaning slightly on\nthe backs of their seats. Jesus brake one of the loaves of unleavened\nbread, covered up a part of it, and divided the remainder among his\nApostles. Another cup of wine was brought, but Jesus drank not of it:\n'Take this,' he said, 'and divide it among you, for I will not drink from\nhenceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink\nit with you new in the kingdom of my Father' (Matt. 26:29). When they had\ndrunk the wine, they sang a hymn; then Jesus prayed or taught, and they\nagain washed their hands. After this they sat down.\n\nOur Lord cut up another lamb which was carried to the holy women in\none of the buildings of the court, where they were seated at table. The\nApostles ate some more vegetables and lettuce. The countenance of our\nDivine Saviour bore an indescribable expression of serenity and\nrecollection, greater than I had ever before seen. He bade the Apostles\nforget all their cares. The Blessed Virgin also, as she sat at table\nwith the other women, looked most placid and calm. When the other women\ncame up, and took hold of her veil to make her turn round and speak to\nthem, her every movement expressed the sweetest self-control and\nplacidity of spirit.\n\nAt first Jesus conversed lovingly and calmly with his disciples, but\nafter a while he became grave and sad: 'Amen, amen, I say to you, that\none of you is about to betray me:' he said, he that dippeth his hand with\nme in the dish' (Matt. 26:21.23). Jesus was then distributing the\nlettuce, of which there was only one dish, to those Apostles who were\nby his side, and he had given Judas, who was nearly opposite to him,\nthe office of distributing it to the others. When Jesus spoke of a\ntraitor, an expression which filled all the Apostles with fear, he\nsaid: 'he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish,' which means: 'one of\nthe twelve who are eating and drinking with me--one of those with whom I\nam eating bread.' He did not plainly point out Judas to the others by\nthese words; for to dip the hand in the same dish was an expression\nused to signify the most friendly and intimate intercourse. He was\ndesirous, however, to give a warning to Judas, who was then really\ndipping his hand in the dish with our Saviour, to distribute the\nlettuce. Jesus continued to speak: 'The Son of Man indeed goeth,' he said,\n'as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man\nshall be betrayed: It were better for him if that man had not been born.'\n\nThe Apostles were very much troubled, and each one of them\nexclaimed: 'Lord, is it I?' for they were all perfectly aware that they did\nnot entirely understand his words. Peter leaned towards John, behind\nJesus, and made him a sign to ask our Lord who the traitor was to be,\nfor, having so often been reproved by our Lord, he trembled lest it\nshould be himself who was referred to. John was seated at the right\nhand of Jesus, and as all were leaning on their left arms, using the\nright to eat, his head was close to the bosom of Jesus. He leaned then\non his breast and said: 'Lord, who is it?' I did not see Jesus say to him\nwith his lips: 'He it is to whom I shall reach bread dipped.' I do not know\nwhether he whispered it to him, but John knew it, when Jesus having\ndipped the bread, which was covered with lettuce, gave it tenderly to\nJudas, who also asked: 'Is it I, Lord?' Jesus looked at him with love, and\nanswered him in general terms. Among the Jews, to give bread dipped was\na mark of friendship and confidence; Jesus on this occasion gave Judas\nthe morsel, in order thus to warn him, without making known his guilt\nto the others. But the heart of Judas burned with anger, and during the\nwhole time of the repast, I saw a frightful little figure seated at his\nfeet, and sometimes ascending to his heart. I did not see John repeat\nto Peter what he had learned from Jesus, but he set his fears at rest\nby a look.\n\n\nMEDITATION VII.\n\nThe Washing of the Feet.\n\n\n\nThey arose from table, and whilst they were arranging their clothes,\nas they usually did before making their solemn prayer, the major-domo\ncame in with two servants to take away the table. Jesus, standing in\nthe midst of his Apostles, spoke to them long, in a most solemn manner.\nI could not repeat exactly his whole discourse, but I remember he spoke\nof his kingdom, of his going to his Father, of what he would leave them\nnow that he was about to be taken away, etc. He also gave them some\ninstructions concerning penance, the confession of sin, repentance, and\njustification.\n\nI felt that these instructions referred to the washing of the feet,\nand I saw that all the Apostles acknowledged their sins and repented of\nthem, with the exception of Judas. This discourse was long and solemn.\nWhen it was concluded, Jesus sent John and James the Less to fetch\nwater from the vestibule, and he told the Apostles to arrange the seats\nin a half circle. He went himself into the vestibule, where he girded\nhimself with a towel. During this time, the Apostles spoke among\nthemselves, and began speculating as to which of them would be the\ngreatest, for our Lord having expressly announced that he was about to\nleave them and that his kingdom was near at hand, they felt\nstrengthened anew in their idea that he had secret plans, and that he\nwas referring to some earthly triumph which would be theirs at the last\nmoment.\n\nMeanwhile Jesus, in the vestibule, told John to take a basin, and\nJames a pitcher filled with water, with which they followed him into\nthe room, where the major-domo had placed another empty basin.\n\nJesus, on returning to his disciples in so humble a manner,\naddressed them a few words of reproach on the subject of the dispute\nwhich had arisen between them, and said among other things, that he\nhimself was their servant, and that they were to sit down, for him to\nwash their feet. They sat down, therefore, in the same order as they\nhad sat at table. Jesus went from one to the other, poured water from\nthe basin which John carried on the feet of each, and then, taking the\nend of the towel wherewith he was girded, wiped them. Most loving and\ntender was the manner of our Lord while thus humbling himself at the\nfeet of his Apostles.\n\nPeter, when his turn came, endeavoured through humility to prevent\nJesus from washing his feet: 'Lord,' he exclaimed, 'dost thou wash my feet?'\nJesus answered: 'What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know\nhereafter.' It appeared to me that he said to him privately: 'Simon, thou\nhast merited for my Father to reveal to thee who I am, whence I come,\nand whither I am going, thou alone hast expressly confessed it,\ntherefore upon thee will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall\nnot prevail against it. My power will remain with thy successors to the\nend of the world.'\n\nJesus showed him to the other Apostles, and said, that when he\nshould be no more present among them, Peter was to fill his place in\ntheir regard. Peter said: 'Thou shalt never wash my feet!' Our Lord\nreplied: 'If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me.' Then Peter\nexclaimed: 'Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.' Jesus\nreplied: 'He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is\nclean wholly. And you are clean, but not all.'\n\nBy these last words he referred to Judas. He had spoken of the\nwashing of the feet as signifying purification from daily faults,\nbecause the feet, which are continually in contact with the earth, are\nalso continually liable to be soiled, unless great care is taken.\n\nThis washing of the feet was spiritual, and served as a species of\nabsolution. Peter, in his zeal, saw nothing in it but too great an act\nof abasement on the part of his Master; he knew not that to save him\nJesus would the very next day humble himself even to the ignominious\ndeath of the cross.\n\nWhen Jesus washed the feet of Judas, it was in the most loving and\naffecting manner; he bent his sacred face even on to the feet of the\ntraitor; and in a low voice bade him now at least enter into himself,\nfor that he had been a faithless traitor for the last year. Judas\nappeared to be anxious to pay no heed whatever to his words, and spoke\nto John, upon which Peter became angry, and exclaimed: 'Judas, the Master\nspeaks to thee!' Then Judas made our Lord some vague, evasive reply, such\nas, 'Heaven forbid, Lord!' The others had not remarked that Jesus was\nspeaking to Judas, for this words were uttered in a low voice, in order\nnot to be heard by them, and besides, they were engaged in putting on\ntheir shoes. Nothing in the whole course of the Passion grieved Jesus\nso deeply as the treason of Judas.\n\nJesus finally washed the feet of John and James.\n\nHe then spoke again on the subject of humility, telling them that he\nthat was the greatest among them was to be as their servant, and that\nhenceforth they were to wash one another's feet. Then he put on his\ngarments, and the Apostles let down their clothes, which they had\ngirded up before eating the Paschal Lamb.\n\n\nMEDITATION VIII.\n\nInstitution of the Holy Eucharist.\n\n\n\nBy command of our Lord, the major-domo had again laid out the table,\nwhich he had raised a little; then, having placed it once more in the\nmiddle of the room, he stood one urn filled with wine, and another with\nwater underneath it. Peter and John went into the part of the room near\nthe hearth, to get the chalice which they had brought from Seraphia's\nhouse, and which was still wrapped up in its covering. They carried it\nbetween them as if they had been carrying a tabernacle, and placed it\non the table before Jesus. An oval plate stood there, with three fine\nwhite azymous loaves, placed on a piece of linen, by the side of the\nhalf loaf which Jesus had set aside during the Paschal meal, also a jar\ncontaining wine and water, and three boxes, one filled with thick oil,\na second with liquid oil, and the third empty.\n\nIn earlier times, it had been the practice for all at table to eat\nof the same loaf and drink of the same cup at the end of the meal,\nthereby to express their friendship and brotherly love, and to welcome\nand bid farewell to each other. I think Scripture must contain\nsomething upon this subject.\n\nOn the day of the Last Supper, Jesus raised this custom (which had\nhitherto been no more than a symbolical and figurative rite) to the\ndignity of the holiest of sacraments. One of the charges brought before\nCaiphas, on occasion of the treason of Judas, was, that Jesus had\nintroduced a novelty into the Paschal ceremonies, but Nicodemus proved\nfrom Scripture that it was an ancient practice.\n\nJesus was seated between Peter and John, the doors were closed, and\neverything was done in the most mysterious and imposing manner. When\nthe chalice was taken out of its covering, Jesus prayed, and spoke to\nhis Apostles with the utmost solemnity. I saw him giving them an\nexplanation of the Supper, and of the entire ceremony, and I was\nforcibly reminded of a priest teaching others to say Mass.\n\nHe then drew a species of shelf with grooves from the boars on which\nthe jars stood, and taking a piece of white linen with which the\nchalice was covered, spread it over the board and shelf. I then saw him\nlift a round plate, which he placed on this same shelf, off the top of\nthe chalice. He next took the azymous loaves from beneath the linen\nwith which they were covered and placed them before him on the board;\nthen he took out of the chalice a smaller vase, and ranged the six\nlittle glasses on each side of it. Then he blessed the bread and also\nthe oil, to the best of my belief after which he lifted up the paten\nwith the loaves upon it, in his two hands, raised his eyes, prayed,\noffered, and replaced the paten on the table, covering it up again. He\nthen took the chalice, had some wine poured into it by Peter, and some\nwater, which he first blessed, by John, adding to it a little more\nwater, which he poured into a small spoon, and after this he blessed\nthe chalice, raised it up with a prayer, made the oblation, and\nreplaced it on the table.\n\nJohn and Peter poured some water on his hands, which he held over\nthe plate on which the azymous loaves had been placed; then he took a\nlittle of the water which had been poured on his hands, in the spoon\nthat he had taken out of the lower part of the chalice, and poured it\non theirs. After this, the vase was passed round the table, and all the\nApostles washed their hands in it. I do not remember whether this was\nthe precise order in which these ceremonies were performed; all I know\nis, that they reminded me in a striking manner of the holy sacrifice of\nthe Mass.\n\nMeanwhile, our Divine Lord became more and more tender and loving in\nhis demeanour; he told his Apostles that he was about to give them all\nthat he had, namely, his entire self, and he looked as though perfectly\ntransformed by love. I saw him becoming transparent, until he resembled\na luminous shadow. He broke the bread into several pieces, which he\nlaid together on the paten, and then took a corner of the first piece\nand dripped it into the chalice. At the moment when he was doing this, I\nseemed to see the Blessed Virgin receiving the Holy Sacrament in a\nspiritual manner, although she was not present in the supper-room. I do\nnot know how it was done, but I thought I saw her enter without\ntouching the ground, and come before our Lord to receive the Holy\nEucharist; after which I saw her no more. Jesus had told her in the\nmorning, at Bethania, that he would keep the Pasch with her\nspiritually, and he had named the hour at which she was to betake\nherself to prayer, in order to receive it in spirit.\n\nAgain he prayed and taught; his words came forth from his lips like\nfire and light, and entered into each of the Apostles, with the\nexception of Judas. He took the paten with the pieces of bread (I do\nnot know whether he had placed it on the chalice) and said: 'Take and\neat; this is my Body which is given for you.' He stretched forth his\nright hand as if to bless, and, whilst he did so, a brilliant light\ncame from him, his words were luminous, the bread entered the mouths of\nthe Apostles as a brilliant substance, and light seemed to penetrate\nand surround them all, Judas alone remaining dark. Jesus presented the\nbread first to Peter, next to John and then he made a sign to Judas to\napproach.6 Judas was thus the third who received the Adorable\nSacrament, but the words of our Lord appeared to turn aside from the\nmouth of the traitor, and come back to their Divine Author. So\nperturbed was I in spirit at this sight, that my feelings cannot be\ndescribed. Jesus said to him: 'That which thou dost, do quickly.' He then\nadministered the Blessed Sacrament to the other Apostles, who\napproached two and two.\n\nJesus raised the chalice by its two handles to a level with his\nface, and pronounced the words of consecration. Whilst doing so, he\nappeared wholly transfigured, as it were transparent, and as though\nentirely passing into what he was going to give his Apostles. He made\nPeter and John drink from the chalice which he held in his hand, and\nthen placed it again on the table. John poured the Divine Blood from\nthe chalice into the smaller glasses, and Peter presented them to the\nApostles, two of whom drank together out of the same cup. I think, but\nam not quite certain, that Judas also partook of the chalice; he did\nnot return to his place, but immediately left the supper-room, and the\nother Apostles thought that Jesus had given him some commission to do.\nHe left without praying or making any thanksgiving, and hence you may\nperceive how sinful it is to neglect returning thanks either after\nreceiving our daily food, or after partaking of the Life-Giving Bread\nof Angels. During the entire meal, I had seen a frightful little\nfigure, with one foot like a dried bone, remaining close to Judas, but\nwhen he had reached the door, I beheld three devils pressing round him;\none entered into his mouth, the second urged him on, and the third\npreceded him. It was night, and they seemed to be lighting him, whilst\nhe hurried onward like a madman.\n\nOur Lord poured a few drops of the Precious Blood remaining in the\nchalice into the little vase of which I have already spoken, and then\nplaced his fingers over the chalice, while Peter and John poured water\nand wine upon them. This done, he caused them to drink again from the\nchalice, and what remained of its contents was poured into the smaller\nglasses, and distributed to the other Apostles. Then Jesus wiped the\nchalice, put into it the little vase containing the remainder of the\nDivine Blood, and placed over it the paten with the fragments of the\nconsecrated bread, after which he again put on the cover, wrapped up\nthe chalice, and stood it in the midst of the six small cups. I saw the\nApostles receive in communion these remains of the Adorable Sacrament,\nafter the Resurrection.\n\nI do not remember seeing our Lord himself eat and drink of the\nconsecrated elements, neither did I see Melchisedech, when offering the\nbread and wine, taste of them himself. It was made known to me why\npriests partake of them, although Jesus did not.\n\nHere Sister Emmerich looked suddenly up, and appeared to be\nlistening. Some explanation was given her on this subject, but the\nfollowing words were all that she could repeat to us: 'If the office of\ndistributing it had been given to angels, they would not have partaken,\nbut if priests did not partake, the Blessed Eucharist would be lost--it is\nthrough their participation that it is preserved.'\n\nThere was an indescribable solemnity and order in all the actions of\nJesus during the institution of the Holy Eucharist, and his every\nmovement was most majestic. I saw the Apostles noting things down in\nthe little rolls of parchment which they carried on their persons.\nSeveral times during the ceremonies I remarked that they bowed to each\nother, in the same way that our priests do.\n\n\nMEDITATION IX.\n\nPrivate Instruction and Consecrations.\n\n\n\nJesus gave his Apostles some private instructions; he told them how\nthey were to preserve the Blessed Sacrament in memory of him, even to\nthe end of the world; he taught them the necessary forms for making use\nof and communicating it, and in what manner they were, by degrees, to\nteach and publish this mystery; finally he told them when they were to\nreceive what remained of the consecrated Elements, when to give some to\nthe Blessed Virgin, and how to consecrate, themselves, after he should\nhave sent them the Divine Comforter. He then spoke concerning the\npriesthood, the sacred unction, and the preparation of the Chrism and\nHoly Oils.7 He had there three boxes, two of which contained a mixture\nof oil and balm. He taught them how to make this mixture, what parts of\nthe body were to be anointed with them, and upon what occasions. I\nremember, among other things, that he mentioned a case in which the\nHoly Eucharist could not be administered; perhaps what he said had\nreference to Extreme Unction, for my recollections on this point are\nnot very clear. He spoke of different kinds of anointing, and in\nparticular of that of kings, and he said that even wicked kings who\nwere anointed, derived from it especial powers. He put ointment and oil\nin the empty box, and mixed them together, but I cannot say for certain\nwhether it was at this moment, or at the time of the consecration of\nthe bread, that he blessed the oil.\n\nI then saw Jesus anoint Peter and John, on whose hands he had\nalready poured the water which had flowed on his own, and two whom he\nhad given to drink out of the chalice. Then he laid his hands on their\nshoulders and heads, while they, on their part, joined their hands and\ncrossed their thumbs, bowing down profoundly before him--I am not sure\nwhether they did not even kneel. He anointed the thumb and fore-finger\nof each of their hands, and marked a cross on their heads with Chrism.\nHe said also that this would remain with them unto the end of the world.\n\nJames the Less, Andrew, James the Greater, and Bartholomew, were\nalso consecrated. I saw likewise that on Peter's bosom he crossed a sort\nof stole worn round the neck, whilst on the others he simply placed it\ncrosswise, from the right shoulder to the left side. I do not know\nwhether this was done at the time of the institution of the Blessed\nSacrament, or only for the anointing.\n\nI understood that Jesus communicated to them by this unction\nsomething essential and supernatural, beyond my power to describe. He\ntold them that when they should have received the Holy Spirit they were\nto consecrate the bread and wine, and anoint the other Apostles. It was\nmade known to me then that, on the day of Pentecost, Peter and John\nimposed their hands upon the other Apostles, and a week later upon\nseveral of the disciples. After the Resurrection, John gave the\nAdorable Sacrament for the first time to the Blessed Virgin. It is a\nfestival no longer kept in the Church on earth, but I see it celebrated\nin the Church triumphant. For the first few days after Pentecost I saw\nonly Peter and John consecrate the Blessed Eucharist, but after that\nthe others also consecrated.\n\nOur Lord next proceeded to bless fire in a brass vessel, and care\nwas taken that it should not go out, but it was kept near the spot\nwhere the Blessed Sacrament had been deposited, in one division of the\nancient Paschal hearth, and fire was always taken from it when needed\nfor spiritual purposes.\n\n    All that Jesus did upon this occasion was done in private, and\ntaught equally in private. The Church has retained all that was\nessential of these secret instructions, and, under the inspiration of\nthe Holy Ghost, developed and adapted them to all her requirements.\n\nWhether Peter and John were both consecrated bishops, or Peter alone\nas bishop and John as priest, or to what dignity the other four\nApostles were raised, I cannot pretend to say. But the different ways\nin which our Lord arranged the Apostles' stoles appear to indicate\ndifferent degrees of consecration.\n\nWhen these holy ceremonies were concluded, the chalice (near which\nthe blessed Chrism also stood) was re-covered, and the Adorable\nSacrament carried by Peter and John into the back part of the room,\nwhich was divided off by a curtain, and from thenceforth became the\nSanctuary. The spot where the Blessed Sacrament was deposited was not\nvery far above the Paschal stove. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus\ntook care of the Sanctuary and of the supper-room during the absence of\nthe Apostles.\n\nJesus again instructed his Apostles for a considerable length of\ntime, and also prayed several times. He frequently appeared to be\nconversing with his Heavenly Father, and to be overflowing with\nenthusiasm and love. The Apostles also were full of joy and zeal, and\nasked him various questions which he forthwith answered. The scriptures\nmust contain much of this last discourse and conversation. He told\nPeter and John different things to be made known later to the other\nApostles, who in their turn were to communicate them to the disciples\nand holy women, according to the capacity of each for such knowledge.\nHe had a private conversation with John, whom he told that his life\nwould be longer than the lives of the others. He spoke to him also\nconcerning seven Churches, some crowns and angels, and instructed him\nin the meaning of certain mysterious figures, which signified, to the\nbest of my belief, different epochs. The other Apostles were slightly\njealous of this confidential communication being made to John.\n\nJesus spoke also of the traitor. 'Now he is doing this or that,' he\nsaid, and I, in fact, saw Judas doing exactly as he said of him. As\nPeter was vehemently protesting that he would always remain faithful,\nour Lord said to him: 'Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have\nyou that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy\nfaith fail not: and thou being once converted, confirm thy brethren.'\n\nAgain, our Lord, said, that whither he was going they could not\nfollow him, when Peter exclaimed: 'Lord, I am ready to go with thee both\ninto prison and to death.' And Jesus replied: 'Amen, amen, I say to thee,\nbefore the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.'\n\n Jesus, while making known to his Apostles that trying times were at\nhand for them, said: 'When I sent you without purse, or scrip, or shoes,\ndid you want anything?' They answered: 'Nothing.' 'But now,' he continued,\n'he that hath a purse let him take it, and likewise a scrip, and he that\nhath not, let him sell his coat and buy a sword. For I say to you, that\nthis that is written must yet be fulfilled in me: AND WITH THE WICKED WAS\nHE RECKONED. For the things concerning me have an end.' The Apostles only\nunderstood his words in a carnal sense, and Peter showed him two\nswords, which were short and thick, like cleavers. Jesus said: 'It is\nenough: let us go hence.' Then they sang the thanksgiving hymn, put the\ntable on one side, and went into the vestibule.\n\nThere, Jesus found his Mother, Mary of Cleophas, and Magdalen, who\nearnestly besought him not to go to Mount Olivet, for a report has\nspread that his enemies were seeking to lay hands on him. But Jesus\ncomforted them in few words, and hastened onward--it being then about nine\no'clock. They went down the road by which Peter and John had come to the\nsupper-room, and directed their steps towards Mount Olivet.\n\nI have always seen the Pasch and the institution of the Blessed\nSacrament take place in the order related above. But my feelings were\neach time so strongly excited and my emotion so great, that I could not\ngive much attention to all the details, but now I have seen them more\ndistinctly. No words can describe how painful and exhausting is such a\nsight as that of beholding the hidden recesses of hearts, the love and\nconstancy of our Saviour, and to know at the same time all that is\ngoing to befall him. How would it be possible to observe all that is\nmerely external! The heart is overflowing with admiration, gratitude,\nand love--the blindness of men seems perfectly incomprehensible--and the\nsoul is overwhelmed with sorrow at the thought of the ingratitude of the\nwhole world, and of her own sins!\n\nThe eating of the Paschal Lamb was performed by Jesus rapidly, and\nin entire conformity with all the legal ordinances. The Pharisees were\nin the habit of adding some minute and superstitious ceremonies.\n\n\nTHE PASSION.\n\n\n\n \"If thou knowest not how to meditate on high and heavenly things,\nrest on the Passion of Christ, and willingly dwell in his sacred\nwounds. For, if thou fly devoutly to the wounds and precious stigmas of\nJesus, thou shalt feel great comfort in tribulation.\"--Imitation of Christ,\nbook 2, chapter 1.\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\n\nOn the evening of the 18th of February, 1823, a friend of Sister\nEmmerich went up to the bed, where she was lying apparently asleep; and\nbeing much struck by the beautiful and mournful expression of her\ncountenance, felt himself inwardly inspired to raise his heart\nfervently to God, and offer the Passion of Christ to the Eternal\nFather, in union with the sufferings of all those who have carried\ntheir cross after him. While making this short prayer, he chanced to\nfix his eyes for a moment upon the stigmatised hands of Sister\nEmmerich. She immediately hid them under the counterpane, starting as\nif someone had given her a blow. He felt surprised at this, and asked\nher, 'What has happened to you?' 'Many things,' she answered in an expressive\ntone. Whilst he was considering what her meaning could be, she appeared\nto be asleep. At the end of about a quarter of an hour, she suddenly\nstarted up with all the eagerness of a person having a violent struggle\nwith another, stretched out both her arms, clenching her hand, as if to\nrepel an enemy standing on the left side of her bed, and exclaimed in\nan indignant voice: 'What do you mean by this contract of Magdalum?' Then\nshe continued to speak with the warmth of a person who is being\nquestioned during a quarrel--'Yes, it is that accursed spirit--the liar from\nthe beginning--Satan, who is reproaching him about the Magdalum contract,\nand other things of the same nature, and says that he spent all that\nmoney upon himself.' When asked, 'Who has spent money? Who is being spoken\nto in that way?' she replied, 'Jesus, my adorable Spouse, on Mount Olivet.'\nThen she again turned to the left, with menacing gestures, and\nexclaimed, 'What meanest thou, O father of lies, with thy Magdalum\ncontract? Did he not deliver twenty-seven poor prisoners at Thirza,\nwith the money derived from the sale of Magdalum? I saw him, and thou\ndarest to say that he has brought confusion into the whole estate,\ndriven out its inhabitants, and squandered the money for which it was\nsold? But thy time is come, accursed spirit! Thou wilt be chained, and\nhis heel will crush thy head.'\n\nHere she was interrupted by the entrance of another person; her\nfriends thought that she was in delirium, and pitied her. The following\nmorning she owned that the previous night she had imagined herself to\nbe following our Saviour to the Garden of Olives, after the institution\nof the Blessed Eucharist, but that just at that moment someone having\nlooked at the stigmas on her hands with a degree of veneration, she\nfelt so horrified at this being done in the presence of our Lord, that\nshe hastily hid them, with a feeling of pain. She then related her\nvision of what took place in the Garden of Olives, and as she continued\nher narrations the following days, the friend who was listening to her\nwas enabled to connect the different scenes of the Passion together.\nBut as, during Lent, she was also celebrating the combats of our Lord\nwith Satan in the desert, she had to endure in her own person many\nsufferings and temptations. Hence there were a few pauses in the\nhistory of the Passion, which were, however, easily filled up by means\nof some later communications.\n\nShe usually spoke in common German, but when in a state of ecstasy,\nher language became much purer, and her narrations partook at once of\nchild-like simplicity and dignified inspiration. Her friend wrote down\nall that she had said, directly he returned to his own apartments; for\nit was seldom that he could so much as even take notes in her presence.\nThe Giver of all good gifts bestowed upon him memory, zeal, and\nstrength to bear much trouble and fatigue, so that he has been enabled\nto bring this work to a conclusion. His conscience tells him that he\nhas done his best, and he humbly begs the reader, if satisfied with the\nresult of his labours, to bestow upon him the alms of an occasional\nprayer.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nJesus in the Garden of Olives.\n\n\n\nWhen Jesus left the supper-room with the eleven Apostles, after the\ninstitution of the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar, his soul was deeply\noppressed and his sorrow on the increase. He led the eleven, by an\nunfrequented path, to the Valley of Josaphat. As they left the house, I\nsaw the moon, which was not yet quite at the full, rising in front of\nthe mountain.\n\nOur Divine Lord; as he wandered with his Apostles about the valley,\ntold them that here he should one day return to judge the world, but\nnot in a state of poverty and humiliation, as he then was, and that men\nwould tremble with fear, and cry: 'Mountains, fall upon us!' His disciples\ndid not understand him, and thought, by no means for the first time\nthat night, that weakness and exhaustion had affected his brain. He\nsaid to them again: 'All you shall be scandalised in me this night. For\nit is written: I WILL STRIKE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK\nSHALL BE DISPERSED. But after I shall be risen again, I will go before\nyou into Galilee.'\n\nThe Apostles were still in some degree animated by the spirit of\nenthusiasm and devotion with which their reception of the Blessed\nSacrament and the solemn and affecting words of Jesus had inspired\nthem. They eagerly crowded round him, and expressed their love in a\nthousand different ways, earnestly protesting that they would never\nabandon him. But as Jesus continued to talk in the same strain, Peter\nexclaimed: 'Although all shall be scandalised in thee, I will never be\nscandalised!' and our Lord answered him: 'Amen, I say to thee, that in this\nnight, before the cock crow, thou wilt deny me thrice.' But Peter still\ninsisted, saying: 'Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny\nthee.' And the others all said the same. They walked onward and stopped,\nby turns, for the sadness of our Divine Lord continued to increase. The\nApostles tried to comfort him by human arguments, assuring him that\nwhat he foresaw would not come to pass. They tired themselves in these\nvain efforts, began to doubt, and were assailed by temptation.\n\nThey crossed the brook Cedron, not by the bridge where, a few hours\nlater, Jesus was taken prisoner, but by another, for they had left the\ndirect road. Gethsemani, whither they were going, was about a mile and\na half distant from the supper-hall, for it was three quarters of a\nmile from the supper-hall to the Valley of Josaphat, and about as far\nfrom thence to Gethsemani. The place called Gethsemani (where latterly\nJesus had several times passed the night with his disciples) was a\nlarge garden, surrounded by a hedge, and containing only some fruit\ntrees and flowers, while outside there stood a few deserted unclosed\nbuildings.\n\nThe Apostles and several others persons had keys of this garden,\nwhich was used sometimes as a pleasure ground, and sometimes as a place\nof retirement for prayer. Some arbours made of leaves and branches had\nbeen raised there, and eight of the Apostles remained in them, and were\nlater joined by others of the disciples. The Garden of Olives was\nseparated by a road from that of Gethsemani, and was open, surrounded\nonly by an earthern wall, and smaller than the Garden of Gethsemani.\nThere were caverns, terraces, and many olive-trees to be seen in this\ngarden, and it was easy to find there a suitable spot for prayer and\nmeditation. It was to the wildest part that Jesus went to pray.\n\nIt was about nine o'clock when Jesus reached Gethsemani with his\ndisciples. The moon had risen, and already gave light in the sky,\nalthough the earth was still dark. Jesus was most sorrowful, and told\nhis Apostles that danger was at hand. The disciples felt uneasy, and he\ntold eight of those who were following him, to remain in the Garden of\nGethsemani whilst he went on to pray. He took with him Peter, James,\nand John, and going on a little further, entered into the Garden of\nOlives. No words can describe the sorrow which then oppressed his soul,\nfor the time of trial was near. John asked him how it was that he, who\nhad hitherto always consoled them, would now be so dejected? 'My soul is\nsorrowful even unto death,' was his reply. And he beheld sufferings and\ntemptations surrounding him on all sides, and drawing nearer and\nnearer, under the forms of frightful figures borne on clouds. Then it\nwas that he said to the three Apostles: 'Stay you here and watch with me.\nPray, lest ye enter into temptation.' Jesus went a few steps to the left,\ndown a hill, and concealed himself beneath a rock, in a grotto about\nsix feet deep, while the Apostles remained in a species of hollow\nabove. The earth sank gradually the further you entered this grotto,\nand the plants which were hanging from the rock screened its interior\nlike a curtain from persons outside.\n\nWhen Jesus left his disciples, I saw a number of frightful figures\nsurrounding him in an ever-narrowing circle.\n\nHis sorrow and anguish of soul continued to increase, and he was\ntrembling all over when he entered the grotto to pray, like a wayworn\ntraveller hurriedly seeking shelter from a sudden storm, but the awful\nvisions pursued him even there, and became more and more clear and\ndistinct. Alas! this small cavern appeared to contain the awful picture\nof all the sins which had been or were to be committed from the fall of\nAdam to the end of the world, and of the punishment which they\ndeserved. It was here, on Mount Olivet, that Adam and Eve took refuge\nwhen drive out of Paradise to wander homeless on earth, and they had\nwept and bewailed themselves in this very grotto.\n\nI felt that Jesus, in delivering himself up to Divine Justice in\nsatisfaction for the sins of the world, caused his divinity to return,\nin some sort, into the bosom of the Holy Trinity, concentrated himself,\nso to speak, in his pure, loving and innocent humanity, and strong only\nin his ineffable love, gave it up to anguish and suffering.\n\nHe fell on his face, overwhelmed with unspeakable sorrow, and all\nthe sins of the world displayed themselves before him, under countless\nforms and in all their real deformity. He took them all upon himself,\nand in his prayer offered his own adorable Person to the justice of his\nHeavenly Father, in payment for so awful a debt. But Satan, who was\nenthroned amid all these horrors, and even filled with diabolical joy\nat the sight of them, let loose his fury against Jesus, and displayed\nbefore the eyes of his soul increasingly awful visions, at the same\ntime addressing his adorable humanity in words such as these: 'Takest\nthou even this sin upon thyself? Art thou willing to bear its penalty?\nArt thou prepared to satisfy for all these sins?'\n\nAnd now a long ray of light, like a luminous path in the air\ndescended from Heaven; it was a procession of angels who came up to\nJesus and strengthened and re-invigorated him. The remainder of the\ngrotto was filled with frightful visions of our crimes; Jesus took them\nall upon himself, but that adorable Heart, which was so filled with the\nmost perfect love for God and man, was flooded with anguish, and\noverwhelmed beneath the weight of so many abominable crimes. When this\nhuge mass of iniquities, like the waves of a fathomless ocean, has\npassed over his soul, Satan brought forward innumerable temptations, as\nhe had formerly done in the desert, even daring to adduce various\naccusations against him. 'And takest thou all these things upon thyself,'\nhe exclaimed, 'thou who art not unspotted thyself?' then he laid to the\ncharge of our Lord, with infernal impudence, a host of imaginary\ncrimes. He reproached him with the faults of his disciples, the\nscandals which they had caused, and the disturbances which he had\noccasioned in the world by giving up ancient customs. No Pharisee,\nhowever wily and severe, could have surpassed Satan on this occasion;\nhe reproached Jesus with having been the cause of the massacre of the\nInnocents, as well as of the sufferings of his parents in Egypt, with\nnot having saved John the Baptist from death, with having brought\ndisunion into families, protected men of despicable character, refused\nto cure various sick persons, injured the inhabitants of Gergesa by\npermitting men possessed by the devil to overturn their vats,8 and\ndemons to make swine cast themselves into the sea; with having deserted\nhis family, and squandered the property of others; in one word Satan,\nin the hopes of causing Jesus to waver, suggested to him every thought\nby which he would have tempted at the hour of death an ordinary mortal\nwho might have performed all these actions without a superhuman\nintention; for it was hidden from him that Jesus was the Son of God,\nand he tempted him only as the most just of men. Our Divine Saviour\npermitted his humanity thus to preponderate over his divinity, for he\nwas pleased to endure even those temptations with which holy souls are\nassailed at the hour of death concerning the merit of their good works.\nThat he might drink the chalice of suffering even to the dregs, he\npermitted the evil spirit to tempt his sacred humanity, as he would\nhave tempted a man who should wish to attribute to his good works some\nspecial value in themselves, over and above what they might have by\ntheir union with the merits of our Saviour. There was not an action out\nof which he did not contrive to frame some accusation, and he\nreproached Jesus, among other things, with having spent the price of\nthe property of Mary Magdalen at Magdalum, which he had received from\nLazarus.\n\nAmong the sins of the world which Jesus took upon himself, I saw\nalso my own; and a stream, in which I distinctly beheld each of my\nfaults, appeared to flow towards me from out of the temptations with\nwhich he was encircled. During this time my eyes were fixed upon my\nHeavenly Spouse; with him I wept and prayed, and with him I turned\ntowards the consoling angels. Ah, truly did our dear Lord writhe like a\nworm beneath the weight of his anguish and sufferings!\n\nWhilst Satan was pouring forth his accusations against Jesus, it was\nwith difficulty that I could restrain my indignation, but when he spoke\nof the sale of Magdalen's property, I could no longer keep silence, and\nexclaimed: 'How canst thou reproach him with the sale of this property as\nwith a crime? Did I not myself see our Lord spend the sum which was\ngiven him by Lazarus in works of mercy, and deliver twenty-eight\ndebtors imprisoned at Thirza?'\n\nAt first Jesus looked calm, as he kneeled down and prayed, but after\na time his soul became terrified at the sight of the innumerable crimes\nof men, and of their ingratitude towards God, and his anguish was so\ngreat that the trembled and shuddered as he exclaimed: 'Father, if it is\npossible, let this chalice pass from me! Father, all things are\npossible to thee, remove this chalice from me!' But the next moment he\nadded: 'Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.' His will and that of\nhis Father were one, but now that his love had ordained that he should\nbe left to all the weakness of his human nature, he trembled at the\nprospect of death.\n\nI saw the cavern in which he was kneeling filled with frightful\nfigures; I saw all the sins, wickedness, vices, and ingratitude of\nmankind torturing and crushing him to the earth; the horror of death\nand terror which he felt as man at the sight of the expiatory\nsufferings about to come upon him, surrounded and assailed his Divine\nPerson under the forms of hideous spectres. He fell from side to side,\nclasping his hands; his body was covered with a cold sweat, and he\ntrembled and shuddered. He then arose, but his knees were shaking and\napparently scarcely able to support him; his countenance was pale, and\nquite altered in appearance, his lips white, and his hair standing on\nend. It was about half-past ten o'clock when he arose from his knees,\nand, bathed in a cold sweat, directed his trembling, weak footsteps\ntowards his three Apostles. With difficulty did he ascend the left side\nof the cavern, and reach a spot where the ground was level, and where\nthey were sleeping, exhausted with fatigue, sorrow and anxiety. He came\nto them, like a man overwhelmed with bitter sorrow, whom terror urges\nto seek his friends, but like also to a good shepherd, who, when warned\nof the approach of danger, hastens to visit his flock, the safety of\nwhich is threatened; for he well knew that they also were being tried\nby suffering and temptation. The terrible visions never left him, even\nwhile he was thus seeking his disciples. When he found that they were\nasleep, he clasped his hands and fell down on his knees beside them,\novercome with sorrow and anxiety, and said: 'Simon, sleepest thou?' They\nawoke, and raised him up, and he, in his desolation of spirit, said to\nthem: 'What? Could you not watch one hour with me?' When they looked at\nhim, and saw him pale and exhausted, scarcely able to support himself,\nbathed in sweat, trembling and shuddering,--when they heard how changed\nand almost inaudible his voice had become, they did not know what to\nthink, and had he not been still surrounded by a well-known halo of\nlight, they would never have recognised him as Jesus. John said to him:\n'Master, what has befallen thee? Must I call the other disciples? Ought\nwe to take to flight?' Jesus answered him: 'Were I to live, teach, and\nperform miracles for thirty-three years longer, that would not suffice\nfor the accomplishment of what must be fulfilled before this time\ntomorrow. Call not the eight; I did not bring them hither, because they\ncould not see me thus agonising without being scandalised; they would\nyield to temptation, forget much of the past, and lose their confidence\nin me. But you, who have seen the Son of Man transfigured, may also see\nhim under a cloud, and in dereliction of spirit; nevertheless, watch\nand pray, lest ye fall into temptation, for the spirit indeed is\nwilling, but the flesh is weak.'\n\n By these words he sought at once to encourage them to persevere,\nand to make known to them the combat which his human nature was\nsustaining against death, together with the cause of his weakness. In\nhis overwhelming sorrow, he remained with them nearly a quarter of an\nhour, and spoke to them again. He then returned to the grotto, his\nmental sufferings being still on the increase, while his disciples, on\ntheir part, stretched forth their hands towards him, wept, and embraced\neach other, asking, 'What can it be? What is happening to him? He appears\nto be in a state of complete desolation.' After this, they covered their\nheads, and began to pray, sorrowfully and anxiously.\n\nAbout an hour and a half had passed since Jesus entered the Garden\nof Olives. It is true that Scripture tells us he said, 'Could you not\nwatch one hour with me?' but his words should not be taken literally, nor\naccording to our way of counting time. The three Apostles who were with\nJesus had prayed at first, but then they had fallen asleep, for\ntemptation had come upon them by reason of their want of trust in God.\nThe other eight, who had remained outside the garden, did not sleep,\nfor our Lord's last words, so expressive of suffering and sadness, had\nfilled their hearts with sinister forebodings, and they wandered about\nMount Olivet, trying to find some place of refuge in case of danger.\n\nThe town of Jerusalem was very quiet; the Jews were in their houses,\nengaged in preparing for the feast, but I saw, here and there, some of\nthe friends and disciples of Jesus walking to and fro, with anxious\ncountenances, conversing earnestly together, and evidently expecting\nsome great event. The Mother of our Lord, Magdalen, Martha, Mary of\nCleophas, Mary Salome, and Salome had gone from the supper-hall to the\nhouse of Mary, the mother of Mark. Mary was alarmed at the reports\nwhich were spreading, and wished to return to the town with her\nfriends, in order to hear something of Jesus. Lazarus, Nicodemus,\nJoseph of Arimathea, and some relations from Hebron, came to see and\nendeavour to tranquillise her, for as they were aware, either from\ntheir own knowledge or from what the disciples had told them, of the\nmournful predictions which Jesus had made in the supper-room, they had\nmade inquiries of some Pharisees of their acquaintance, and had not\nbeen able to hear that any conspiracy was on foot for the time against\nour Lord. Being utterly ignorant of the treason of Judas, they assured\nMary that the danger could not yet be very great, and that the enemies\nof Jesus would not make any attempt upon his person, at least until the\nfestival was over. Mary told them how restless and disturbed in mind\nJudas had latterly appeared, and how abruptly he had left the\nsupper-room. She felt no doubt of his having gone to betray our Lord,\nfor she had often warned him that he was a son of perdition. The holy\nwomen then returned to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark.\n\nWhen Jesus, unrelieved of all the weight of his sufferings, returned\nto the grotto, he fell prostrate, with his face on the ground and his\narms extended, and prayed to his Eternal Father; but his soul had to\nsustain a second interior combat, which lasted three-quarters of an\nhour. Angels came and showed him, in a series of visions, all the\nsufferings that he was to endure in order to expiate sin; how great was\nthe beauty of man, the image of God, before the fall, and how that\nbeauty was changed and obliterated when sin entered the world. He\nbeheld how all sins originated in that of Adam, the signification and\nessence of concupiscence, its terrible effect on the powers of the\nsoul, and likewise the signification and essence of all the sufferings\nentailed by concupiscence. They showed him the satisfaction which he\nwould have to offer to Divine Justice, and how it would consist of a\ndegree of suffering in his soul and body which would comprehend all the\nsufferings due to the concupiscence of all mankind, since the debt of\nthe whole human race had to be paid by that humanity which alone was\nsinless--the humanity of the Son of God. The angels showed him all these\nthings under different forms, and I felt what they were saying,\nalthough I heard no voice. No tongue can describe what anguish and what\nhorror overwhelmed the soul of Jesus at the sight of so terrible an\nexpiation--his sufferings were so great, indeed, that a bloody sweat\nissued forth from all the pores of this sacred body.\n\nWhilst the adorable humanity of Christ was thus crushed to the earth\nbeneath this awful weight of suffering, the angels appeared filled with\ncompassion; there was a pause, and I perceived that they were earnestly\ndesiring to console him, and praying to that effect before the throne\nof God. For one instant there appeared to be, as it were, a struggle\nbetween the mercy and justice of God and that love which was\nsacrificing itself. I was permitted to see an image of God, not, as\nbefore, seated on a throne, but under a luminous form. I beheld the\ndivine nature of the Son in the Person of the Father, and, as it were,\nwithdrawn in his bosom; the Person of the Holy Ghost proceeded from the\nFather and the Son, it was, so to speak, between them, and yet the\nwhole formed only one God--but these things are indescribable.\n\nAll this was more an inward perception than a vision under distinct\nforms, and it appeared to me that the Divine Will of our Lord withdrew\nin some sort into the Eternal Father, in order to permit all those\nsufferings which his human will besought his Father to spare him, to\nweigh upon his humanity alone. I saw this at the time when the angels,\nfilled with compassion, were desiring to console Jesus, who, in fact,\nwas slightly relieved at that moment. Then all disappeared, and the\nangels retired from our Lord, whose soul was about to sustain fresh\nassaults.\n\nWhen our Redeemer, on Mount Olivet, was pleased to experience and\novercome that violent repugnance of human nature to suffering and death\nwhich constitutes a portion of all sufferings, the tempter was\npermitted to do to him what he does to all men who desire to sacrifice\nthemselves in a holy cause. In the first portion of the agony, Satan\ndisplayed before the eyes of our Lord the enormity of that debt of sin\nwhich he was going to pay, and was even bold and malicious enough to\nseek faults in the very works of our Saviour himself. In the second\nagony, Jesus beheld, to its fullest extent and in all its bitterness,\nthe expiatory suffering which would be required to satisfy Divine\nJustice. This was displayed to him by angels; for it belongs not to\nSatan to show that expiation is possible, and the father of lies and\ndespair never exhibits the works of Divine Mercy before men. Jesus\nhaving victoriously resisted all these assaults by his entire and\nabsolute submission to the will of his Heavenly Father, a succession of\nnew and terrifying visions were presented before his eyes, and that\nfeeling of doubt and anxiety which a man on the point of making some\ngreat sacrifice always experiences, arose in the soul of our Lord, as\nhe asked himself the tremendous question: 'And what good will result from\nthis sacrifice?' Then a most awful picture of the future was displayed\nbefore his eyes and overwhelmed his tender heart with anguish.\n\nWhen God had created the first Adam, he cast a deep sleep upon him,\nopened his side, and took one of his ribs, of which he made Eve, his\nwife and the mother of all the living. Then he brought her to Adam, who\nexclaimed: 'This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh... Wherefore\na man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and\nthey shall be two in one flesh.' That was the marriage of which it is\nwritten: 'This is a great Sacrament. I speak in Christ and in the Church.'\nJesus Christ, the second Adam, was pleased also to let sleep come upon\nhim--the sleep of death on the cross, and he was also pleased to let his\nside be opened, in order that the second Eve, his virgin Spouse, the\nChurch, the mother of all the living, might be formed from it. It was\nhis will to give her the blood of redemption, the water of\npurification, and his spirit--the three which render testimony on earth--and\nto bestow upon her also the holy Sacraments, in order that she might be\npure, holy, and undefiled; he was to be her head, and we were to be her\nmembers, under submission to the head, the bone of his bones, and the\nflesh of his flesh. In taking human nature, that he might suffer death\nfor us, he had also left his Eternal Father, to cleave to his Spouse,\nthe Church, and he became one flesh with her, by feeding her with the\nAdorable Sacrament of the Altar, in which he unites himself unceasingly\nwith us. He had been pleased to remain on earth with his Church, until\nwe shall all be united together by him within her fold, and he has\nsaid: 'The gates of hell shall never prevail against her.' To satisfy his\nunspeakable love for sinners, our Lord had become man and a brother of\nthese same sinners, that so he might take upon himself the punishment\ndue to all their crimes. He had contemplated with deep sorrow the\ngreatness of this debt and the unspeakable sufferings by which it was\nto be acquitted. Yet he had most joyfully given himself up to the will\nof his Heavenly Father as a victim of expiation. Now, however, he beheld\n all the future sufferings, combats, and wounds of his heavenly Spouse;\nin one word, he beheld the ingratitude of men.\n\nThe soul of Jesus beheld all the future sufferings of his Apostles,\ndisciples, and friends; after which he saw the primitive Church,\nnumbering but few souls in her fold at first, and then in proportion as\nher numbers increased, disturbed by heresies and schisms breaking out\namong her children, who repeated the sin of Adam by pride and\ndisobedience. He saw the tepidity, malice and corruption of an infinite\nnumber of Christians, the lies and deceptions of proud teachers, all\nthe sacrileges of wicked priests, the fatal consequences of each sin,\nand the abomination of desolation in the kingdom of God, in the\nsanctuary of those ungrateful human beings whom he was about to redeem\nwith his blood at the cost of unspeakable sufferings.\n\nThe scandals of all ages, down to the present day and even to the\nend of the world--every species of error, deception, mad fanaticism,\nobstinacy and malice--were displayed before his eyes, and he beheld, as it\nwere floating before him, all the apostates, heresiarchs, and pretended\nreformers, who deceive men by an appearance of sanctity. The corrupters\nand the corrupted of all ages outraged and tormented him for not having\nbeen crucified after their fashion, or for not having suffered\nprecisely as they settled or imagined he should have done. They vied\nwith each other in tearing the seamless robe of his Church; many\nilltreated, insulted, and denied him, and many turned contemptuously\naway, shaking their heads at him, avoiding his compassionate embrace,\nand hurrying on to the abyss where they were finally swallowed up. He\nsaw countless numbers of other men who did not dare openly to deny him,\nbut who passed on in disgust at the sight of the wounds of his Church,\nas the Levite passed by the poor man who had fallen among robbers. Like\nunto cowardly and faithless children, who desert their mother in the\nmiddle of the night, at the sight of the thieves and robbers to whom\ntheir negligence or their malice has opened the door, they fled from\nhis wounded Spouse. He beheld all these men, sometimes separated from\nthe True Vine, and taking their rest amid the wild fruit trees,\nsometimes like lost sheep, left to the mercy of the wolves, led by base\nhirelings into bad pasturages, and refusing to enter the fold of the\nGood Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep. They were wandering\nhomeless in the desert in the midst of the sand blown about by the\nwind, and were obstinately determined not to see his City placed upon a\nhill, which could not be hidden, the House of his Spouse, his Church\nbuilt upon a rock, and with which he had promised to remain to the end\nof ages. They built upon the sand wretched tenements, which they were\ncontinually pulling down and rebuilding, but in which there was neither\naltar nor sacrifice; they had weathercocks on their roofs, and their\ndoctrines changed with the wind, consequently they were for ever in\nopposition one with the other. They never could come to a mutual\nunderstanding, and were forever unsettled, often destroying their own\ndwellings and hurling the fragments against the Corner-Stone of the\nChurch, which always remained unshaken.\n\nAs there was nothing but darkness in the dwelling of these men, many\namong them, instead of directing their steps towards the Candle placed\non the Candlestick in the House of the Spouse of Christ, wandered with\nclosed eyes around the gardens of the Church, sustaining life only by\ninhaling the sweet odours which were diffused from them far and near,\nstretching forth their hands towards shadowy idols, and following\nwandering stars which led them to wells where there was no water. Even\nwhen on the very brink of the precipice, they refused to listen to the\nvoice of the Spouse calling them, and, though dying with hunger,\nderided, insulted, and mocked at those servants and messengers who were\nsent to invite them to the Nuptial Feast. They obstinately refused to\nenter the garden, because they feared the thorns of the hedge, although\nthey had neither wheat with which to satisfy their hunger nor wine to\nquench their thirst, but were simply intoxicated with pride and\nself-esteem, and being blinded by their own false lights, persisted in\nasserting that the Church of the Word made flesh was invisible. Jesus\nbeheld them all, he wept over them, and was pleased to suffer for all\nthose who do not see him and who will not carry their crosses after him\nin his City built upon a hill--his Church founded upon a rock, to which he\nhas given himself in the Holy Eucharist, and against which the gates of\nHell will never prevail.\n\nBearing a prominent place in these mournful visions which were\nbeheld by the soul of Jesus, I saw Satan, who dragged away and\nstrangled a multitude of men redeemed by the blood of Christ and\nsanctified by the unction of his Sacrament. Our Divine Saviour beheld\nwith bitterest anguish the ingratitude and corruption of the Christians\nof the first and of all succeeding ages, even to the end of the world,\nand during the whole of this time the voice of the tempter was\nincessantly repeating: 'Canst thou resolve to suffer for such ungrateful\nreprobates?' while the various apparitions succeeded each other with\nintense rapidity, and so violently weighed down and crushed the soul of\nJesus, that his sacred humanity was overwhelmed with unspeakable\nanguish. Jesus--the Anointed of the Lord--the Son of Man struggled and\nwrithed as he fell on his knees, with clasped hands, as it were\nannihilated beneath the weight of his suffering. So violent was the\nstruggle which then took place between his human will and his\nrepugnance to suffer so much for such an ungrateful race, that from\nevery pore of his sacred body there burst forth large drops of blood,\nwhich fell trickling on to the ground. In his bitter agony, he looked\naround, as though seeking help, and appeared to take Heaven, earth, and\nthe stars of the firmament to witness of his sufferings.\n\nJesus, in his anguish of spirit, raised his voice, and gave\nutterance to several cries of pain. The three Apostles awoke, listened,\nand were desirous of approaching him, but Peter detained James and\nJohn, saying: 'Stay you here; I will join him.' Then I saw Peter hastily\nrun forward and enter the grotto. 'Master,' he exclaimed, 'what has befallen\nthee?' But at the sight of Jesus, thus bathed in his own blood, and\nsinking to the ground beneath the weight of mortal fear and anguish, he\ndrew back, and paused for a moment, overcome with terror. Jesus made\nhim no answer, and appeared unconscious of his presence. Peter returned\nto the other two, and told them that the Lord had not answered him\nexcept by groans and sighs. They became more and more sorrowful after\nthis, covered their heads, and sat down to weep and pray.\n\nI then returned to my Heavenly Spouse in his most bitter agony. The\nfrightful visions of the future ingratitude of the men whose debt to\nDivine Justice he was taking upon himself, continued to become more and\nmore vivid and tremendous. Several times I heard him exclaim: 'O my\nFather, can I possibly suffer for so ungrateful a race? O my Father, if\nthis chalice may not pass from me, but I must drink it, thy will be\ndone!'\n\nAmid all these apparitions, Satan held a conspicuous place, under\nvarious forms, which represented different species of sins. Sometimes\nhe appeared under the form of a gigantic black figure, sometimes under\nthose of a tiger, a fox, a wolf, a dragon, or a serpent. Not, however,\nthat he really took any of these shapes, but merely some one of their\ncharacteristics, joined with other hideous forms. None of these\nfrightful apparitions entirely resembled any creature, but were symbols\nof abomination, discord, contradiction, and sin--in one word, were\ndemoniacal to the fullest extent. These diabolical figures urged on,\ndragged, and tore to pieces, before the very eyes of Jesus, countless\nnumbers of those men for whose redemption he was entering upon the\npainful way of the Cross. At first I but seldom saw the serpent: soon,\nhowever, it made its appearance, with a crown upon its head. This\nodious reptile was of gigantic size, apparently possessed of unbounded\nstrength, and led forward countless legions of the enemies of Jesus in\nevery age and of every nation. Being armed with all kinds of\ndestructive weapons, they sometimes tore one another in pieces, and\nthen renewed their attacks upon our Saviour with redoubled rage. It was\nindeed an awful sight; for they heaped upon him the most fearful\noutrages, cursing, striking, wounding, and tearing him in pieces. Their\nweapons, swords, and spears flew about in the air, crossing and\nrecrossing continually in all directions, like the flails of threshers\nin an immense barn; and the rage of each of these fiends seemed\nexclusively directed against Jesus--that grain of heavenly wheat descended\nto the earth to die there, in order to feed men eternally with the\nBread of Life.\n\nThus exposed to the fury of these hellish bands, some of which\nappeared to me wholly composed of blind men, Jesus was as much wounded\nand bruised as if their blows had been real. I saw him stagger from\nside to side, sometimes raising himself up, and sometimes falling\nagain, while the serpent, in the midst of the crowds whom it was\nunceasingly leading forward against Jesus, struck the ground with its\ntail, and tore to pieces or swallowed all whom it thus knocked to the\nground.\n\nIt was made known to me that these apparitions were all those\npersons who in divers ways insult and outrage Jesus, really and truly\npresent in the Holy Sacrament. I recognised among them all those who in\nany way profane the Blessed Eucharist. I beheld with horror all the\noutrages thus offered to our Lord, whether by neglect, irreverence, and\nomission of what was due to him; by open contempt, abuse, and the most\nawful sacrileges; by the worship of worldly idols; by spiritual\ndarkness and false knowledge; or, finally, by error, incredulity,\nfanaticism, hatred, and open persecution. Among these men I saw many\nwho were blind, paralysed, deaf, and dumb, and even children;--blind men\nwho would not see the truth; paralytic men who would not advance,\naccording to its directions, on the road leading to eternal live; deaf\nmen who refused to listen to its warnings and threats; dumb men who\nwould never use their voices in its defence; and, finally, children who\nwere led astray by following parents and teachers filled with the love\nof the world and forgetfulness of God, who were fed on earthly\nluxuries, drunk with false wisdom, and loathing all that pertained to\nreligion. Among the latter, the sight of whom grieved me especially,\nbecause Jesus so loved children, I saw many irreverent, ill-behaved\nacolytes, who did not honour our Lord in the holy ceremonies in which\nthey took a part. I beheld with terror that many priests, some of whom\neven fancied themselves full of faith and piety, also outraged Jesus in\nthe Adorable Sacrament. I saw many who believed and taught the doctrine\nof the Real Presence, but did not sufficiently take it to heart, for\nthey forgot and neglected the palace, throne, and seat of the Living\nGod, that is to say, the church, the altar, the tabernacle, the\nchalice, the monstrance, the vases and ornaments; in one word, all that\nis used in his worship, or to adorn his house.\n\nEntire neglect reigned everywhere, all things were left to moulder\naway in dust and filth, and the worship of God was, if not inwardly\nprofaned, at least outwardly dishonoured. Nor did this arise from real\npoverty, but from indifference, sloth, preoccupation of mind about vain\nearthly concerns, and often also from egotism and spiritual death; for\nI saw neglect of this kind in churches the pastors and congregations of\nwhich were rich, or at east tolerably well off. I saw many others in\nwhich worldly, tasteless, unsuitable ornaments had replaced the\nmagnificent adornments of a more pious age.\n\nI saw that often the poorest of men were better lodged in their\ncottages than the Master of heaven and earth in his churches. Ah, how\ndeeply did the inhospitality of men grieve Jesus, who had given himself\nto them to be their Food! Truly, there is no need to be rich in order\nto receive him who rewards a hundredfold the glass of cold water given\nto the thirsty; but how shameful is not our conduct when in giving\ndrink to the Divine Lord, who thirst for our souls, we give him\ncorrupted water in a filthy glass! In consequence of all this neglect,\nI saw the weak scandalised, the Adorable Sacrament profaned, the\nchurches deserted, and the priests despised. This state of impurity and\nnegligence extended even to the souls of the faithful, who left the\ntabernacle of their hearts unprepared and uncleansed when Jesus was\nabout to enter them, exactly the same as they left his tabernacle on\nthe altar.\n\nWere I to speak for an entire year, I would never detail all the\ninsults offered to Jesus in the Adorable Sacrament which were made\nknown to me in this way. I saw their authors assault Jesus in bands,\nand strike him with different arms, corresponding to their various\noffences. I saw irreverent Christians of all ages, careless or\nsacrilegious priests, crowds of tepid and unworthy communicants, wicked\nsoldiers profaning the sacred vessels, and servants of the devil making\nuse of the Holy Eucharist in the frightful mysteries of hellish\nworship. Among these bands I saw a great number of theologians, who had\nbeen drawn into heresy by their sins, attacking Jesus in the Holy\nSacrament of his Church, and snatching out of his Heart, by their\nseductive words and promises, a number of souls for whom he had shed\nhis blood. Ah! it was indeed an awful sight, for I saw the Church as\nthe body of Christ; and all these bands of men, who were separating\nthemselves from the Church, mangled and tore off whole pieces of his\nliving flesh. Alas! he looked at them in the most touching manner, and\nlamented that they should thus cause their own eternal loss. He had\ngiven his own divine Self to us for our Food in the Holy Sacrament, in\norder to unite in one body--that of the Church, his Spouse--men who were to\nan infinite extent divided and separated from each other; and now he\nbeheld himself torn and rent in twain in that very body; for his\nprincipal work of love, the Holy Communion, in which men should have\nbeen made wholly one, was become, by the malice of false teachers, the\nsubject of separation. I beheld whole nations thus snatched out of his\nbosom, and deprived of any participation in the treasure of graces left\nto the Church. Finally, I saw all who were separated from the Church\nplunged into the depths of infidelity, superstition, heresy, and false\nworldly philosophy; and they gave vent to their fierce rage by joining\ntogether in large bodies to attack the Church, being urged on by the\nserpent which was disporting itself in the midst of them. Alas! it was\nas though Jesus himself had been torn in a thousand pieces!\n\nSo great was my horror and terror, that my Heavenly Spouse appeared\nto me, and mercifully placed his hand upon my heart, saying: 'No one has\nyet seen all these things, and thy heart would burst with sorrow if I\ndid not give thee strength.'\n\nI saw the blood flowing in large drops down the pale face of our\nSaviour, his hair matted together, and his beard bloody and entangled.\nAfter the vision which I have last described, he fled, so to speak, out\nof the cave, and returned to his disciples. But he tottered as he\nwalked; his appearance was that of a man covered with wounds and\nbending beneath a heavy burden, and he stumbled at every step.\n\nWhen he came up to the three Apostles, they were not lying down\nasleep as they had been the first time, but their heads were covered,\nand they had sunk down on their knees, in an attitude often assumed by\nthe people of that country when in sorrow or desiring to pray. They had\nfallen asleep, overpowered by grief and fatigue. Jesus, trembling and\ngroaning, drew nigh to them, and they awoke.\n\nBut when, by the light of the moon, they saw him standing before\nthem, his face pale and bloody, and his hair in disorder, their weary\neyes did not at the first moment recognise him, for he was\nindescribably changed. He clasped his hands together, upon which they\narose and lovingly supported him in their arms, and he told them in\nsorrowful accents that the next day he should be put to death,--that in\none hour's time he should be seized, led before a tribunal, maltreated,\noutraged, scourged, and finally put to a most cruel death. He besought\nthem to console his Mother, and also Magdalen. They made no reply, for\nthey knew not what to say, so greatly had his appearance and language\nalarmed them, and they even thought his mind must be wandering. When he\ndesired to return to the grotto, he had not strength to walk. I saw\nJohn and James lead him back, and return when he had entered the\ngrotto. It was then about a quarter-past eleven.\n\nDuring this agony of Jesus, I saw the Blessed Virgin also\noverwhelmed with sorrow and anguish of soul, in the house of Mary, the\nmother of Mark. She was with Magdalen and Mary in the garden belonging\nto the house, and almost prostrate from grief, with her whole body\nbowed down as she knelt. She fainted several times, for she beheld in\nspirit different portions of the agony of Jesus. She had sent some\nmessengers to make inquiries concerning him, but her deep anxiety would\nnot suffer her to await their return, and she went with Magdalen and\nSalome as far as the Valley of Josaphat. She walked along with her head\nveiled, and her arms frequently stretched forth towards Mount Olivet;\nfor she beheld in spirit Jesus bathed in a bloody sweat, and her\ngestures were as though she wished with her extended hands to wipe the\nface of her Son. I saw these interior movements of her soul towards\nJesus, who thought of her, and turned his eyes in her direction, as if\nto seek her assistance. I beheld the spiritual communication which they\nhad with each other, under the form of rays passing to and fro between\nthem. Our Divine Lord thought also of Magdalen, was touched by her\ndistress, and therefore recommended his Apostles to console her; for he\nknew that her love for his adorable Person was greater than that felt\nfor him by any one save his Blessed Mother, and he foresaw that she\nwould suffer much for his sake, and never offend him more.\n\nAbout this time, the eight Apostles returned to the arbour of\nGethsemani, and after talking together for some time, ended by going to\nsleep. They were wavering, discouraged, and sorely tempted. They had\neach been seeking for a place of refuge in case of danger, and they\nanxiously asked one another, 'What shall we do when they have put him to\ndeath? We have left all to follow him; we are poor and the offscouring\nof the world, we gave ourselves up entirely to his service, and now he\nis so sorrowful and so defected himself, that he can afford us no\nconsolation.' The other disciples had at first wandered about in various\ndirections, but then, having heard something concerning the awful\nprophecies which Jesus had made, they had nearly all retired to\nBethphage.\n\nI saw Jesus still praying in the grotto, struggling against the\nrepugnance to suffering which belonged to human nature, and abandoning\nhimself wholly to the will of this Eternal Father. Here the abyss\nopened before him, and he had a vision of the first part of Limbo. He\nsaw Adam and Eve, the patriarchs, prophets, and just men, the parents\nof his Mother, and John the Baptist, awaiting his arrival in the lower\nworld with such intense longing, that the sight strengthened and gave\nfresh courage to his loving heart. His death was to open Heaven to\nthese captives,--his death was to deliver them out of that prison in which\nthey were languishing in eager hope! When Jesus had, with deep emotion,\nlooked upon these saints of antiquity, angels presented to him all the\nbands of saints of future ages, who, joining their labours to the\nmerits of his Passion, were, through him, to be united to his Heavenly\nFather. Most beautiful and consoling was this vision, in which he\nbeheld the salvation and sanctification flowing forth in ceaseless\nstreams from the fountain of redemption opened by his death.\n\nThe Apostles, disciples, virgins, and holy women, the martyrs,\nconfessors, hermits, popes, and bishops, and large bands of religious\nof both sexes--in one word, the entire army of the blessed--appeared before\nhim. All bore on their heads triumphal crowns, and the flowers of their\ncrowns differed in form, in colour, in odour, and in perfection,\naccording to the difference of the sufferings, labours and victories\nwhich had procured them eternal glory. Their whole life, and all their\nactions, merits, and power, as well as all the glory of their triumph,\ncame solely from their union with the merits of Jesus Christ.\n\nThe reciprocal influence exercised by these saints upon each other,\nand the manner in which they all drank from one sole Fountain--the\nAdorable Sacrament and the Passion of our Lord--formed a most touching and\nwonderful spectacle. Nothing about them was devoid of deep meaning,--their\nworks, martyrdom, victories, appearance, and dress,--all, though\nindescribably varied, was confused together in infinite harmony and\nunity; and this unity in diversity was produced by the rays of one\nsingle Sun, by the Passion of the Lord, of the Word made flesh, in whom\nwas life, the light of men, which shined in darkness, and the darkness\ndid not comprehend it.\n\nThe army of the future saints passed before the soul of our Lord,\nwhich was thus placed between the desiring patriarchs, and the\ntriumphant band of the future blessed, and these two armies joining\ntogether, and completing one another, so to speak, surrounded the\nloving Heart of our Saviour as with a crown of victory. This most\naffecting and consoling spectacle bestowed a degree of strength and\ncomfort upon the soul of Jesus. Ah! He so loved his brethren and\ncreatures that, to accomplish the redemption of one single soul, he\nwould have accepted with joy all the sufferings to which he was now\ndevoting himself. As these visions referred to the future, they were\ndiffused to a certain height in the air.\n\nBut these consoling visions faded away, and the angels displayed\nbefore him the scenes of his Passion quite close to the earth, because\nit was near at hand. I beheld every scene distinctly portrayed, from\nthe kiss of Judas to the last words of Jesus on the cross, and I saw in\nthis single vision all that I see in my meditations on the Passion. The\ntreason of Judas, the flight of the disciples, the insults which were\noffered our Lord before Annas and Caiphas, Peter's denial, the tribunal\nof Pilate, Herod's mockery, the scourging and crowning with thorns, the\ncondemnation to death, the carrying of the cross, the linen cloth\npresented by Veronica, the crucifixion, the insults of the Pharisees,\nthe sorrows of Mary, of Magdalen, and of John, the wound of the lance\nin his side, after death;--in one word, every part of the Passion was\nshown to him in the minutest detail. He accepted all voluntarily,\nsubmitting to everything for the love of man. He saw also and felt the\nsufferings endured at that moment by his Mother, whose interior union\nwith his agony was so entire that she had fainted in the arms of her\ntwo friends.\n\nWhen the visions of the Passion were concluded, Jesus fell on his\nface like one at the point of death; the angels disappeared, and the\nbloody sweat became more copious, so that I saw it had soaked his\ngarment. Entire darkness reigned in the cavern, when I beheld an angel\ndescent to Jesus. This angel was of higher stature than any whom I had\nbefore beheld, and his form was also more distinct and more resembling\nthat of a man. He was clothed like a priest in a long floating garment,\nand bore before him, in his hands, a small vase, in shape resembling\nthe chalice used at the Last Supper. At the top of this chalice, there\nwas a small oval body, about the size of a bean, and which diffused a\nreddish light. The angel, without touching the earth with his feet,\nstretched forth his right hand to Jesus, who arose, when he placed the\nmysterious food in his mouth, and gave him to drink from the luminous\nchalice. Then he disappeared.\n\nJesus having freely accepted the chalice of his sufferings, and\nreceived new strength, remained some minutes longer in the grotto,\nabsorbed in calm meditation, and returning thanks to his Heavenly\nFather. He was still in deep affliction of spirit, but supernaturally\ncomforted to such a degree as to be able to go to his disciples without\ntottering as he walked, or bending beneath the weight of his\nsufferings. His countenance was still pale and altered, but his step\nwas firm and determined. He had wiped his face with a linen cloth, and\nrearranged his hair, which hung about his shoulders, matted together\nand damp with blood.\n\nWhen Jesus came to his disciples, they were lying, as before,\nagainst the wall of the terrace, asleep, and with their heads covered.\nOur Lord told them that then was not the time for sleep, but that they\nshould arise and pray: 'Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man\nshall be betrayed into the hand of sinners,' he said: 'Arise, let us go,\nbehold he is at hand that will betray me. It were better for him, if\nthat man had not been born.' The Apostles arose in much alarm, and looked\nround with anxiety. When they had somewhat recovered themselves, Peter\nsaid warmly: 'Lord, I will call the others, that so we may defend thee.'\nBut Jesus pointed out to them at some distance in the valley, on the\nother side of the Brook of Cedron, a band of armed men, who were\nadvancing with torches, and he said that one of their number had\nbetrayed him. He spoke calmly, exhorted them to console his Mother, and\nsaid: 'Let us go to meet them--I shall deliver myself up without resistance\ninto the hands of my enemies.' He then left the Garden of Olives with the\nthree Apostles, and went to meet the archers on the road which led from\nthat garden to Gethsemani.\n\nWhen the Blessed Virgin, under the care of Magdalen and Salome,\nrecovered her senses, some disciples, who had seen the soldiers\napproaching, conducted her back to the house of Mary, the mother of\nMark. The archers took a shorter road than that which Jesus followed\nwhen he left the supper-room.\n\nThe grotto in which Jesus had this day prayed was not the one where\nhe usually prayed on Mount Olivet. He commonly went to a cabin at a\ngreater distance off, where, one day, after having cursed the barren\nfig-tree, he had prayed in great affliction of spirit, with his arms\nstretched out, and leaning against a rock.\n\nThe traces of his body and hands remained impressed on the stone,\nand were honoured later. But it was not known on what occasion the\nmiracle had taken place. I have several times seen similar impressions\nleft upon the stone, either by the Prophets of the Old Testament, or by\nJesus, Mary, or some of the Apostles, and I have also seen those made\nby the body of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai. These impressions do not\nseem deep, but resemble what would be made upon a thick piece of dough,\nif a person leaned his hand upon it.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nJudas and his band.\n\n\n\nJudas had not expected that his treason would have produced such\nfatal results. He had been anxious to obtain the promised reward, and\nto please the Pharisees by delivering up Jesus into their hands, but he\nhad never calculated on things going so far, or thought that the\nenemies of his Master would actually bring him to judgment and crucify\nhim; his mind was engrossed with the love of gain alone, and some\nastute Pharisees and Sadducees, with whom he had established an\nintercourse, had constantly urged him on to treason by flattering him.\nHe was sick of the fatiguing, wandering, and persecuted life which the\nApostles led. For several months past he had continually stolen from\nthe alms which were consigned to his care, and his avarice, grudging\nthe expenses incurred by Magdalen when she poured the precious ointment\non the feet of our Lord, incited him to the commission of the greatest\nof crimes. He had always hoped that Jesus would establish a temporal\nkingdom, and bestow upon him some brilliant and lucrative post in it,\nbut finding himself disappointed, he turned his thoughts to amassing a\nfortune. He saw that sufferings and persecutions were on the increase\nfor our Lord and his followers, and he sought to make friends with the\npowerful enemies of our Saviour before the time of danger, for the saw\nthat Jesus did not become a king, whereas the actual dignity and power\nof the High Priest, and of all who were attached to his service, made a\nvery strong impression upon his mind.\n\nHe began to enter by degrees into a close connection with their\nagents, who were constantly flattering him, and assuring him in strong\nterms that, in any case, an end would speedily be put to the career of\nour Divine Lord. He listened more and more eagerly to the criminal\nsuggestions of his corrupt heart, and he had done nothing during the\nlast few days but go backwards and forwards in order to induce the\nchief priests to come to some agreement. But they were unwilling to act\nat once, and treated him with contempt. They said that sufficient time\nwould not intervene before the festival day, and that there would be a\ntumult among the people. The Sanhedrin alone listened to his proposals\nwith some degree of attention. After Judas had sacrilegiously received\nthe Blessed Sacrament, Satan took entire possession of him, and he went\noff at once to complete his crime. He in the first place sought those\npersons who had hitherto flattered and entered into agreements with\nhim, and who still received him with pretended friendship. Some others\njoined the party, and among the number Annas and Caiphas, but the\nlatter treated him with considerable pride and scorn. All these enemies\nof Christ were extremely undecided and far from feeling any confidence\nof success, because they mistrusted Judas.\n\nI saw the empire of Hell divided against itself; Satan desired the\ncrime of the Jews, and earnestly longed for the death of Jesus, the\nConverter of souls, the holy Teacher, the Just Man, who was so\nabhorrent to him; but at the same time he felt an extraordinary\ninterior fear of the death of the innocent Victim, who would not\nconceal himself from his persecutors. I saw him then, on the one hand,\nstimulate the hatred and fury of the enemies of Jesus, and on the\nother, insinuate to some of their number that Judas was a wicked;\ndespicable character, and that the sentence could not be pronounced\nbefore the festival, or a sufficient number of witnesses against Jesus\nbe gathered together.\n\nEveryone proposed something different, and some questioned Judas,\nsaying: 'Shall we be able to take him? Has he not armed men with him?' And\nthe traitor replied: 'No, he is alone with eleven disciples; he is\ngreatly depressed, and the eleven are timid men.' He told them that now\nor never was the time to get possession of the person of Jesus, that\nlater he might no longer have it in his power to give our Lord up into\ntheir hands, and that perhaps he should never return to him again,\nbecause for several days past it had been very clear that the other\ndisciples and Jesus himself suspected and would certainly kill him if\nhe returned to them. He told them likewise that if they did not at once\nseize the person of Jesus, he would make his escape, and return with an\narmy of his partisans, to have himself proclaimed King. These threats\nof Judas produced some effect, his proposals were acceded to, and he\nreceived the price of this treason--thirty pieces of silver. These pieces\nwere oblong, with holes in their sides, strung together by means of\nrings in a kind of chain, and bearing certain impressions.\n\nJudas could not help being conscious that they regarded him with\ncontempt and distrust, for their language and gestures betrayed their\nfeelings, and pride suggested to him to give back the money as an\noffering for the Temple, in order to make them suppose his intentions\nto have been just and disinterested. But they rejected his proposal,\nbecause the price of blood could not be offered in the Temple. Judas\nsaw how much they despised him, and his rage was excessive. He had not\nexpected to reap the bitter fruits of his treason even before it was\naccomplished, but he had gone so far with these men that he was in\ntheir power, and escape was no longer possible. They watched him\ncarefully, and would not let him leave their presence, until he had\nshown them exactly what steps were to be taken in order to secure the\nperson of Jesus. Three Pharisees accompanied him when he went down into\na room where the soldiers of the Temple (some only of whom were Jews,\nand the rest of various nations) were assembled. When everything was\nsettled, and the necessary number of soldiers gathered together, Judas\nhastened first to the supper-room, accompanied by a servant of the\nPharisees, for the purpose of ascertaining whether Jesus had left, as\nthey would have seized his person there without difficulty, if once\nthey had secured the doors. He agreed to send them a messenger with the\nrequired information.\n\nA short time before when Judas had received the price of this\ntreason, a Pharisee had gone out, and sent seven slaves to fetch wood\nwith which to prepare the Cross for our Saviour, in case he should be\njudged, because the next day there would not be sufficient time on\naccount of the commencement of the Paschal festivity. They procured\nthis wood from a spot about three-quarters of a mile distant, near a\nhigh wall, where there was a great quantity of other wood belonging to\nthe Temple, and dragged it to a square situated behind the tribunal of\nCaiphas. The principal piece of the Cross came from a tree formerly\ngrowing in the Valley of Josaphat, near the torrent of Cedron, and\nwhich, having fallen across the stream, had been used as a sort of\nbridge. When Nehemias hid the sacred fire and the holy vessels in the\npool of Bethsaida, it had been thrown over the spot, together with\nother pieces of wood,--then later taken away, and left on one side. The\nCross was prepared in a very peculiar manner, either with the object of\nderiding the royalty of Jesus, or from what men might term chance. It\nwas composed of five pieces of wood, exclusive of the inscription. I\nsaw many other things concerning the Cross, and the meaning of\ndifferent circumstances was also made known to me, but I have forgotten\nall that. Judas returned, and said that Jesus was no longer in the\nsupper-room, but that he must certainly be on Mount Olivet, in the spot\nwhere he was accustomed to pray. He requested that only a small number\nof men might be sent with him, lest the disciples who were on the watch\nshould perceive anything and raise a sedition. Three hundred men were\nto be stationed at the gates and in the streets of Ophel, a part of the\ntown situated to the south of the Temple, and along the valley of Millo\nas far as the house of Annas, on the top of Mount Sion, in order to be\nready to send reinforcements if necessary, for, he said, all the people\nof the lower class of Ophel were partisans of Jesus. The traitor\nlikewise bade them be careful, lest he should escape them--since he, by\nmysterious means, had so often hidden himself in the mountain, and made\nhimself suddenly invisible to those around. He recommended them,\nbesides, to fasten him with a chain, and make use of certain magical\nforms to prevent his breaking it. The Jews listened to all these pieces\nof advice with scornful indifference, and replied, 'If we once have him\nin our hands, we will take care not to let him go.'\n\nJudas next began to make his arrangements with those who were to\naccompany him. He wished to enter the garden before them, and embrace\nand salute Jesus as if he were returning to him as his friend and\ndisciple, and then for the soldiers to run forward and seize the person\nof Jesus. He was anxious that it should be thought they had come there\nby chance, that so, when they had made their appearance, he might run\naway like the other disciples and be no more heard of. He likewise\nthought that, perhaps, a tumult would ensue, that the Apostles might\ndefend themselves, and Jesus pass through the midst of his enemies, as\nhe had so often done before. He dwelt upon these thoughts especially,\nwhen his pride was hurt by the disdainful manner of the Jews in his\nregard; but he did not repent, for he had wholly given himself up to\nSatan. It was his desire also that the soldiers following him should\nnot carry chains and cords, and his accomplices pretended to accede to\nall his wishes, although in reality they acted with him as with a\ntraitor who was not to be trusted, but to be cast off as soon as he had\ndone what was wanted. The soldiers received orders to keep close to\nJudas, watch him carefully, and not let him escape until Jesus was\nseized, for he had received his reward, and it was feared that he might\nrun off with the money, and Jesus not be taken after all, or another be\ntaken in his place. The band of men chosen to accompany Judas was\ncomposed of twenty soldiers, selected from the Temple guard and from\nothers of the military who were under the orders of Annas and Caiphas.\nThey were dressed very much like the Roman soldiers, had morions\n(crested metal helmets) like them, and wore hanging straps round their\nthighs, but their beards were long, whereas the Roman soldiers at\nJerusalem had whiskers only, and shaved their chins and upper lips.\nThey all had swords, some of them being also armed with spears, and\nthey carried sticks with lanterns and torches; but when they set off\nthey only lighted one. It had at first been intended that Judas should\nbe accompanied by a more numerous escort, but he drew their attention\nto the fact that so large a number of men would be too easily seen,\nbecause Mount Olivet commanded a view of the whole valley. Most of the\nsoldiers remained, therefore, at Ophel, and sentinels were stationed on\nall sides to put down any attempt which might be made to release Jesus.\nJudas set off with the twenty soldiers, but he was followed at some\ndistance by four archers, who were only common bailiffs, carrying cords\nand chains, and after them came the six agents with whom Judas had been\nin communication for some time. One of these was a priest and a\nconfidant of Annas, a second was devoted to Caiphas, the third and\nfourth were Pharisees, and the other two Sadducees and Herodians. These\nsix men were courtiers of Annas and Caiphas, acting in the capacity of\nspies, and most bitter enemies of Jesus.\n\nThe soldiers remained on friendly terms with Judas until they\nreached the spot where the road divides the Garden of Olives from the\nGarden of Gethsemani, but there they refused to allow him to advance\nalone, and entirely changed their manner, treating him with much\ninsolence and harshness.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nJesus is arrested.\n\n\n\nJesus was standing with his three Apostles on the road between\nGethsemani, and the Garden of Olives, when Judas and the band who\naccompanied him made their appearance. A warm dispute arose between\nJudas and the soldiers, because he wished to approach first and speak\nto Jesus quietly as if nothing was the matter, and then for them to\ncome up and seize our Saviour, thus letting him suppose that he had no\nconnection with the affair. But the men answered rudely, 'Not so, friend,\nthou shalt not escape from our hands until we have the Galilean safely\nbound,' and seeing the eight Apostles who hastened to rejoin Jesus when\nthey heard the dispute which was going on, they (notwithstanding the\nopposition of Judas) called up four archers, whom they had left at a\nlittle distance, to assist. When by the light of the moon Jesus and the\nthree Apostles first saw the band of armed men, Peter wished to repel\nthem by force of arms, and said: 'Lord, the other eight are close at\nhand, let us attack the archers,' but Jesus bade him hold his peace, and\nthen turned and walked back a few steps. At this moment four disciples\ncame out of the garden, and asked what was taking place. Judas was\nabout to reply, but the soldiers interrupted, and would not let him\nspeak. These four disciples were James the Less, Philip, Thomas, and\nNathaniel; the last named, who was a son of the aged Simeon, had with a\nfew others joined the eight Apostles at Gethsemani, being perhaps sent\nby the friends of Jesus to know what was going on, or possibly simply\nincited by curiosity and anxiety. The other disciples were wandering to\nand fro, on the look out, and ready to fly at a moment's notice.\n\nJesus walked up to the soldiers and said in a firm and clear voice,\n'Whom seek ye?' The soldiers answered, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them,\n'I am he.' Scarcely had he pronounced these words than they all fell to the\nground, as if struck with apoplexy. Judas, who stood by them, was much\nalarmed, and as he appeared desirous of approaching, Jesus held out his\nhand and said: 'Friend, whereto art thou come?' Judas stammered forth\nsomething about business which had brought him. Jesus answered in few\nwords, the sense of which was: 'It were better for thee that thou hadst\nnever been born;' however, I cannot remember the words exactly. In the\nmean time, the soldiers had risen, and again approached Jesus, but they\nwaited for the sign of the kiss, with which Judas had promised to\nsalute his Master that they might recognise him. Peter and the other\ndisciples surrounded Judas, and reviled him in unmeasured terms,\ncalling him thief and traitor; he tried to mollify their wrath by all\nkinds of lies, but his efforts were vain, for the soldiers came up and\noffered to defend him, which proceeding manifested the truth at once.\n\nJesus again asked, 'Whom seek ye?' They replied: 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus\nmade answer, 'I have told you that I am he,' 'if therefore you seek me, let\nthese go their way.' At these words the soldiers fell for the second time\nto the ground, in convulsions similar to those of epilepsy, and the\nApostles again surrounded Judas and expressed their indignation at his\nshameful treachery. Jesus said to the soldiers, 'Arise,' and they arose,\nbut at first quite speechless from terror. They then told Judas to give\nthem the signal agreed upon instantly, as their orders were to seize\nupon no one but him whom Judas kissed. Judas therefore approached\nJesus, and gave him a kiss, saying, 'Hail Rabbi.' Jesus replied, 'What,\nJudas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss?' The soldiers\nimmediately surrounded Jesus, and the archers laid hands upon him.\nJudas wished to fly, but the Apostles would not allow it, they rushed\nat the soldiers and cried out, 'Master, shall we strike with the sword?'\nPeter, who was more impetuous than the rest, seized the sword, and\nstruck Malchus, the servant of the high priest, who wished to drive\naway the Apostles, and cut off his right ear; Malchus fell to the\nground, and a great tumult ensued.\n\nThe archers had seized upon Jesus, and wished to bind him; while\nMalchus and the rest of the soldiers stood around. When Peter struck\nthe former, the rest were occupied in repulsing those among the\ndisciples who approached too near, and in pursuing those who ran away.\nFour disciples made their appearance in the distance, and looked\nfearfully at the scene before them; but the soldiers were still too\nmuch alarmed at their late fall to trouble themselves much about them,\nand besides they did not wish to leave our Saviour without a certain\nnumber of men to guard him. Judas fled as soon as he had given the\ntraitorous kiss, but was met by some of the disciples, who overwhelmed\nhim with reproaches. Six Pharisees, however, came to his rescue, and he\nescaped whilst the archers were busily occupied in pinioning Jesus.\n\nWhen Peter struck Malchus, Jesus said to him, 'Put up again thy sword\ninto its place; for all that take the sword shall perish with the\nsword. Thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father, and he will give me\npresently more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the\nScriptures be fulfilled, that so it must be done?' Then he said, 'Let me\ncure this man;' and approaching Malchus, he touched his ear, prayed, and\nit wad healed. The soldiers who were standing near, as well as the\narchers and the six Pharisees, far from being moved by this miracle,\ncontinued to insult our Lord, and said to the bystanders, 'It is a trick\nof the devil, the powers of witchcraft made the ear appear to be cut\noff, and now the same power gives it the appearance of being healed.'\n\nThen Jesus again addressed them, 'You are come out as it were to a\nrobber, with swords and clubs, to apprehend me. I sat daily with you\nteaching in the Temple, and you laid not hands upon me, but this is\nyour hour and the power of darkness.' The Pharisees ordered him to be\nbound still more strongly, and made answer in a contemptuous tone, 'Ah!\nThou couldst not overthrow us by thy witchcraft.' Jesus replied, but I do\nnot remember his words, and all the disciples fled. The four archers\nand the six Pharisees did not fall to the ground at the words of Jesus,\nbecause, as was afterwards revealed to me, they as well as Judas, who\nlikewise did not fall, were entirely in the power of Satan, whereas all\nthose who fell and rose again were afterwards converted, and became\nChristians; they had only surrounded Jesus, and not laid hands upon\nhim. Malchus was instantly converted by the cure wrought upon him, and\nduring the time of the Passion his employment was to carry messages\nbackwards and forwards to Mary and the other friends of our Lord.\n\nThe archers, who now proceeded to pinion Jesus with the greatest\nbrutality, were pagans of the lowest extraction, short, stout, and\nactive, with sandy complexions, resembling those of Egyptian slaves,\nand bare legs, arms, and neck.\n\nThey tied his hands as tightly as possible with hard new cords,\nfastening the right-hand wrist under the left elbow, and the left-hand\nwrist under the right elbow. They encircled his waist with a species of\nbelt studded with iron points, and to this collar were appended two\nleathern straps, which were crossed over his chest like a stole and\nfastened to the belt. They then fastened four ropes to different parts\nof the belt, and by means of these ropes dragged our Blessed Lord from\nside to side in the most cruel manner. The ropes were new; I think they\nwere purchased when the Pharisees first determined to arrest Jesus. The\nPharisees lighted fresh torches, and the procession started. Ten\nsoldiers walked in front, the archers who held the ropes and dragged\nJesus along, followed, and the Pharisees and ten other soldiers brought\nup the rear. The disciples wandered about at a distance, and wept and\nmoaned as if beside themselves from grief. John alone followed, and\nwalked at no great distance from the soldiers, until the Pharisees,\nseeing him, ordered the guards to arrest him. They endeavoured to obey,\nbut he ran away, leaving in their hands a cloth with which he was\ncovered, and of which they had taken hold when they endeavoured to\nseize him. He had slipped off his coat, that he might escape more\neasily from the hands of his enemies, and kept nothing on but a short\nunder garment without sleeves, and the long band which the Jews usually\nwore, and which was wrapped round his neck, head, and arms. The archers\nbehaved in the most cruel manner to Jesus as they led him along; this\nthey did to curry favour with the six Pharisees, who they well knew\nperfectly hated and detested our Lord. They led him along the roughest\nroad they could select, over the sharpest stones, and through the\nthickest mire; they pulled the cords as tightly as possible; they\nstruck him with knotted cords, as a butcher would strike the beast he\nis about to slaughter; and they accompanied this cruel treatment with\nsuch ignoble and indecent insults that I cannot recount them. The feet\nof Jesus were bare; he wore, besides the ordinary dress, a seamless\nwoollen garment, and a cloak which was thrown over all. I have\nforgotten to state that when Jesus was arrested, it was done without\nany order being presented or legal ceremony taking place; he was\ntreated as a person without the pale of the law.\n\nThe procession proceeded at a good pace; when they left the road\nwhich runs between the Garden of Olives and that of Gethsemani, they\nturned to the right, and soon reached a bridge which was thrown over\nthe Torrent of Cedron. When Jesus went to the Garden of Olives with the\nApostles, he did not cross this bridge, but went by a private path\nwhich ran through the Valley of Josaphat, and led to another bridge\nmore to the south. The bridge over which the soldiers led Jesus was\nlong, being thrown over not only the torrent, which was very large in\nthis part, but likewise over the valley, which extends a considerable\ndistance to the right and to the left, and is much lower than the bed\nof the river. I saw our Lord fall twice before he reached the bridge,\nand these falls were caused entirely by the barbarous manner in which\nthe soldiers dragged him; but when they were half over the bridge they\ngave full vent to their brutal inclination, and struck Jesus with such\nviolence that they threw him off the bridge into the water, and\nscornfully recommended him to quench his thirst there. If God had not\npreserved him, he must have been killed by this fall; he fell first on\nhis knee, and then on his face, but saved himself a little by\nstretching out his hands, which, although so tightly bound before, were\nloosened, I know not whether by miracle, or whether the soldiers had\ncut the cords before they threw him into the water. The marks of his\nfeet, his elbows, and his fingers were miraculously impressed on the\nrock on which he fell, and these impressions were afterwards shown for\nthe veneration of Christians. These stones were less hard than the\nunbelieving hearts of the wicked men who surrounded Jesus, and bore\nwitness at this terrible moment to the Divine Power which had touched\nthem.\n\nI had not seen Jesus take anything to quench the thirst which had\nconsumed him ever since his agony in the garden, but he drank when he\nfell into the Cedron, and I heard him repeat these words from the\nprophetic Psalm, 'In his thirst he will drink water from the torrent'\n(Psalm 108).\n\nThe archers still held the ends of the ropes with which Jesus was\nbound, but it would have been difficult to drag him out of the water on\nthat side, on account of a wall which was built on the shore; they\nturned back and dragged him quite through the Cedron to the shore, and\nthen made him cross the bridge a second time, accompanying their every\naction with insults, blasphemies, and blows. His long woollen garment,\nwhich was quite soaked through, adhered to his legs, impeded every\nmovement, and rendered it almost impossible for him to walk, and when\nhe reached the end of the bridge he fell quite down. They pulled him up\nagain in the most cruel manner, struck him with cords, and fastened the\nends of his wet garment to the belt, abusing him at the same time in\nthe most cowardly manner. It was not quite midnight when I saw the four\narchers inhumanly dragging Jesus over a narrow path, which was choked\nup with stones, garments of rock, thistles, and thorns, on the opposite\nshore of the Cedron. The six brutal Pharisees walked as close to our\nLord as they could, struck him constantly with thick pointed sticks,\nand seeing that his bare and bleeding feet were torn by the stones and\nbriars, exclaimed scornfully: 'His precursor, John the Baptist, has\ncertainly not prepared a good path for him here;' or, 'The words of\nMalachy, \"Behold, I send my angel before thy face, to prepare the way\nbefore thee,\" do not exactly apply now.' Every jest uttered by these men\nincited the archers to greater cruelty.\n\nThe enemies of Jesus remarked that several persons made their\nappearance in the distance; they were only disciples who had assembled\nwhen they heard that their Master was arrested, and who were anxious to\ndiscover what the end would be; but the sight of them rendered the\nPharisees uneasy, lest any attempt should be made to rescue Jesus, and\nthey therefore sent for a reinforcement of soldiers. At a very short\ndistance from an entrance opposite to the south side of the Temple,\nwhich leads through a little village called Ophel to Mount Sion, where\nthe residences of Annas and Caiphas were situated, I saw a band of\nabout fifty soldiers, who carried torches, and appeared ready for\nanything; the demeanour of these men was outrageous, and they gave loud\nshouts, both to announce their arrival, and to congratulate their\ncomrades upon the success of the expedition. This caused a slight\nconfusion among the soldiers who were leading Jesus, and Malchus and a\nfew others took advantage of it to depart, and fly towards Mount Olivet.\n\nWhen the fresh band of soldiers left Ophel, I saw those disciples\nwho had gathered together disperse; some went one way, and some\nanother. The Blessed Virgin and about nine of the holy women, being\nfilled with anxiety, directed their steps towards the Valley of\nJosaphat, accompanied by Lazarus, John the son of Mark, the son of\nVeronica, and the son of Simon. The last-named was at Gethsemani with\nNathaniel and the eight Apostles, and had fled when the soldiers\nappeared. He was giving the Blessed Virgin the account of all that had\nbeen done, when the fresh band of soldiers joined those who were\nleading Jesus, and she then heard their tumultuous vociferations, and\nsaw the light of the torches they carried. This sight quite overcame\nher; she became insensible, and John took her into the house of Mary,\nthe mother of Mark.\n\nThe fifty soldiers who were sent to join those who had taken Jesus,\nwere a detachment from a company of three hundred men posted to guard\nthe gates and environs of Ophel; for the traitor Judas had reminded the\nHigh Priests that the inhabitants of Ophel (who were principally of the\nlabouring class, and whose chief employment was to bring water and wood\nto the Temple) were the most attached partisans of Jesus, and might\nperhaps make some attempts to rescue him. The traitor was aware that\nJesus had both consoled, instructed, assisted, and cured the diseases\nof many of these poor workmen, and that Ophel was the place where he\nhalted during his journey from Bethania to Hebron, when John the\nBaptist had just been executed. Judas also knew that Jesus had cured\nmany of the masons who were injured by the fall of the Tower of Siloe.\nThe greatest part of the inhabitants of Ophel were converted after the\ndeath of our Lord, and joined the first Christian community that was\nformed after Pentecost, and when the Christians separated from the Jews\nand erected new dwellings, they placed their huts and tents in the\nvalley which is situated between Mount Olivet and Ophel, and there St.\nStephen lived. Ophel was on a hill to the south of the Temple,\nsurrounded by walls, and its inhabitants were very poor. I think it was\nsmaller than Dulmen.9\n\nThe slumbers of the good inhabitants of Ophel were disturbed by the\nnoise of the soldiers; they came out of their houses and ran to the\nentrance of the village to ask the cause of the uproar; but the\nsoldiers received them roughly, ordered them to return home, and in\nreply to their numerous questions, said, 'We have just arrested Jesus,\nyour false prophet--he who has deceived you so grossly; the High Priests\nare about to judge him, and he will be crucified.' Cries and lamentations\narose on all sides; the poor women and children ran backwards and\nforwards, weeping and wringing their hands; and calling to mind all the\nbenefits they had received from our Lord, they cast themselves on their\nknees to implore the protection of Heaven. But the soldiers pushed them\non one side, struck them, obliged them to return to their houses, and\nexclaimed, 'What farther proof is required? Does not the conduct of these\npersons show plainly that the Galilean incites rebellion?'\n\nThey were, however, a little cautious in their expressions and\ndemeanour for fear of causing an insurrection in Ophel, and therefore\nonly endeavoured to drive the inhabitants away from those parts of the\nvillage which Jesus was obliged to cross.\n\nWhen the cruel soldiers who led our Lord were near the gates of\nOphel he again fell, and appeared unable to proceed a step farther,\nupon which one among them, being moved to compassion, said to another,\n'You see the poor man is perfectly exhausted, he cannot support himself\nwith the weight of his chains; if we wish to get him to the High Priest\nalive we must loosen the cords with which his hands are bound, that he\nmay be able to save himself a little when he falls.' The band stopped for\na moment, the fetters were loosened, and another kind-hearted soldier\nbrought some water to Jesus from a neighbouring fountain. Jesus thanked\nhim, and spoke of the 'fountains of living water,' of which those who\nbelieved in him should drink; but his words enraged the Pharisees still\nmore, and they overwhelmed him with insults and contumelious language.\nI saw the heart of the soldier who had caused Jesus to be unbound, as\nalso that of the one who brought him water, suddenly illuminated by\ngrace; they were both converted before the death of Jesus, and\nimmediately joined his disciples.\n\nThe procession started again, and reached the gate of Ophel. Here\nJesus was again saluted by the cries of grief and sympathy of those who\nowed him so much gratitude, and the soldiers had considerable\ndifficulty in keeping back the men and women who crowded round from all\nparts. They clasped their hands, fell on their knees, lamented, and\nexclaimed, 'Release this man unto us, release him! Who will assist, who\nwill console us, who will cure our diseases? Release him unto us!' It was\nindeed heart-rending to look upon Jesus; his face was white,\ndisfigured, and wounded, his hair dishevelled, his dress wet and\nsoiled, and his savage and drunken guards were dragging him about and\nstriking him with sticks like a poor dumb animal led to the slaughter.\nThus was he conducted through the midst of the afflicted inhabitants of\nOphel, and the paralytic whom he had cured, the dumb to whom he had\nrestored speech, and the blind whose eyes he had opened, united, but in\nvain, in offering supplications for his release.\n\nMany persons from among the lowest and most degraded classes had\nbeen sent by Annas, Caiphas, and the other enemies of Jesus, to join\nthe procession, and assist the soldiers both in ill-treating Jesus, and\nin driving away the inhabitants of Ophel. The village of Ophel was\nseated upon a hill, and I saw a great deal of timber placed there ready\nfor building. The procession had to proceed down a hill, and then pass\nthrough a door made in the wall. On one side of this door stood a large\nbuilding erected originally by Solomon, and on the other the pool of\nBethsaida. After passing this, they followed a westerly direction down\na steep street called Millo, at the end of which a turn to the south\nbrought them to the house of Annas. The guards never ceased their cruel\ntreatment of our Divine Saviour, and excused such conduct by saying\nthat the crowds who gathered together in front of the procession\ncompelled them to severity. Jesus fell seven times between Mount Olivet\nand the house of Annas.\n\nThe inhabitants of Ophel were still in a state of consternation and\ngrief, when the sight of the Blessed Virgin who passed through the\nvillage accompanied by the holy women and some other friends on her way\nfrom the Valley of Cedron to the house of Mary the mother of Mark,\nexcited them still more, and they made the place re-echo with sobs and\nlamentations, while they surrounded and almost carried her in their\narms. Mary was speechless from grief, and did not open her lips after\nshe reached the house of Mary the mother of Mark, until the arrival of\nJohn, who related all he had seen since Jesus left the supper-room; and\na little later she was taken to the house of Martha, which was near\nthat of Lazarus. Peter and John, who had followed Jesus at a distance,\nwent in haste to some servants of the High Priest with whom the latter\nwas acquainted, in order to endeavour by their means to obtain\nadmittance into the tribunal where their Master was to be tried. These\nservants acted as messengers, and had just been ordered to go to the\nhouses of the ancients, and other members of the Council, to summon\nthem to attend the meeting which was convoked. As they were anxious to\noblige the Apostles, but foresaw much difficulty in obtaining their\nadmittance into the tribunal, they gave them cloaks similar to those\nthey themselves wore, and made them assist in carrying messages to the\nmembers in order that afterwards they might enter the tribunal of\nCaiphas, and mingle, without being recognised, among the soldiers and\nfalse witnesses, as all other persons were to be expelled. As\nNicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and other well-intentioned persons were\nmembers of this Council, the Apostles undertook to let them know what\nwas going to be done in the Council, thus securing the presence of\nthose friends of Jesus whom the Pharisees had purposely omitted to\ninvite. In the mean time Judas wandered up and down the steep and wild\nprecipices at the south of Jerusalem, despair marked on his every\nfeature, and the devil pursuing him to and fro, filling his imagination\nwith still darker visions, and not allowing him a moment's respite.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nMeans employed by the enemies of Jesus for carrying out their\ndesigns against him.\n\n\n\nNo sooner was Jesus arrested than Annas and Caiphas were informed,\nand instantly began to arrange their plans with regard to the course to\nbe pursued. Confusion speedily reigned everywhere--the rooms were lighted\nup in haste, guards placed at the entrances, and messengers dispatched\nto different parts of the town to convoke the members of the Council,\nthe scribes, and all who were to take a part in the trial. Many among\nthem had, however, assembled at the house of Caiphas as soon as the\ntreacherous compact with Judas was completed, and had remained there to\nawait the course of events. The different classes of ancients were\nlikewise assembled, and as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians were\ncongregated in Jerusalem from all parts of the country for the\ncelebration of the festival, and had long been concerting measures with\nthe Council for the arrest of our Lord, the High Priests now sent for\nthose whom they knew to be the most bitterly opposed to Jesus, and\ndesired them to assemble the witnesses, gather together every possible\nproof, and bring all before the Council. The proud Sadducees of\nNazareth, of Capharnaum, of Thirza, of Gabara, of Jotapata, and of\nSilo, whom Jesus had so often reproved before the people, were actually\ndying for revenge. They hastened to all the inns to seek out those\npersons whom they knew to be enemies of our Lord, and offered them\nbribes in order to secure their appearance. But, with the exception of\na few ridiculous calumnies, which were certain to be disproved a soon\nas investigated, nothing tangible could be brought forward against\nJesus, excepting, indeed, those foolish accusations which he had so\noften refuted in the synagogue.\n\nThe enemies of Jesus hastened, however, to the tribunal of Caiphas,\nescorted by the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem, and accompanied by\nmany of those merchants whom our Lord drove out of the Temple when they\nwere holding market there; as also by the proud doctors whom he had\nsilenced before all the people, and even by some who could not forgive\nthe humiliation of being convicted of error when he disputed with them\nin the Temple at the age of twelve. There was likewise a large body of\nimpenitent sinners whom he had refused to cure, relapsed sinners whose\ndiseases had returned, worldly young men whom he would not receive as\ndisciples, avaricious persons whom he had enraged by causing the money\nwhich they had been in hopes of possessing to be distributed in alms.\nOthers there were whose friends he had cured, and who had thus been\ndisappointed in their expectations of inheriting property; debauchees\nwhose victims he had converted; and many despicable characters who made\ntheir fortunes by flattering and fostering the vices of the great.\n\nAll these emissaries of Satan were overflowing with rage against\neverything holy, and consequently with an indescribable hatred of the\nHoly of Holies. They were farther incited by the enemies of our Lord,\nand therefore assembled in crowds round the palace of Caiphas, to bring\nforward all their false accusations and to endeavour to cover with\ninfamy that spotless Lamb, who took upon himself the sins of the world,\nand accepted the burden in order to reconcile man with God.\n\nWhilst all these wicked beings were busily consulting as to what was\nbest to be done, anguish and anxiety filled the hearts of the friends\nof Jesus, for they were ignorant of the mystery which was about to be\naccomplished, and they wandered about, sighing, and listening to every\ndifferent opinion. Each word they uttered gave raise to feelings of\nsuspicion on the part of those who they addressed, and if they were\nsilent, their silence was set down as wrong. Many well-meaning but weak\nand undecided characters yielded to temptation, were scandalised, and\nlost their fait; indeed, the number of those who persevered was very\nsmall indeed. Things were the same then as they oftentimes are now,\npersons were willing to serve God if they met with no opposition from\ntheir fellowcreatures, but were ashamed of the Cross if held in\ncontempt by others. The hearts of some were, however, touched by the\npatience displayed by our Lord in the midst of his sufferings, and they\nwalked away silent and sad.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nA Glance at Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nThe customary prayers and preparations for the celebration of the\nfestival being completed, the greatest part of the inhabitants of the\ndensely-populated city of Jerusalem, as also the strangers congregated\nthere, were plunged in sleep after the fatigues of the day, when, all\nat once, the arrest of Jesus was announced, and everyone was aroused,\nboth his friends and foes, and numbers immediately responded to the\nsummons of the High Priest, and left their dwellings to assemble at his\ncourt. In some parts the light of the moon enabled them to grope their\nway in safety along the dark and gloomy streets, but in other parts\nthey were obliged to make use of torches. Very few of the houses were\nbuilt with their windows looking on the street, and, generally\nspeaking, their doors were in inner courts, which gave the streets a\nstill more gloomy appearance than is usual at this hour. The steps of\nall were directed towards Sion, and an attentive listener might have\nheard persons stop at the doors of their friends, and knock, in order\nto awaken them--then hurry on, then again stop to question others, and,\nfinally, set off anew in haste towards Sion. Newsmongers and servants\nwere hurrying forward to ascertain what was going on; in order that\nthey might return and give the account to those who remained at home;\nand the bolting and barricading of doors might be plainly heard, as\nmany persons were much alarmed and feared an insurrection, while a\nthousand different propositions were made and opinions given, such as\nthe following:--'Lazarus and his sisters will soon know who is this man in\nwhom they have placed such firm reliance. Johanna Chusa, Susannah, Mary\nthe mother of Mark, and Salome will repent, but too late, the\nimprudence of their conduct; Seraphia, the wife of Sirach, will be\ncompelled to make an apology to her husband now, for he has so often\nreproached her with her partiality for the Galilean. The partisans of\nthis fanatical man, this inciter of rebellion, pretended to be filled\nwith compassion for all who looked upon things in a different light\nfrom themselves, and now they will not know where to hide their heads.\nHe will find no one now to cast garments and strew olive-branches at\nhis feet. Those hypocrites who pretended to be so much better than\nother persons will receive their deserts, for they are all implicated\nwith the Galilean. It is a much more serious business than was at first\nthought. I should like to know how Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea\nwill get out of it; the High Priests have mistrusted them for some\ntime; they made common cause with Lazarus: but they are extremely\ncunning. All will now, however, be brought to light.'\n\nSpeeches such as these were uttered by persons who were exasperated,\nnot only against the disciples of Jesus, but likewise with the holy\nwomen who had supplied his temporal wants, and had publicly and\nfearlessly expressed their veneration for his doctrines, and their\nbelief in his Divine mission.\n\nBut although many persons spoke of Jesus and his followers in this\ncontemptuous manner, yet there were others who held very different\nopinions, and of these some were frightened, and others, being overcome\nwith sorrow, sought friends to whom they might unburden their hearts,\nand before whom they could, without fear, give vent to their feelings;\nbut the number of those sufficiently daring openly to avow their\nadmiration for Jesus was but small.\n\nNevertheless, it was in parts only of Jerusalem that these\ndisturbances took place--in those parts where the messengers had been sent\nby the High Priests and the Pharisees, to convoke the members of the\nCouncil and to call together the witnesses. It appeared to me that I\nsaw feelings of hatred and fury burst forth in different parts of the\ncity, under the form of flames, which flames traversed the streets,\nunited with others which they met, and proceeded in the direction of\nSion, increasing every moment, and at last came to a stop beneath the\ntribunal of Caiphas, where they remained, forming together a perfect\nwhirlwind of fire.\n\nThe Roman soldiers took no part in what was going on; they did not\nunderstand the excited feelings of the people, but their sentinels were\ndoubled, their cohorts drawn up, and they kept a strict look out; this,\nindeed, was customary at the time of the Paschal solemnity, on account\nof the vast number of strangers who were then assembled together. The\nPharisees endeavoured to avoid the neighbourhood of the sentinels, for\nfear of being questioned by them, and of contracting defilement by\nanswering their questions. The High Priests had sent a message to\nPilate intimating their reasons for stationing soldiers round Ophel and\nSion; but he mistrusted their intentions, as much ill-feeling existed\nbetween the Romans and the Jews. He could not sleep, but walked about\nduring the greatest part of the night, hearkening to the different\nreports and issuing orders consequent on what he heard; his wife slept,\nbut her sleep was disturbed by frightful dreams, and she groaned and\nwept alternately.\n\nIn no part of Jerusalem did the arrest of Jesus produce more\ntouching demonstrations of grief than among the poor inhabitants of\nOphel, the greatest part of whom were daylabourers, and the rest\nprincipally employed in menial offices in the service of the Temple.\nThe news came unexpectedly upon them; for some time they doubted the\ntruth of the report, and wavered between hope and fear; but the sight\nof their Master, their Benefactor, their Consoler, dragged through the\nstreets, torn, bruised, and ill-treated in every imaginable way, filled\nthem with horror; and their grief was still farther increased by\nbeholding his afflicted Mother wandering about from street to street,\naccompanied by the holy women, and endeavouring to obtain some\nintelligence concerning her Divine Son. These holy women were often\nobliged to hide in corners and under door-ways for fear of being seen\nby the enemies of Jesus; but even with these precautions they were\noftentimes insulted, and taken for women of bad character--their feelings\nwere frequently harrowed by hearing the malignant words and triumphant\nexpressions of the cruel Jews, and seldom, very seldom, did a word of\nkindness or pity strike their ears. They were completely exhausted\nbefore reaching their place of refuge, but they endeavoured to console\nand support one another, and wrapped thick veils over their heads. When\nat last seated, they heard a sudden knock at the door, and listened\nbreathlessly--the knock was repeated, but softly, therefore they made\ncertain that it was no enemy, and yet they opened the door cautiously,\nfearing a stratagem. It was indeed a friend, and they issued forth and\nwalked about for a time, and then again returned to their place of\nrefuge--still more heartbroken than before.\n\nThe majority of the Apostles, overcome with terror, were wandering\nabout among the valleys which surround Jerusalem, and at times took\nrefuge in the caverns beneath Mount Olivet. They started if they came\nin contact with one another, spoke in trembling tones, and separated on\nthe least noise being heard. First they concealed themselves in one\ncave and then in another, next they endeavoured to return to the town,\nwhile some of their number climbed to the top of Mount Olivet and cast\nanxious glances at the torches, the light of which they could see\nglimmering at and about Sion; they listened to every distant sound,\nmade a thousand different conjectures, and then returned to the valley,\nin hopes of getting some certain intelligence.\n\nThe streets in the vicinity of Caiphas's tribunal were brightly\nilluminated with lamps and torches, but, as the crowds gathered around\nit, the noise and confusion continued to increase. Mingling with these\ndiscordant sounds might be heard the bellowing of the beasts which were\ntethered on the outside of the walls of Jerusalem, and the plaintive\nbleating of the lambs. There was something most touching in the\nbleating of these lambs, which were to be sacrificed on the following\nday in the Temple,--the one Lamb alone who was about to be offered a\nwilling sacrifice opened not his mouth, like a sheep in the hands of\nthe butcher, which resists not, or the lamb which is silent before the\nshearer; and that Lamb was the Lamb of God--the Lamb without spot--the true\nPaschal Lamb--Jesus Christ himself.\n\nThe sky looked dark, gloomy, and threatening--the moon was red, and\ncovered with livid spots; it appeared as if dreading to reach its full,\nbecause its Creator was then to die.\n\nNext I cast a glance outside the town, and, near the south gate, I\nbeheld the traitor, Judas Iscariot, wandering about, alone, and a prey\nto the tortures of his guilty conscience; he feared even his own\nshadow, and was followed by many devils, who endeavoured to turn his\nfeelings of remorse into black despair. Thousands of evil spirits were\nbusying themselves in all parts, tempting men first to one sin and then\nto another. It appeared as if the gates of hell were flung open, and\nSatan madly striving and exerting his whole energies to increase the\nheavy load of iniquities which the Lamb without spot had taken upon\nhimself. The angels wavered between joy and grief; they desired\nardently to fall prostrate before the throne of God, and to obtain\npermission to assist Jesus; but at the same time they were filled with\nastonishment, and could only adore that miracle of Divine justice and\nmercy which had existed in Heaven for all eternity, and was now about\nto be accomplished; for the angels believe, like us, in God, the Father\nAlmighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only\nSon, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin\nMary, who began on this night to suffer under Pontius Pilate, and the\nnext day was to be crucified; to die, and be buried; descend into hell,\nrise again on the third day, ascent into Heaven, be seated at the right\nhand of God the Father Almighty, and from thence come to judge the\nliving and the dead; they likewise believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy\nCatholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the\nresurrection of the body, and life everlasting.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nJesus before Annas.\n\n\n\nIt was towards midnight when Jesus reached the palace of Annas, and\nhis guards immediately conducted him into a very large hall, where\nAnnas, surrounded by twentyeight councillors, was seated on a species\nof platform, raised a little above the level of the floor, and placed\nopposite to the entrance. The soldiers who first arrested Jesus now\ndragged him roughly to the foot of the tribunal. The room was quite\nfull, between soldiers, the servants of Annas, a number of the mob who\nhad been admitted, and the false witnesses who afterwards adjourned to\nCaiphas's hall.\n\nAnnas was delighted at the thought of our Lord being brought before\nhim, and was looking out for his arrival with the greatest impatience.\nThe expression of his countenance was most repulsive, as it showed in\nevery lineament not only the infernal joy with which he was filled, but\nlikewise all the cunning and duplicity of this heart. He was the\npresident of a species of tribunal instituted for the purpose of\nexamining persons accused of teaching false doctrines; and if convicted\nthere, they were then taken before the High Priest.\n\nJesus stood before Annas. He looked exhausted and haggard; his\ngarments were covered with mud, his hands manacled, his head bowed\ndown, and he spoke not a word. Annas was a thin ill-humoured-looking\nold man, with a scraggy beard. His pride and arrogance were great; and\nas he seated himself he smiled ironically, pretending that he knew\nnothing at all, and that he was perfectly astonished at finding that\nthe prisoner, whom he had just been informed was to be brought before\nhim, was no other than Jesus of Nazareth. 'Is it possible,' said he, 'is it\npossible that thou art Jesus of Nazareth? Where are thy disciples, thy\nnumerous followers? Where is thy kingdom? I fear affairs have not\nturned out as thou didst expect. The authorities, I presume, discovered\nthat it was quite time to put a stop to thy conduct, disrespectful as\nit was towards God and his priests, and to such violations of the\nSabbath. What disciples hast thou now? Where are they all gone? Thou\nare silent! Speak out, seducer! Speak out, thou inciter of rebellion!\nDidst thou not eat the Paschal lamb in an unlawful manner, at an\nimproper time, and in an improper place? Dost thou not desire to\nintroduce new doctrines? Who gave thee the right of preaching? Where\ndidst thou study? Speak, what are the tenets of thy religion?'\n\nJesus then raised his weary head, looked at Annas, and said, 'I have\nspoken openly to the world; I have always taught in the synagogue, and\nin the Temple, whither all the Jews resort; and in secret I have spoken\nnothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them who have heard what I have spoken\nunto them; behold, they know what thing I have said.'\n\nAt this answer of Jesus the countenance of Annas flushed with fury\nand indignation. A base menial who was standing near perceived this,\nand he immediately struck our Lord on the face with his iron gauntlet,\nexclaiming at the same moment, 'Answerest thou the High Priest so?' Jesus\nwas so nearly prostrated by the violence of the blow, that when the\nguards likewise reviled and struck him, he fell quite down, and blood\ntrickled from his face on to the floor. Laughter, insults, and bitter\nwords resounded through the hall. The archers dragged him roughly up\nagain, and he mildly answered, 'If I have spoken evil, give testimony of\nthe evil; but if well, why strikest thou me?'\n\nAnnas became still more enraged when he saw the calm demeanour of\nJesus, and, turning to the witnesses, he desired them to bring forward\ntheir accusations. They all began to speak at once:--'He has called himself\nking; he says that God is his Father; that the Pharisees are an\nadulterous generation. He causes insurrection among the people; he\ncures the sick by the help of the devil on the Sabbath-day. The\ninhabitants of Ophel assembled round him a short time ago, and\naddressed him by the titles of Saviour and Prophet. He lets himself be\ncalled the Son of God; he says that he is sent by God; he predicts the\ndestruction of Jerusalem. He does not fast; he eats with sinners, with\npagans, and with publicans, and associates with women of evil repute. A\nshort time ago he said to a man who gave him some water to drink at the\ngates of Ophel, \"that he would give unto him the water of eternal life,\nafter drinking which he would thirst no more.\" He seduces the people by\nwords of double meaning,' etc., etc.\n\nThese accusations were all vociferated at once; some of the\nwitnesses stood before Jesus and insulted him while they spoke by\nderisive gestures, and the archers went so far as even to strike him,\nsaying at the same time, 'Speak; why dost thou not answer?' Annas and his\nadherents added mockery to insult, exclaiming at every pause in the\naccusations, 'This is thy doctrine, then, is it? What canst thou answer\nto this? Issue thy orders, great King; man sent by God, give proofs of\nthy mission.' 'Who art thou?' continued Annas, in a tone of cutting contempt;\n'by whom art thou sent? Art thou the son of an obscure carpenter, or art\nthou Elias, who was carried up to heaven in a fiery chariot? He is said\nto be still living, and I have been told that thou canst make thyself\ninvisible when thou pleasest. Perhaps thou art the prophet Malachy,\nwhose words thou dost so frequently quote. Some say that an angel was\nhis father, and that he likewise is still alive. An impostor as thou\nart could not have a finer opportunity of taking persons in than by\npassing thyself off as this prophet. Tell me, without farther preamble,\nto what order of kings thou dost belong? Thou art greater than\nSolomon,--at least thou pretendest so to be, and dost even expect to be\nbelieved. Be easy, I will no longer refuse the title and the sceptre\nwhich are so justly thy due.'\n\nAnnas then called for the sheet of parchment, about a yard in\nlength, and six inches in width; on this he wrote a series of words in\nlarge letters, and each word expressed some different accusation which\nhad been brought against our Lord. He then rolled it up, placed it in a\nlittle hollow tube, fastened it carefully on the top of a reed, and\npresented this reed to Jesus, saying at the same time, with a\ncontemptuous sneer, 'Behold the sceptre of thy kingdom; it contains thy\ntitles, as also the account of the honours to which thou art entitled,\nand thy right to the throne. Take them to the High Priest, in order\nthat he may acknowledge thy regal dignity, and treat thee according to\nthy deserts. Tie the hands of this king, and take him before the High\nPriest.'\n\nThe hands of Jesus, which had been loosened, were then tied across\nhis breast in such a manner as to make him hold the pretended sceptre,\nwhich contained the accusations of Annas, and he was led to the Court\nof Caiphas, amidst the hisses, shouts, and blows lavished upon him by\nthe brutal mob.\n\nThe house of Annas was not more than three hundred steps from that\nof Caiphas; there were high walls and common-looking houses on each\nside of the road, which was lighted up by torches and lanterns placed\non poles, and there were numbers of Jews standing about talking in an\nangry excited manner. The soldiers could scarcely make their way\nthrough the crowd, and those who had behaved so shamefully to Jesus at\nthe Court of Annas continued their insults and base usage during the\nwhole of the time sent in walking to the house of Caiphas. I saw money\ngiven to those who behaved the worst to Jesus by armed men belonging to\nthe tribunal, and I saw them push out of the way all who looked\ncompassionately at him. The former were allowed to enter the Court of\nCaiphas.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nThe Tribunal of Caiphas.\n\n\n\nTo enter Caiphas's tribunal persons had to pass through a large court,\nwhich may be called the exterior court; from thence they entered into\nan inner court, which extended all round the building. The building\nitself was of far greater length than breadth, and in the front there\nwas a kind of open vestibule surrounded on three sides by columns of no\ngreat height. On the fourth side the columns were higher, and behind\nthem was a room almost as large as the vestibule itself, where the seat\nof the members of the Council were placed on a species of round\nplatform raised above the level of the floor. That assigned to the High\nPriest was elevated above the others; the criminal to be tried stood in\nthe centre of the halfcircle formed by the seats. The witnesses and\naccusers stood either by the side or behind the prisoner. There were\nthree doors at the back of the judges' seats which led into another\napartment, filled likewise with seats. This room was used for secret\nconsultation. Entrances placed on the right and left hand sides of this\nroom opened into the interior court, which was round, like the back of\nthe building. Those who left the room by the door on the righthand side\nsaw on the left-hand side of the court the gate which led to a\nsubterranean prison excavated under the room. There were many\nunderground prisons there, and it was in one of these that Peter and\nJohn were confined a whole night, when they had cured the lame man in\nthe Temple after Pentecost. Both the house and the courts were filled\nwith torches and lamps, which made them as light as day. There was a\nlarge fire lighted in the middle of the porch, on each side of which\nwere hollow pipes to serve as chimneys for the smoke, and round this\nfire were standing soldiers, menial servants, and witnesses of the\nlowest class who had received bribes for giving their false testimony.\nA few women were there likewise, whose employment was to pour out a\nspecies of red beverage for the soldiers, and to bake cakes, for which\nservices they received a small compensation. The majority of the judges\nwere already seated around Caiphas, the others came in shortly\nafterwards, and the porch was almost filled, between true and false\nwitnesses, while many other persons likewise endeavoured to come in to\ngratify their curiosity, but were prevented. Peter and John entered the\nouter court, in the dress of travellers, a short time before Jesus was\nled through, and John succeeded in penetrating into the inner court, by\nmeans of a servant with whom he was acquainted. The door was instantly\nclosed after him, therefore Peter, who was a little behind, was shut\nout. He begged the maid-servant to open the door for him, but she\nrefused both his entreaties and those of John, and he must have\nremained on the outside had not Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who\ncame up at this moment, taken him with them. The two Apostles then\nreturned the cloaks which they had borrowed, and stationed themselves\nin a place from whence they could see the judges, and hear everything\nthat was going on. Caiphas was seated in the centre of the raised\nplatform, and seventy of the members of the Sanhedrin were placed\naround him, while the public officers, the scribes, and the ancients\nwere standing on either side, and the false witnesses behind them.\nSoldiers were posted from the base of the platform to the door of the\nvestibule through which Jesus was to enter. The countenance of Caiphas\nwas solemn in the extreme, but the gravity was accompanied by\nunmistakable signs of suppressed rage and sinister intentions. He wore\na long mantle of a dull red colour, embroidered in flowers and trimmed\nwith golden fringe; it was fastened at the shoulders and on the chest,\nbesides being ornamented in the front with gold clasps. His head-attire\nwas high, and adorned with hanging ribbons, the sides were open, and it\nrather resembled a bishop's mitre. Caiphas had been waiting with his\nadherents belonging to the Great Council for some time, and so\nimpatient was he that he arose several times, went into the outer court\nin his magnificent dress, and asked angrily whether Jesus of Nazareth\nwas come. When he saw the procession drawing near he returned to his\nseat.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nJesus before Caiphas.\n\n\n\nJesus was led across the court, and the mob received him with groans\nand hisses. As he passed by Peter and John, he looked at them, but\nwithout turning his head, for fear of betraying them. Scarcely had he\nreached the council-chamber, than Caiphas exclaimed in a loud tone, 'Thou\nart come, then, at last, thou enemy of God, thou blasphemer, who dost\ndisturb the peace of this holy night!' The tube which contained the\naccusations of Annas, and was fastened to the pretended sceptre in the\nhands of Jesus, was instantly opened and read.\n\nCaiphas made use of the most insulting language, and the archers\nagain struck and abused our Lord, vociferating at the same time, 'Answer\nat once! Speak out! Art thou dumb?' Caiphas, whose temper was\nindescribably proud and arrogant, became even more enraged than Annas\nhad been, and asked a thousand questions one after the other, but Jesus\nstood before him in silence, and with his eyes cast down. The archers\nendeavoured to force him to speak by repeated blows, and a malicious\nchild pressed his thumb into his lips, tauntingly bidding him to bite.\nThe witnesses were then called for. The first were persons of the\nlowest class, whose accusations were as incoherent and inconsistent as\nthose brought forward at the court of Annas, and nothing could be made\nout of them; Caiphas therefore turned to the principal witnesses, the\nPharisees and the Sadducees, who had assembled from all parts of the\ncountry. They endeavoured to speak calmly, but their faces and manner\nbetrayed the virulent envy and hatred with which their hearts were\noverflowing, and they repeated over and over again the same\naccusations, to which he had already replied so many times: 'That he\ncured the sick, and cast out devils, by the help of devils--that he\nprofaned the Sabbath--incited the people to rebel--called the Pharisees a\nrace of vipers and adulterers--predicted the destruction of\nJerusalem--frequented the society of publicans and sinners--assembled the\npeople and gave himself out as a king, a prophet, and the Son of God.'\nThey deposed 'that he was constantly speaking of his kingdom,--that he\nforbade divorce,--called himself the Bread of Life, and said that whoever\ndid not eat his flesh and drink his blood would not have eternal life.'\n\nThus did they distort and misinterpret the words he had uttered, the\ninstructions he had given and the parables by which he had illustrated\nhis instructions, giving them the semblance of crimes. But these\nwitnesses could not agree in their depositions, for one said, 'He calls\nhimself king;' and a second instantly contradicted, saying, 'No, he allows\npersons to call him so; but directly they attempted to proclaim him, he\nfled.' Another said, 'He calls himself the Son of God,' but he was\ninterrupted by a fourth, who exclaimed, 'No, he only styles himself the\nSon of God because he does the will of his Heavenly Father.' Some of the\nwitnesses stated that he had cured them, but that their diseases had\nreturned, and that his pretended cures were only performed by magic.\nThey spoke likewise of the cure of the paralytic man at the pool of\nBethsaida, but they distorted the facts so as to give them the\nsemblance of crimes, and even in these accusations they could not\nagree, contradicting one another. The Pharisees of Sephoris, with whom\nhe had once had a discussion on the subject of divorces, accused him of\nteaching false doctrines, and a young man of Nazareth, whom he had\nrefused to allow to become one of his disciples, was likewise base\nenough to bear witness against him.\n\nIt was found to be utterly impossible to prove a single fact, and\nthe witnesses appeared to come forward for the sole purpose of\ninsulting Jesus, rather than to demonstrate the truth of their\nstatements. Whilst they were disputing with one another, Caiphas and\nsome of the other members of the Council employed themselves in\nquestioning Jesus, and turning his answers into derision. 'What species\nof king art thou? Give proofs of thy power! Call the legions of angels\nof whom thou didst speak in the Garden of Olives! What hast thou done\nwith the money given unto thee by the widows, and other simpletons whom\nthou didst seduce by thy false doctrines? Answer at once: speak out,--art\nthou dumb? Thou wouldst have been far wiser to have kept silence when\nin the midst of the foolish mob: there thou didst speak far too much.'\n\nAll these questions were accompanied by blows from the\nunder-servants of the members of the tribunal, and had our Lord not\nbeen supported from above, he could not have survived this treatment.\nSome of the base witnesses endeavoured to prove that he was an\nillegitimate son; but others declared that his mother was a pious\nVirgin, belonging to the Temple, and that they afterwards saw her\nbetrothed to a man who feared God. The witnesses upbraided Jesus and\nhis disciples with not having offered sacrifice in the Temple. It is\ntrue that I never did see either Jesus or his disciples offer any\nsacrifice in the Temple, excepting the Paschal lamb; but Joseph and\nAnna used frequently during their lifetime to offer sacrifice for the\nChild Jesus. However, even this accusation was puerile, for the\nEssenians never offered sacrifice, and no one thought the less well of\nthem for not doing so. The enemies of Jesus still continued to accuse\nhim of being a sorcerer, and Caiphas affirmed several times that the\nconfusion in the statements of the witnesses was caused solely by\nwitchcraft.\n\nSome said that he had eaten the Paschal lamb on the previous day,\nwhich was contrary to the law, and that the year before he had made\ndifferent alterations in the manner of celebrating this ceremony. But\nthe witnesses contradicted one another to such a degree that Caiphas\nand his adherents found, to their very great annoyance and anger, that\nnot one accusation could be really proved. Nicodemus and Joseph of\nArimathea were called up, and being commanded to say how it happened\nthat they had allowed him to eat the Pasch on the wrong day in a room\nwhich belonged to them, they proved from ancient documents that from\ntime immemorial the Galileans had been allowed to eat the Pasch a day\nearlier than the rest of the Jews. They added that every other part of\nthe ceremony had been performed according to the directions given in\nthe law, and that persons belonging to the Temple were present at the\nsupper. This quite puzzled the witnesses, and Nicodemus increased the\nrage of the enemies of Jesus by pointing out the passages in the\narchives which proved the right of the Galileans, and gave the reason\nfor which this privilege was granted. The reason was this: the\nsacrifices would not have been finished by the Sabbath if the immense\nmultitudes who congregated together for that purpose had all been\nobliged to perform the ceremony on the same day; and although the\nGalileans had not always profited by this right, yet its existence was\nincontestably proved by Nicodemus; and the anger of the Pharisees was\nheightened by his remarking that the members of the Council had cause\nto be greatly offended at the gross contradictions in the statements of\nthe witnesses, and that the extraordinary and hurried manner in which\nthe whole affair had been conducted showed that malice and envy were\nthe sole motives which induced the accusers, and made them bring the\ncase forward at a moment when all were busied in the preparations for\nthe most solemn feast of the year. They looked at Nicodemus furiously,\nand could not reply, but continued to question the witnesses in a still\nmore precipitate and imprudent manner. Two witnesses at last came\nforward, who said, 'This man said, \"I will destroy this Temple made with\nhands, and within three days I will build another not made with hands;\"'\nhowever, even these witnesses did not agree in their statements, for\none said that the accused wished to build a new Temple, and that he had\neaten the Pasch in an unusual place, because he desired the destruction\nof the ancient Temple; but the other said, 'Not so: the edifice where he\nate the Pasch was built by human hands, therefore he could not have\nreferred to that.'\n\nThe wrath of Caiphas was indescribable; for the cruel treatment\nwhich Jesus had suffered, his Divine patience, and the contradiction of\nthe witnesses, were beginning to make a great impression on many\npersons present, a few hisses were heard, and the hearts of some were\nso touched that they could not silence the voice of their consciences.\nTen soldiers left the court under pretext of indisposition, but in\nreality overcome by their feelings. As they passed by the place where\nPeter and John were standing, they exclaimed, 'The silence of Jesus of\nNazareth, in the midst of such cruel treatment, is superhuman: it would\nmelt a heart of iron: the wonder is, that the earth does not open and\nswallow such reprobates as his accusers must be. But tell us, where\nmust we go?' The two Apostles either mistrusted the soldiers, and thought\nthey were only seeking to betray them, or they were fearful of being\nrecognised by those around and denounced as disciples of Jesus, for\nthey only made answer in a melancholy tone: 'If truth calls you, follow\nit, and all will come right of itself.' The soldiers instantly went out\nof the room, and left Jerusalem soon after. They met persons on the\noutskirts of the town, who directed them to the caverns which lay to\nthe south of Jerusalem, on the other side of Mount Sion, where many of\nthe Apostles had taken refuge. These latter were at first alarmed at\nseeing strangers enter their hiding-place; but the soldiers soon\ndispelled all fear, and gave them an account of the sufferings of Jesus.\n\nThe temper of Caiphas, which was already perturbed, became quite\ninfuriated by the contradictory statements of the two last witnesses,\nand rising from his seat he approached Jesus, and said: 'Answerest thou\nnothing to the things which these witness against thee?'\n\nJesus neither raised his head nor looked at the High Priest, which\nincreased the anger of the latter to the greatest degree; and the\narchers perceiving this seized our Lord by the hair, pulled his head\nback, and gave him blows under the chin; but he still kept his eyes\ncast down. Caiphas raised his hands, and exclaimed in an enraged tone: 'I\nadjure thee by the living God that thou tell us if thou be Christ the\nMessiah, the son of the living God?'\n\n A momentary and solemn pause ensued. Then Jesus in a majestic and\nsuperhuman voice replied, 'Thou hast said it. Nevertheless I say to you,\nhereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the\npower of God, and coming in the clouds of Heaven.' Whilst Jesus was\npronouncing these words, a bright light appeared to me to surround him;\nHeaven was opened above his head; I saw the Eternal Father; but no\nwords from a human pen can describe the intuitive view that was then\nvouchsafed me of him. I likewise saw the angels, and the prayers of the\njust ascending to the throne of God.\n\nAt the same moment I perceived the yawning abyss of hell like a\nfiery meteor at the feet of Caiphas; it was filled with horrible\ndevils; a slight gauze alone appeared to separate him from its dark\nflames. I could see the demoniacal fury with which his heart was\noverflowing, and the whole house looked to me like hell. At the moment\nthat our Lord pronounced the solemn words, 'I am the Christ, the Son of\nthe living God,' hell appeared to be shaken from one extremity to the\nother, and then, as it were, to burst forth and inundate every person\nin the house of Caiphas with feelings of redoubled hatred towards our\nLord. These things are always shown to me under the appearance of some\nmaterial object, which renders them less difficult of comprehension,\nand impresses them in a more clear and forcible manner on the mind,\nbecause we ourselves being material beings, facts are more easily\nillustrated in our regard if manifested through the medium of the\nsenses. The despair and fury which these words produced in hell were\nshown to me under the appearance of a thousand terrific figures in\ndifferent places. I remember seeing, among other frightful things, a\nnumber of little black objects, like dogs with claws, which walked on\ntheir hind legs; I knew at the time what kind of wickedness was\nindicated by this apparition, but I cannot remember now. I saw these\nhorrible phantoms enter into the bodies of the greatest part of the\nbystanders, or else place themselves on their head or shoulders. I\nlikewise at this moment saw frightful spectres come out of the\nsepulchres on the other side of Sion; I believe they were evil spirits.\nI saw in the neighbourhood of the Temple many other apparitions, which\nresembled prisoners loaded with chains: I do not know whether they were\ndemons, or souls condemned to remain in some particular part of the\nearth, and who were then going to Limbo, which our Lord's condemnation to\ndeath had opened to them.\n\nIt is extremely difficult to explain these facts, for fear of\nscandalising those who have no knowledge of such things; but persons\nwho see feel them, and they often cause the very hair to stand on end\non the head. I think that John saw some of these apparitions, for I\nheard him speak about them afterwards. All whose hearts were not\nradically corrupted felt excessively terrified at these events, but the\nhardened were sensible of nothing but an increase of hatred and anger\nagainst our Lord.\n\nCaiphas then arose, and, urged on by Satan, took up the end of his\nmantle, pierced it with his knife, and rent it from one end to the\nother, exclaiming at the same time, in a loud voice, 'He hath blasphemed,\nwhat further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the\nblasphemy: what think you?' All who were then present arose, and\nexclaimed with astounding malignancy, 'He is guilty of death!'\n\n During the whole of this frightful scene, the devils were in the\nmost tremendous state of excitement; they appeared to have complete\npossession not only of the enemies of Jesus, but likewise of their\npartisans and cowardly followers. The powers of darkness seemed to me\nto proclaim a triumph over the light, and the few among the spectators\nwhose hearts still retained a glimmering of light were filled with such\nconsternation that, covering their heads, they instantly departed. The\nwitnesses who belonged to the upper classes were less hardened than the\nothers; their consciences were racked with remorse, and they followed\nthe example given by the persons mentioned above, and left the room as\nquickly as possible, while the rest crowded round the fire in the\nvestibule, and ate and drank after receiving full pay for their\nservices. The High Priest then addressed the archers, and said, 'I\ndeliver this king up into your hands; render the blasphemer the honours\nwhich are his due.' After these words he retired with the members of his\nCouncil into the round room behind the tribunal, which could not be\nseen from the vestibule.\n\nIn the midst of the bitter affliction which inundated the heart of\nJohn, his thoughts were with the Mother of Jesus; he feared that the\ndreadful news of the condemnation of her Son might be communicated to\nher suddenly, or that perhaps some enemy might give the information in\na heartless manner. He therefore looked at Jesus, and saying in a low\nvoice, 'Lord, thou knowest why I leave thee,' went away quickly to seek the\nBlessed Virgin, as if he had been sent by Jesus himself. Peter was\nquite overcome between anxiety and sorrow, which, joined to fatigue,\nmade him chilly; therefore, as the morning was cold, he went up to the\nfire where many of the common people were warming themselves. He did\nhis best to hide his grief in their presence, as he could not make up\nhis mind to go home and leave his beloved Master.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nThe Insults received by Jesus in the Court of Caiphas.\n\n\n\nNo sooner did Caiphas, with the other members of the Council, leave\nthe tribunal than a crowd of miscreants--the very scum of the\npeople--surrounded Jesus like a swarm of infuriated wasps, and began to\nheap every imaginable insult upon him. Even during the trial, whilst\nthe witnesses were speaking, the archers and some others could not\nrestrain their cruel inclinations, but pulled out handfuls of his hair\nand beard, spat upon him, struck him with their fists, wounded him with\nsharp-pointed sticks, and even ran needles into his body; but when\nCaiphas left the hall they set no bounds to their barbarity. They first\nplaced a crown, made of straw and the bark of trees, upon his head, and\nthen took it off, saluting him at the same time with insulting\nexpressions, like the following: 'Behold the Son of David wearing the\ncrown of his father.' 'A greater than Solomon is here; this is the king who\nis preparing a wedding feast for his son.' Thus did they turn into\nridicule those eternal truths which he had taught under the from of\nparables to those whom he came from heaven to save; and whilst\nrepeating these scoffing words, they continued to strike him with their\nfists and sticks, and to spit in his face. Next they put a crown of\nreeds upon his head, took off his robe and scapular, and then threw an\nold torn mantle, which scarcely reached his knees, over his shoulders;\naround his neck they hung a long iron chain, with an iron ring at each\nend, studded with sharp points, which bruised and tore his knees as he\nwalked. They again pinioned his arms, put a reed into his hand, and\ncovered his Divine countenance with spittle. They had already thrown\nall sorts of filth over his hair, as well as over his chest, and upon\nthe old mantle. They bound his eyes with a dirty rag, and struck him,\ncrying out at the same time in loud tones, 'Prophesy unto us, O Christ,\nwho is he that struck thee?' He answered not one word, but sighed, and\nprayed inwardly for them.\n\nAfter many more insults, they seized the chain which was hanging on\nhis neck, dragged him towards the room into which the Council had\nwithdrawn, and with their stick forced him in, vociferating at the same\ntime, 'March forward, thou King of Straw! Show thyself to the Council\nwith the insignia of the regal honours we have rendered unto thee.' A\nlarge body of councillors, with Caiphas at their head, were still in\nthe room, and they looked with both delight and approbation at the\nshameful scene which was enacted, beholding with pleasure the most\nsacred ceremonies turned into derision. The pitiless guards covered him\nwith mud and spittle, and with mock gravity exclaimed, 'Receive the\nprophetic unction--the regal unction.' Then they impiously parodied the\nbaptismal ceremonies, and the pious act of Magdalen in emptying the\nvase of perfume on his head. 'How canst thou presume,' they exclaimed, 'to\nappear before the Council in such a condition? Thou dost purify others,\nand thou art not pure thyself; but we will soon purify thee.' They\nfetched a basin of dirty water, which they poured over his face and\nshoulders, whilst they bent their knees before him, and exclaimed,\n'Behold thy precious unction, behold the spikenard worth three hundred\npence; thou hast been baptised in the pool of Bethsaida.' They intended\nby this to throw into ridicule the act of respect and veneration shown\nby Magdalen, when she poured the precious ointment over his head, at\nthe house of the Pharisee.\n\nBy their derisive words concerning his baptism in the pool of\nBethsaida, they pointed out, although unintentionally, the resemblance\nbetween Jesus and the Paschal lamb, for the lambs were washed in the\nfirst place in the pond near the Probatica gate, and then brought to\nthe pool of Bethsaida, where they underwent another purification before\nbeing taken to the Temple to be sacrificed. The enemies of Jesus\nlikewise alluded to the man who had been infirm for thirty-eight years,\nand who was cured by Jesus at the pool of Bethsaida; for I saw this man\neither washed or baptised there; I say either washed or baptised,\nbecause I do not exactly remember the circumstances.\n\nThey then dragged Jesus round the room, before all the members of\nthe Council, who continued to address him in reproachful and abusive\nlanguage. Every countenance looked diabolical and enraged, and all\naround was dark, confused, and terrified. Our Lord, on the contrary,\nwas from the moment that he declared himself to be the Son of God,\ngenerally surrounded with a halo of light. Many of the assembly\nappeared to have a confused knowledge of this fact, and to be filled\nwith consternation at perceiving that neither outrages or ignominies\ncould alter the majestic expression of his countenance.\n\nThe halo which shone around Jesus from the moment he declared\nhimself to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God, served but to\nincite his enemies to greater fury, and yet it was so resplendent that\nthey could not look at it, and I believe their intention in throwing\nthe dirty rag over his head was to deaden its brightness.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nThe Denial of St. Peter\n\n\n\n At the moment when Jesus uttered the words, 'Thou hast said it,' and\nthe High Priest rent his garment, the whole room resounded with\ntumultuous cries. Peter and John, who had suffered intensely during the\nscene which had just been enacted, and which they had been obliged to\nwitness in silence, could bear the sight no longer. Peter therefore got\nup to leave the room, and John followed soon after. The latter went to\nthe Blessed Virgin, who was in the house of Martha with the holy women,\nbut Peter's love for Jesus was so great, that he could not make up his\nmind to leave him; his heart was bursting, and he wept bitterly,\nalthough he endeavoured to restrain and hide his tears. It was\nimpossible for him to remain in the tribunal, as his deep emotion at\nthe sight of his beloved Master's sufferings would have betrayed him;\ntherefore he went into the vestibule and approached the fire, around\nwhich soldiers and common people were sitting and talking in the most\nheartless and disgusting manner concerning the sufferings of Jesus, and\nrelating all that they themselves had done to him. Peter was silent,\nbut his silence and dejected demeanour made the bystanders suspect\nsomething. The portress came up to the fire in the midst of the\nconversation, cast a bold glance at Peter and said, 'Thou also wast with\nJesus the Galilean.' These words startled and alarmed Peter; he trembled\nas to what might ensue if he owned the truth before his brutal\ncompanions, and therefore answered quickly, 'Woman, I know him not,' got\nup, and left the vestibule. At this moment the cock crowed somewhere in\nthe outskirts of the town. I do not remember hearing it, but I felt\nthat is was crowing. As he went out, another maid-servant looked at\nhim, and said to those who were with her, 'This man was also with him,' and\nthe persons she addressed immediately demanded of Peter whether her\nwords were true, saying, 'Art thou not one of this man's disciples?' Peter\nwas even more alarmed than before, and renewed his denial in these\nwords, 'I am not; I know not the man.'\n\nHe left the inner court, and entered the exterior court; he was\nweeping, and so great was his anxiety and grief, that he did not\nreflect in the least on the words he had just uttered. The exterior\ncourt was quite filled with persons, and some had climbed on to the top\nof the wall to listen to what was going on in the inner court which\nthey were forbidden to enter. A few of the disciples were likewise\nthere, for their anxiety concerning Jesus was so great that they could\nnot make up their minds to remain concealed in the caves of Hinnom.\nThey came up to Peter, and with many tears questioned him concerning\ntheir loved Master, but he was so unnerved and so fearful of betraying\nhimself, that he briefly recommended them to go away, as it was\ndangerous to remain, and left them instantly. He continued to indulge\nhis violent grief, while they hastened to leave the town. I recognised\namong these disciples, who were about sixteen in number, Bartholomew,\nNathaniel, Saturninus, Judas Barsabeas, Simon, who was afterwards\nbishop of Jerusalem, Zacheus, and Manahem, the man who was born blind\nand cured by our Lord.\n\nPeter could not rest anywhere, and his love for Jesus prompted him\nto return to the inner court, which he was allowed to enter, because\nJoseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had, in the first instance, taken him\nin. He did not re-enter the vestibule, but turned to the right and went\ntowards the round room which was behind the tribunal, and in which\nJesus was undergoing every possible insult and ignominy from his cruel\nenemies. Peter walked timidly up to the door, and although perfectly\nconscious that he was suspected by all present of being a partisan of\nJesus, yet he could not remain outside; his love for his Master\nimpelled him forward; he entered the room, advanced, and soon stood in\nthe very midst of the brutal throng who were feasting their cruel eyes\non the sufferings of Jesus. They were at that moment dragging him\nignominiously backwards and forwards with the crown of straw upon his\nhead; he cast a sorrowful and even severe glance upon Peter, which cut\nhim to the heart, but as he was still much alarmed, and at that moment\nheard some of the bystanders call out, 'Who is that man?' he went back\nagain into the court, and seeing that the persons in the vestibule were\nwatching him, came up to the fire and remained before it for some time.\nSeveral persons who had observed his anxious troubled countenance began\nto speak in opprobrious terms of Jesus, and one of them said to him,\n'Thou also art one of his disciples; thou also art a Galilean; thy very\nspeech betrays thee.' Peter got up, intending to leave the room, when a\nbrother of Malchus came up to him and said, 'Did I not see thee in the\ngarden with him? Didst thou not cut off my brother's ear?'\n\nPeter became almost beside himself with terror; he began to curse\nand to swear 'that he knew not the man,' and ran out of the vestibule into\nthe outer court; the cock then crowed again, and Jesus, who at that\nmoment was led across the court, cast a look of mingled compassion and\ngrief upon his Apostle. This look of our Lord pierced Peter to the very\nheart,--it recalled to his mind in the most forcible and terrible manner\nthe words addressed to him by our Lord on the previous evening: 'Before\nthe cock crows twice, thou shalt thrice deny me.' He had forgotten all\nhis promises and protestations to our Lord, that he would die rather\nthan deny him--he had forgotten the warning given to him by our Lord;--but\nwhen Jesus looked at him, he felt the enormity of his fault, and his\nheart was nigh bursting with grief. He had denied his Lord, when that\nbeloved Master was outraged, insulted, delivered up into the hands of\nunjust judges,--when he was suffering all in patience and in silence. His\nfeelings of remorse were beyond expression; he returned to the exterior\ncourt, covered his face and wept bitterly; all fear of being recognised\nwas over;--he was ready to proclaim to the whole universe both his fault\nand his repentance.\n\nWhat man will dare assert that he would have shown more courage than\nPeter if, with his quick and ardent temperament, he were exposed to\nsuch danger, trouble, and sorrow, at a moment, too, when completely\nunnerved between fear and grief, and exhausted by the sufferings of\nthis sad night? Our Lord left Peter to his own strength, and he was\nweak; like all who forget the words: 'Watch and pray, that ye enter not\ninto temptation.'\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nMary in the House of Caiphas.\n\n\n\nThe Blessed Virgin was ever united to her Divine Son by interior\nspiritual communications; she was, therefore, fully aware of all that\nhappened to him--she suffered with him, and joined in his continual prayer\nfor his murderers. But her maternal feelings prompted her to supplicate\nAlmighty God most ardently not to suffer the crime to be completed, and\nto save her Son from such dreadful torments. She eagerly desired to\nreturn to him; and when John, who had left the tribunal at the moment\nthe frightful cry, 'He is guilty of death,' was raised, came to the house\nof Lazarus to see after her, and to relate the particulars of the\ndreadful scene he had just witnessed, she, as also Magdalen and some of\nthe other holy women, begged to be taken to the place where Jesus was\nsuffering. John, who had only left our Saviour in order to console her\nwhom he loved best next to his Divine Master, instantly acceded to\ntheir request, and conducted them through the streets, which were\nlighted up by the moon alone, and crowded with persons hastening to\ntheir home. The holy women were closely veiled; but the sobs which they\ncould not restrain made many who passed by observe them, and their\nfeelings were harrowed by the abusive epithets they overheard bestowed\nupon Jesus by those who were conversing on the subject of his arrest.\nThe Blessed Virgin, who ever beheld in spirit the opprobrious treatment\nwhich her dear Son was receiving, continued 'to lay up all these things\nin her heart;' like him she suffered in silence; but more than once she\nbecame totally unconscious. Some disciples of Jesus, who were returning\nfrom the hall of Caiphas, saw her fainting in the arms of the holy\nwomen, and, touched with pity, stopped to look at her compassionately,\nand saluted her in these words: 'Hail! Unhappy Mother--hail, Mother of the\nMost Holy One of Israel, the most afflicted of all mothers!' Mary raised\nher head, thanked them gratefully, and continued her sad journey.\n\nWhen in the vicinity of Caiphas's house, their grief was renewed by\nthe sight of a group of men who were busily occupied under a tent,\nmaking the cross ready for our Lord's crucifixion. The enemies of Jesus\nhad given orders that the cross should be prepared directly after his\narrest, that they might without delay execute the sentence which they\nhoped to persuade Pilate to pass on him. The Romans had already\nprepared the crosses of the two thieves, and the workmen who were\nmaking that of Jesus were much annoyed at being obliged to labour at it\nduring the night; they did not attempt to conceal their anger at this,\nand uttered the most frightful oaths and curses, which pierced the\nheart of the tender Mother of Jesus through and through; but she prayed\nfor these blind creatures who thus unknowingly blasphemed the Saviour\nwho was about to die for their salvation, and prepared the cross for\nhis cruel execution.\n\nMary, John, and the holy women traversed the outer court attached to\nCaiphas's house. They stopped under the archway of a door which opened\ninto the inner court. Mary's heart was with her Divine Son, and she\ndesired most ardently to see this door opened, that she might again\nhave a chance of beholding him, for she knew that it alone separated\nher from the prison where he was confined. The door was at length\nopened, and Peter rushed out, his face covered with his mantle,\nwringing his hands, and weeping bitterly. By the light of the torches\nhe soon recognised John and the Blessed Virgin, but the sight of them\nonly renewed those dreadful feelings of remorse which the look of Jesus\nhad awakened in his breast. Mary approached him instantly, and said,\n'Simon, tell me, I entreat you, what is become of Jesus, my Son?' These\nwords pierced his very heart; he could not even look at her, but turned\naway, and again wrung his hands. Mary drew close to him, and said in a\nvoice trembling with emotion: 'Simon, son of John, why dost thou not\nanswer me?'--Mother!' exclaimed Peter, in a dejected tone, 'O, Mother, speak not\nto me--thy Son is suffering more than words can express: speak not to me!\nThey have condemned him to death, and I have denied him three times.'\nJohn came up to ask a few more questions, but Peter ran out of the\ncourt as if beside himself, and did not stop for a single moment until\nhe reached the cave at Mount Olivet--that cave on the stones of which the\nimpression of the hands of our Saviour had been miraculously left. I\nbelieve it is the cave in which Adam took refuge to weep after his fall.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin was inexpressibly grieved at hearing of the fresh\npang inflicted on the loving heart of her Divine Son, the pang of\nhearing himself denied by that disciple who had first acknowledged him\nas the Son of the Living God; she was unable to support herself, and\nfell down on the door-stone, upon which the impression of her feet and\nhands remains to the present day. I have seen the stones, which are\npreserved somewhere, but I cannot at this moment remember where. The\ndoor was not again shut, for the crowd was dispersing, and when the\nBlessed Virgin came to herself, she begged to be taken to some place as\nnear as possible to her Divine Son. John, therefore, led her and the\nholy women to the front of the prison where Jesus was confined. Mary\nwas with Jesus in spirit, and Jesus was with her; but this loving\nMother wished to hear with her own ear the voice of her Divine Son. She\nlistened and heard not only his moans, but also the abusive language of\nthose around him. It was impossible for the holy women to remain in the\ncourt any longer without attracting attention. The grief of Magdalen\nwas so violent that she was unable to conceal it; and although the\nBlessed Virgin, by a special grace from Almighty God, maintained a calm\nand dignified exterior in the midst of her sufferings, yet even she was\nrecognised, and overheard harsh words, such as these: 'Is not that the\nMother of the Galilean? Her Son will most certainly be executed, but\nnot before the festival, unless, indeed, he is the greatest of\ncriminals.'\n\nThe Blessed Virgin left the court, and went up to the fireplace in\nthe vestibule, where a certain number of persons were still standing.\nWhen she reached the spot where Jesus had said that he was the Son of\nGod, and the wicked Jews cried out, 'He is guilty of death,' she again\nfainted, and John and the holy women carried her away, in appearance\nmore like a corpse than a living person. The bystanders said not a\nword; they seemed struck with astonishment, and silence, such as might\nhave been produced in hell by the passage of a celestial being, reigned\nin that vestibule.\n\nThe holy women again passed the place where the cross was being\nprepared; the workmen appeared to find as much difficulty in completing\nit as the judges had found in pronouncing sentence, and were obliged to\nfetch fresh wood every moment, for some bits would not fit, and others\nsplit; this continued until the different species of wood were placed\nin the cross according to the intentions of Divine Providence. I saw\nangels who obliged these men to recommence their work, and who would\nnot let them rest, until all was accomplished in a proper manner; but\nmy remembrance of this vision is indistinct.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nJesus confined in the subterranean Prison.\n\n\n\nThe Jews, having quite exhausted their barbarity, shut Jesus up in a\nlittle vaulted prison, the remains of which subsist to this day. Two of\nthe archers alone remained with him, and they were soon replaced by two\nothers. He was still clothed in the old dirty mantle, and covered with\nthe spittle and other filth which they had thrown over him; for they\nhad not allowed him to put on his own clothes again, but kept his hands\ntightly bound together.\n\nWhen our Lord entered this prison, he prayed most fervently that his\nHeavenly Father would accept all that he had already suffered, and all\nthat he was about to suffer, as an expiatory sacrifice, not only for\nhis executioners, but likewise for all who in future ages might have to\nsuffer torments such as he was about to endure, and be tempted to\nimpatience or anger.\n\nThe enemies of our Lord did not allow him a moment's respite, even in\nthis dreary prison, but tied him to a pillar which stood in the centre,\nand would not allow him to lean upon it, although he was so exhausted\nfrom ill treatment, the weight of his chains, and his numerous falls,\nthat he could scarcely support himself on his swollen and torn feet.\nNever for a moment did they cease insulting him; and when the first set\nwere tired out, others replaced them.\n\nIt is quite impossible to describe all that the Holy of Holies\nsuffered from these heartless beings; for the sight affected me so\nexcessively that I became really ill, and I felt as if I could not\nsurvive it. We ought, indeed, to be ashamed of that weakness and\nsusceptibility which renders us unable to listen composedly to the\ndescriptions, or speak without repugnance, of those sufferings which\nour Lord endured so calmly and patiently for our salvation. The horror\nwe feel is as great as that of a murderer who is forced to place his\nhands upon the wound he himself has inflicted on his victim. Jesus\nendured all without opening his mouth; and it was man, sinful man, who\nperpetrated all these outrages against one who was at once their\nBrother, their Redeemer, and their God. I, too, am a great sinner, and\nmy sins cause these sufferings. At the day of judgment, when the most\nhidden things will be manifested, we shall see the share we have had in\nthe torments endured by the Son of God; we shall see how far we have\ncaused them by the sins we so frequently commit, and which are, in\nfact, a species of consent which we give to, and a participation in,\nthe tortures which were inflicted on Jesus by his cruel enemies. If,\nalas! we reflected seriously on this, we should repeat with much\ngreater fervour the words which we find so often in prayer books: 'Lord,\ngrant that I may die, rather than ever wilfully offend thee again by\nsin.'\n\nJesus continued to pray for his enemies, and they being at last\ntired out left him in peace for a short time, when he leaned against\nthe pillar to rest, and a bright light shone around him. The day was\nbeginning to dawn,--the day of his Passion, of our Redemption,--and a faint\nray penetrating the narrow vent-hole of the prison, fell upon the holy\nand immaculate Lamb, who had taken upon himself the sins of the world.\nJesus turned towards the ray of light, raised his fettered hands, and,\nin the most touching manner, returned thanks to his Heavenly Father for\nthe dawn of that day, which had been so long desired by the prophets,\nand for which he himself had so ardently sighed from the moment of his\nbirth on earth, and concerning which he had said to his disciples, 'I\nhave a baptism wherewith I am to be baptised, and how am I straitened\nuntil it be accomplished!' I prayed with him; but I cannot give the words\nof his prayer, for I was so completely overcome, and touched to hear\nhim return thanks to his Father for the terrible sufferings which he\nhad already endured for me, and for the still greater which he was\nabout to endure. I could only repeat over and over with the greatest\nfervour, 'Lord, I beseech thee, give me these sufferings: they belong to\nme: I have deserved them in punishment for my sins.' I was quite\noverwhelmed with feelings of love and compassion when I looked upon him\nthus welcoming the first dawn of the great day of his Sacrifice, and\nthat ray of light which penetrated into his prison might, indeed, be\ncompared to the visit of a judge who wishes to be reconciled to a\ncriminal before the sentence of death which he has pronounced upon him\nis executed.\n\nThe archers, who were dozing, woke up for a moment, and looked at\nhim with surprise: they said nothing, but appeared to be somewhat\nastonished and frightened. Our Divine Lord was confined in this prison\nan hour, or thereabouts.\n\nWhilst Jesus was in this dungeon, Judas, who had been wandering up\nand down the valley of Hinnom like a madman, directed his step towards\nthe house of Caiphas, with the thirty pieces of silver, the reward of\nhis treachery, still hanging to his waist. All was silent around, and\nhe addressed himself to some of the sentinels, without letting them\nknow who he was, and asked what was going to be done to the Galilean. 'He\nhas been condemned to death, and he will certainly be crucified,' was the\nreply. Judas walked to and fro, and listened to the different\nconversations which were held concerning Jesus. Some spoke of the cruel\ntreatment he had received, other of his astonishing patience, while\nothers, again discoursed concerning the solemn trial which was to take\nplace in the morning before the great Council. Whilst the traitor was\nlistening eagerly to the different opinions given, day dawned; the\nmembers of the tribunal commenced their preparations, and Judas slunk\nbehind the building that he might not be seen, for like Cain he sought\nto hide himself from human eyes, and despair was beginning to take\npossession of his soul. The place in which he took refuge happened to\nbe the very spot where the workmen had been preparing the wood for\nmaking the cross of our Lord; all was in readiness, and the men were\nasleep by its side. Judas was filled with horror at the sight: he\nshuddered and fled when he beheld the instrument of that cruel death to\nwhich for a paltry sum of money he had delivered up his Lord and\nMaster; he ran to and fro in perfect agonies of remorse, and finally\nhid himself in an adjoining cave, where he determined to await the\ntrial which was to take place in the morning.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nThe Morning Trial.\n\n\n\nCaiphas, Annas, the ancients, and the scribes assembled in the\nmorning in the great hall of the tribunal, to have a legal trial, as\nmeetings at night were not lawful, and could only be looked upon in the\nlight of preparatory audiences. The majority of the members had slept\nin the house of Caiphas, where beds had been prepared for them, but\nsome, and among them Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, had gone home,\nand returned at the dawn of day. The meeting was crowded, and the\nmembers commenced their operations in the most hurried manner possible.\nThey wished to condemn Jesus to death at once, but Nicodemus, Joseph,\nand some others opposed their wishes and demanded that the decision\nshould be deferred until after the festival, for fear of causing an\ninsurrection among the people, maintaining likewise that no criminal\ncould be justly condemned upon charges which were not proved, and that\nin the case now before them all the witnesses contradicted one another.\nThe High Priests and their adherents became very angry, and told Joseph\nand Nicodemus, in plain terms, that they were not surprised at their\nexpressing displeasure at what had been done, because they were\nthemselves partisans of the Galilean and his doctrines, and were\nfearful of being convicted. The High Priest even went so far as to\nendeavour to exclude from the Council all those members who were in the\nlightest degree favourable to Jesus. These members protested that they\nwashed their hands of all the future proceedings of the Council, and\nleaving the room went to the Temple, and from this day never again took\ntheir seats in the Council. Caiphas then ordered the guards to bring\nJesus once more into his presence, and to prepare everything for taking\nhim to Pilate's court directly he should have pronounced sentence. The\nemissaries of the Council hurried off to the prison, and with their\nusual brutality untied the hands of Jesus, dragged off the old mantle\nwhich they had thrown over his shoulders, made him put on his own\nsoiled garment, and having fastened ropes round his waist, dragged him\nout of the prison. The appearance of Jesus, when he passed through the\nmidst of the crowd who were already assembled in the front of the\nhouse, was that of a victim led to be sacrificed; his countenance was\ntotally changed and disfigured from ill-usage, and his garments stained\nand torn; but the sight of his sufferings, far from exciting a feeling\nof compassion in the hard hearted Jews, simply filled them with\ndisgust, and increased their rage. Pity was, indeed, a feeling unknown\nin their cruel breasts.\n\nCaiphas, who did not make the slightest effort to conceal his\nhatred, addressed our Lord haughtily in these words: 'If thou be Christ ,\ntell us plainly.' Then Jesus raised his head, and answered with great\ndignity and calmness, 'If I shall tell you, you will not believe me; and\nif I shall also ask you, you will not answer me, or let me go. But\nhereafter the Son of Man shall be sitting on the right hand of the\npower of God.' The High Priests looked at one another, and said to Jesus,\nwith a disdainful laugh, 'Art thou, then, the Son of God?' And Jesus\nanswered, with the voice of eternal truth, 'You say that I am.' At these\nwords they all exclaimed, 'What need we any further testimony? For we\nourselves have heard it from his own mouth.'\n\n They all arose instantly and vied with each other as to who should\nheap the most abusive epithets upon Jesus, whom they termed a low-born\nmiscreant, who aspired to being their Messiah, and pretended to be\nentitled to sit at the right hand of God. They ordered the archers to\ntie his hands again, and to fasten a chain round his neck (this was\nusually done to criminals condemned to death), and they then prepared\nto conduct him to Pilate's hall, where a messenger had already been\ndispatched to beg him to have all in readiness for trying a criminal,\nas it was necessary to make no delay on account of the festival day.\n\nThe Jewish Priests murmured among themselves at being obliged to\napply to the Roman governor for the confirmation of their sentence, but\nit was necessary, as they had not the right of condemning criminals\nexcepting for things which concerned religion and the Temple alone, and\nthey could not pass a sentence of death. They wished to prove that\nJesus was an enemy to the emperor, and this accusation concerned those\ndepartments which were under Pilate's jurisdiction. The soldiers were all\nstanding in front of the house, surrounded by a large body of the\nenemies of Jesus, and of common persons attracted by curiosity. The\nHigh Priests and a part of the Council walked at the head of the\nprocession, and Jesus, led by archers, and guarded by soldiers,\nfollowed, while the mob brought up the rear. They were obliged to\ndescend Mount Sion, and cross a part of the lower town to reach Pilate's\npalace, and many priests who had attended the Council went to the\nTemple directly afterwards, as it was necessary to prepare for the\nfestival.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nThe Despair of Judas\n\n\n\nWhilst the Jews were conducting Jesus to Pilate, the traitor Judas\nwalked about listening to the conversation of the crowd who followed,\nand his ears were struck by words such as these: 'They are taking him\nbefore Pilate; the High Priests have condemned the Galilean to death;\nhe will be crucified; they will accomplish his death; he has been\nalready dreadfully illtreated; his patience is wonderful, he answers\nnot; his only words are that he is the Messiah, and that he will be\nseated at the right hand of God; they will crucify him on account of\nthose words; had he not said them they could not have condemned him to\ndeath. The miscreant who sold him was one of his disciples; and had a\nshort time before eaten the Paschal lamb with him; not for worlds would\nI have had to do with such an act; however guilty the Galilean may be,\nhe has not at all events sold his friend for money; such an infamous\ncharacter as this disciple is infinitely more deserving of death.' Then,\nbut too late, anguish, despair, and remorse took possession of the mind\nof Judas. Satan instantly prompted him to fly. He fled as if a thousand\nfuries were at his heel, and the bag which was hanging at his side\nstruck him as he ran, and propelled him as a spur from hell; but he\ntook it into his hand to prevent its blows. He fled as fast as\npossible, but where did he fly? Not towards the crowd, that he might\ncast himself at the feet of Jesus, his merciful Saviour, implore his\npardon, and beg do die with him,--not to confess his fault with true\nrepentance before God, but to endeavour to unburden himself before the\nworld of his crime, and of the price of his treachery. He ran like one\nbeside himself into the Temple, where several members of the Council\nhad gathered together after the judgment of Jesus. They looked at one\nanother with astonishment; and then turned their haughty countenances,\non which a smile of irony was visible, upon Judas. He with a frantic\ngesture tore the thirty pieces of silver from his side, and holding\nthem forth with his right hand, exclaimed in accents of the most deep\ndespair, 'Take back your silver--that silver with which you bribed me to\nbetray this just man; take back your silver; release Jesus; our compact\nis at an end; I have sinned grievously, for I have betrayed innocent\nblood.' The priests answered him in the most contemptuous manner, and, as\nif fearful of contaminating themselves by the contact of the reward of\nthe traitor, would not touch the silver he tended, but replied, 'What\nhave we to do with thy sin? If thou thinkest to have sold innocent\nblood, it is thine own affair; we know what we have paid for, and we\nhave judged him worthy of death. Thou hast thy money, say no more.' They\naddressed these words to him in the abrupt tone in which men usually\nspeak when anxious to get rid of a troublesome person, and instantly\narose and walked away. These words filled Judas with such rage and\ndespair that he became almost frantic: his hair stood on end on his\nhead; he rent in two the bag which contained the thirty pieces of\nsilver, cast them down in the Temple, and fled to the outskirts of the\ntown.\n\nI again beheld him rushing to and fro like a madman in the valley of\nHinnom: Satan was by his side in a hideous form, whispering in his ear,\nto endeavour to drive him to despair, all the curses which the prophets\nhad hurled upon this valley, where the Jews formerly sacrificed their\nchildren to idols.\n\nIt appeared as if all these maledictions were directed against him,\nas in these words, for instance: 'They shall go forth, and behold the\ncarcases of those who have sinned against me, whose worm dieth not, and\nwhore fires shall never be extinguished.' Then the devil murmured in his\nears, 'Cain, where is thy brother Abel? What hast thou done?--his blood\ncries to me for vengeance: thou art cursed upon earth, a wanderer for\never.' When he reached the torrent of Cedron, and saw Mount Olivet, he\nshuddered, turned away, and again the words vibrated in his ear, 'Friend,\nwhereto art thou come? Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a\nkiss?' Horror filled his soul, his head began to wander, and the arch\nfiend again whispered, 'It was here that David crossed the Cedron when he\nfled from Absalom. Absalom put an end to his life by hanging himself.\nIt was of thee that David spoke when he said: \"And they repaid me evil\nfor good; hatred for my love. May the devil stand at his right hand;\nwhen he is judged, may he go out condemned. May his days be few, and\nhis bishopric let another take. May the iniquity of his father be\nremembered in the sight of the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother\nbe blotted out, because he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted\nthe poor man and the beggar and the broken in heart, to put him to\ndeath. And he loved cursing, and it shall come unto him. And he put on\ncursing like a garment, and it went in like water into his entrails,\nand like oil into his bones. May it be unto him like a garment which\ncovereth him; and like a girdle, with which he is girded continually.\"\nOvercome by these terrible thoughts Judas rushed on, and reached the\nfoot of the mountain. It was a dreary, desolate spot filled with\nrubbish and putrid remains; discordant sounds from the city\nreverberated in his ears, and Satan continually repeated, 'They are now\nabout to put him to death; thou has sold him. Knowest thou not the\nwords of the law, \"He who sells a soul among his brethren, and receives\nthe price of it, let him die the death\"? Put an end to thy misery,\nwretched one; put an end to thy misery.' Overcome by despair Judas tore\noff his girdle, and hung himself on a tree which grew in a crevice of\nthe rock, and after death his body burst asunder, and his bowels were\nscattered around.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nJesus is taken before Pilate.\n\n\n\nThe malicious enemies of our Saviour led him through the most public\npart of the town to take him before Pilate. The procession wended its\nway slowly down the north side of the mountain of Sion, then passed\nthrough that section on the eastern side of the Temple, called Acre,\ntowards the palace and tribunal of Pilate, which were seated on the\nnorth-west side of the Temple, facing a large square. Caiphas, Annas,\nand many others of the Chief Council, walked first in festival attire;\nthey were followed by a multitude of scribes and many other Jews, among\nwhom were the false witnesses, and the wicked Pharisees who had taken\nthe most prominent part in accusing Jesus. Our Lord followed at a short\ndistance; he was surrounded by a band of soldiers, and led by the\narchers. The multitude thronged on all sides and followed the\nprocession, thundering forth the most fearful oaths and imprecations,\nwhile groups of persons were hurrying to and fro, pushing and jostling\none another. Jesus was stripped of all save his under garment, which\nwas stained and soiled by the filth which had been flung upon it; a\nlong chain was hanging round his neck, which struck his knees as he\nwalked; his hands were pinioned as on the previous day, and the archers\ndragged him by the ropes which were fastened round his waist. He\ntottered rather than walked, and was almost unrecognisable from the\neffects of his sufferings during the night;--he was colourless, haggard,\nhis face swollen and even bleeding, and his merciless persecutors\ncontinued to torment him each moment more and more. They had gathered\ntogether a large body of the dregs of the people, in order to make his\npresent disgraceful entrance into the city a parody on his triumphal\nentrance on Palm Sunday. They mocked, and with derisive gestures called\nhim king, and tossed in his path stones, bits of wood; and filthy rags;\nthey made game of, and by a thousand taunting speeches mocked him,\nduring this pretended triumphal entry.\n\nIn the corner of a building, not far from the house of Caiphas, the\nafflicted Mother of Jesus, with John and Magdalen, stood watching for\nhim. Her soul was ever united to his; but propelled by her love, she\nleft no means untried which could enable her really to approach him.\nShe remained at the Cenacle for some time after her midnight visit to\nthe tribunal of Caiphas, powerless and speechless from grief; but when\nJesus was dragged forth from his prison, to be again brought before his\njudges, she arose, cast her veil and cloak about her, and said to\nMagdalen and John: 'Let us follow my Son to Pilate's court; I must again\nlook upon him.' They went to a place through which the procession must\npass, and waited for it. The Mother of Jesus knew that her Son was\nsuffering dreadfully, but never could she have conceived the\ndeplorable, the heartrending condition to which he was reduced by the\nbrutality of his enemies. Her imagination had depicted him to her as\nsuffering fearfully, but yet supported and illuminated by sanctity,\nlove, and patience. Now, however, the sad reality burst upon her. First\nin the procession appeared the priests, those most bitter enemies of\nher Divine Son. They were decked in flowing robes; but at, terrible to\nsay, instead of appearing resplendent in their character of priests of\nthe Most High, they were transformed into priests of Satan, for no one\ncould look upon their wicked countenances without beholding there,\nportrayed in vivid colours, the evil passions with which their souls\nwere filled--deceit, infernal cunning, and a raging anxiety to carry out\nthat most tremendous of crimes, the death of their Lord and Saviour,\nthe only Son of God. Next followed the false witnesses, his perfidious\naccusers, surrounded by the vociferating populace; and last of\nall--himself--her Son--Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, loaded with\nchains, scarcely able to support himself, but pitilessly dragged on by\nhis infernal enemies, receiving blows from some, buffets from others,\nand from the whole assembled rabble curses, abuse, and the most\nscurrilous language. He would have been perfectly unrecognisable even\nto her maternal eyes, stripped as he was of all save a torn remnant of\nhis garment, had she not instantly marked the contrast between his\nbehaviour and that of his vile tormentors. He alone in the midst of\npersecution and suffering looked calm and resigned, and far from\nreturning blow for blow, never raised his hands but in acts of\nsupplication to his Eternal Father for the pardon of his enemies. As he\napproached, she was unable to restrain herself any longer, but\nexclaimed in thrilling accents: 'Alas! is that my Son? Ah, yes! I see\nthat it is my beloved Son. O, Jesus, my Jesus!' When the procession was\nalmost opposite, Jesus looked upon her with an expression of the\ngreatest love and compassion; this look was too much for the\nheartbroken mother: she became for the moment totally unconscious, and\nJohn and Magdalen endeavoured to carry her home, but she quickly roused\nherself, and accompanied the beloved disciple to Pilate's house.\n\nThe inhabitants of the town of Ophel were all gathered together in\nan open space to meet Jesus, but far from administering comfort, they\nadded a fresh ingredient to his cup of sorrow; they inflicted upon him\nthat sharp pang which must ever be felt by those who see their friends\nabandon them in the hour of adversity. Jesus had done much for the\ninhabitants of Ophel, but no sooner did they see him reduced to such a\nstate of misery and degradation, than their faith was shaken; they\ncould no longer believe him to be a king, a prophet, the Messiah, and\nthe Son of God. The Pharisees jeered and made game of them, on account\nof the admiration they had formerly expressed for Jesus. 'Look at your\nking now,' they exclaimed; 'do homage to him; have you no congratulations\nto offer him now that he is about to be crowned , and seated on his\nthrone? All his boasted miracles are at an end; the High Priest has put\nan end to his tricks and witchcraft.'\n\nNotwithstanding the remembrance which these poor people had of the\nmiracles and wonderful cures which had been performed under their very\neyes by Jesus; notwithstanding the great benefits he had bestowed upon\nthem, their faith was shaken by beholding him thus derided and pointed\nout as an object of contempt by the High Priest and the members of the\nSanhedrin, who were regarded in Jerusalem with the greatest veneration.\nSome went away doubting, while others remained and endeavoured to join\nthe rabble, but they were prevented by the guards, who had been sent by\nthe Pharisees, to prevent riots and confusion.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nDescription of Pilate's Palace and the adjacent Buildings.\n\n\n\nThe palace of the Roman governor, Pilate, was built on the\nnorth-west side of the mountain on which the Temple stood, and to reach\nit persons were obliged to ascend a flight of marble steps. It\noverlooked a large square surrounded by a colonnade, under which the\nmerchants sat to sell their various commodities. A parapet, and an\nentrance at the north, south, east, and west sides alone broke the\nuniformity of this part of the market-place, which was called the\nforum, and built on higher ground than the adjacent streets, which\nsloped down from it. The palace of Pilate was not quite close, but\nseparated by a large court, the entrance to which at the eastern side\nwas through a high arch facing a street leading to the door called the\n'Probatica,' on the road to the Mount of Olives. The southern entrance was\nthrough another arch, which leads to Sion, in the neighbourhood of the\nfortress of Acre. From the top of the marble steps of Pilate's palace,\na person could see across the court as far as the forum, at the\nentrance of which a few columns and stone seats were placed. It was at\nthese seats that the Jewish priests stopped, in order not to defile\nthemselves by entering the tribunal of Pilate, a line traced on the\npavement of the court indicating the precise boundary beyond which they\ncould not pass without incurring defilement. There was a large parapet\nnear the western entrance, supported by the sides of Pilate's\nPraetorium, which formed a species of porch between it and the square.\nThat part of Pilate's palace which he made use of when acting in the\ncapacity of judge, was called the Praetorium. A number of columns\nsurrounded the parapet of which we have just spoken, and in the centre\nwas an uncovered portion, containing an underground part, where the two\nthieves condemned to be crucified with our Lord were confined, and this\npart was filled with Roman soldiers. The pillar upon which our Lord was\nscourged was placed on the forum itself, not far from this parapet and\nthe colonnade. There were many other columns in this place; those\nnearest to the palace were made use of for the infliction of various\ncorporal punishments, and the others served as posts to which were\nfastened the beasts brought for sale. Upon the forum itself, opposite\nthis building, was a platform filled with seats made of stone; and from\nthis platform, which was called Gabbatha, Pilate was accustomed to\npronounce sentence on great criminals. The marble staircase ascended by\npersons going to the governor's palace led likewise to an uncovered\nterrace, and it was from this terrace that Pilate gave audience to the\npriests and Pharisees, when they brought forward their accusations\nagainst Jesus. They all stood before him in the forum, and refused to\nadvance further than the stone seats before mentioned. A person\nspeaking in a loud tone of voice from the terrace could be easily heard\nby those in the forum.\n\nBehind Pilate's palace there were many other terraces, and likewise\ngardens, and a country house. The gardens were between the palace of\nthe governor and the dwelling of his wife, Claudia Procles. A large\nmoat separated these buildings from the mountain on which the Temple\nstood, and on this side might be seen the houses inhabited by those who\nserved in the Temple. The palace of Herod the elder was placed on the\neastern side of Pilate's palace; and it was in its inner court that\nnumbers of the Innocents were massacred. At present the appearance of\nthese two buildings is a little altered, as their entrances are\nchanged. Four of the principal streets commenced at this part of the\ntown, and ran in a southerly direction, three leading to the forum and\nPilate's palace, and the fourth to the gate through which persons\npassed on their way to Bethsur. The beautiful house which belonged to\nLazarus, and likewise that of Martha, were in a prominent part of this\nstreet.\n\nOne of these streets was very near to the Temple, and began at the\ngate which was called Probatica. The pool of Probatica was close to\nthis gate on the right hand side, and in this pool the sheep were\nwashed for the first time, before being taken to the Temple; while the\nsecond and more solemn washing took place in the pool of Bethsaida,\nwhich is near the south entrance to the Temple. The second of the\nabove-mentioned streets contained a house belonging to St. Anna, the\nmother of the Blessed Virgin, which she usually inhabited when she came\nup to Jerusalem with her family to offer sacrifice in the Temple. I\nbelieve it was in this house that the espousals of St. Joseph and the\nBlessed Virgin were celebrated.\n\nThe forum, as I have already explained, was built on higher ground\nthan the neighbouring streets, and the aqueducts which ran through\nthese streets flowed into the Probatica pool. On Mount Sion, directly\nopposite to the old castle of King David, stood a building very similar\nto the forum, while to the south-east might be seen the Cenacle, and a\nlittle towards the north the tribunals of Annas and Caiphas. King David's\ncastle was a deserted fortress, filled with courts, empty rooms, and\nstables, generally let to travellers. It had long been in this state of\nruin, certainly before the time of our Lord's nativity. I saw the Magi\nwith their numerous retinue enter it before going into Jerusalem.\n\nWhen in meditation I behold the ruins of old castles and temples,\nsee their neglected and forlorn state, and reflect on the uses to which\nthey are now put, so different from the intentions of those who raised\nthem, my mind always reverts to the events of our own days, when so\nmany of the beautiful edifices erected by our pious and zealous\nancestors are either destroyed, defaced, or used for worldly, if not\nwicked purposes. The little church of our convent, in which our Lord\ndeigned to dwell, notwithstanding our unworthiness, and which was to me\na paradise upon earth, is now without either roof or windows, and all\nthe monuments are effaced or carried away. Our beloved convent, too,\nwhat will be done with it in a short time? That convent, where I was\nmore happy in my little cell with my broken chair, than a king could be\non his throne, for from its window I beheld that part of the church\nwhich contained the Blessed Sacrament. In a few years, perhaps, no one\nwill know that it ever existed,--no one will know that it once contained\nhundreds of souls consecrated to God, who spent their days in imploring\nhis mercy upon sinners. But God will know all, he never forgets,--the past\nand the future are equally present to him. He it is who reveals to me\nevents which took place so long ago, and on the day of judgment, when\nall must be accounted for, and every debt paid, even to the farthing,\nhe will remember both the good and the evil deeds performed in places\nlong since forgotten. With God there is no exception of persons or\nplaces, his eyes see all, even the Vineyard of Naboth. It is a\ntradition among us that our convent was originally founded by two poor\nnuns, whose worldly possessions consisted in a jar of oil and a sack of\nbeans. On the last day God will reward them for the manner in which\nthey put out this small talent to interest, and for the large harvest\nwhich they reaped and presented to him. It is often said that poor\nsouls remain in purgatory in punishment for what appears to us so small\na crime as not having made restitution of a few coppers of which they\nhad unlawful possession. May God therefore have mercy upon those who\nhave seized the property of the poor, or of the Church.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nJesus before Pilate.\n\n\n\nIt was about eight in the morning, according to our method of\ncounting time, when the procession reached the palace of Pilate. Annas,\nCaiphas, and the chiefs of the Sanhedrin stopped at a part between the\nforum and the entrance to the Praetorium, where some stone seats were\nplaced for them. The brutal guards dragged Jesus to the foot of the\nflight of stairs which led to the judgment-seat of Pilate. Pilate was\nreposing in a comfortable chair, on a terrace which overlooked the\nforum, and a small three-legged table stood by his side, on which was\nplaced the insignia of his office, and a few other things. He was\nsurrounded by officers and soldiers dressed with the magnificence usual\nin the Roman army. The Jews and the priests did not enter the\nPraetorium, for fear of defiling themselves, but remained outside.\n\nWhen Pilate saw the tumultuous procession enter, and perceived how\nshamefully the cruel Jews had treated their prisoner, he arose, and\naddressed them in a tone as contemptuous as could have been assumed by\na victorious general towards the vanquished chief of some insignificant\nvillage: 'What are you come about so early? Why have you illtreated this\nprisoner so shamefully? Is it not possible to refrain from thus tearing\nto pieces and beginning to execute your criminals even before they are\njudged?' They made no answer, but shouted out to the guards, 'Bring him\non--bring him to be judged!' and then, turning to Pilate, they said, 'Listen\nto our accusations against this malefactor; for we cannot enter the\ntribunal lest we defile ourselves.' Scarcely had they finished these\nwords; when a voice was heard to issue from the midst of the dense\nmultitude; it proceeded from a venerable-looking old man, of imposing\nstature, who exclaimed, 'You are right in not entering the Praetorium,\nfor it has been sanctified by the blood of Innocents; there is but one\nPerson who has a right to enter, and who alone can enter, because he\nalone is pure as the Innocents who were massacred there.' The person who\nuttered these words in a loud voice, and then disappeared among the\ncrowd, was a rich man of the name of Zadoc, first-cousin to Obed, the\nhusband of Veronica; two of his children were among the Innocents whom\nHerod had caused to be butchered at the birth of our Saviour. Since\nthat dreadful moment he had given up the world, and, together with his\nwife, followed the rules of the Essenians. He had once seen our Saviour\nat the house of Lazarus, and there heard him discourse, and the sight\nof the barbarous manner in which he was dragged before Pilate recalled\nto his mind all he himself had suffered when his babes were so cruelly\nmurdered before his eyes, and he determined to give this public\ntestimony of his belief in the innocence of Jesus. The persecutors of\nour Lord were far too provoked at the haughty manner which Pilate\nassumed towards them, and at the humble position they were obliged to\noccupy, to take any notice of the words of a stranger.\n\nThe brutal guards dragged our Lord up the marble staircase, and led\nhim to the end of the terrace, from whence Pilate was conferring with\nthe Jewish priests. The Roman governor had often heard of Jesus,\nalthough he had never seen him, and now he was perfectly astonished at\nthe calm dignity of department of a man brought before him in so\npitiable a condition. The inhuman behaviour of the priests and ancients\nboth exasperated him and increased his contempt for them, and he\ninformed them pretty quickly that the had not the slightest intention\nof condemning Jesus without satisfactory proofs of the truth of their\naccusation. 'What accusation do you bring against this man?' said he,\naddressing the priests in the most scornful tone possible. 'If he were\nnot a malefactor we would not have delivered him up to thee,' replied the\npriests sullenly. 'Take him,' said Pilate, 'and judge you him according to\nyour law.' 'Thou knowest well,' replied they, 'that it is not lawful for us to\ncondemn any man to death.' The enemies of Jesus were furious--they wished to\nhave the trial finished off, and their victim executed as quickly as\npossible, that they might be ready at the festival-day to sacrifice the\nPaschal lamb, not knowing, miserable wretches as they were, that he\nwhom they had dragged before the tribunal of an idolatrous judge (into\nwhose house they would not enter, for fear of defiling themselves\nbefore partaking of the figurative victim), that he, and he alone, was\nthe true Paschal Lamb, of which the other was only the shadow.\n\nPilate, however, at last ordered them to produce their accusations.\nThese accusations were three in number, and they brought forward ten\nwitnesses to attest the truth of each. Their great aim was to make\nPilate believe that Jesus was the leader of a conspiracy against the\nemperor, in order that he might condemn him to death as a rebel. They\nthemselves were powerless in such matters, being allowed to judge none\nbut religious offences. Their first endeavour was to convict him of\nseducing the people, exciting them to rebellion, and of being an enemy\nto public peace and tranquillity. To prove these charges they brought\nforward some false witnesses, and declared likewise that he violated\nthe Sabbath, and even profaned it by curing the sick upon that day. At\nthis accusation Pilate interrupted them, and said in a jeering tone, 'It\nis very evident you were none of you ill yourselves--had you been so you\nwould not have complained of being cured on the Sabbath-day.' 'He seduces\nthe people, and inculcates the most disgusting doctrines. He even says,\nthat no person can attain eternal life unless they eat his flesh and\ndrink his blood.' Pilate was quite provoked at the intense hatred which\ntheir words and countenances expressed and, turning from them with a\nlook of scorn, exclaimed, 'You most certainly must wish to follow his\ndoctrines and to attain eternal life, for you are thirsting for both\nhis body and blood.'\n\nThe Jews then brought forward the second accusation against Jesus,\nwhich was that he forbad the people to pay tribute to the emperor.\nThese words roused the indignation of Pilate, as it was his place to\nsee that all the taxes were properly paid, and he exclaimed in an angry\ntone, 'That is a lie! I must know more about it than you.' This obliged the\nenemies of our Lord to proceed to the third accusation, which they did\nin words such as these: 'Although this man is of obscure birth, he is the\nchief of a large party. When at their head, he denounces curses upon\nJerusalem, and relates parables of double meaning concerning a king who\nis preparing a wedding feast for his son. The multitude whom he had\ngathered together on a mountain endeavoured once to make him their\nking; but it was sooner than he intended: his plans were not matured;\ntherefore he fled and hid himself. Latterly he has come forward much\nmore: it was but the other day that he entered Jerusalem at the head of\na tumultuous assembly, who by his orders made the people rend the air\nwith acclamations of \"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed be the empire\nof our Father David, which is now beginning.\" He obliges his partisans to\npay him regal honours, and tells them that he is the Christ, the\nAnointed of the Lord, the Messiah, the king promised to the Jews, and\nhe wishes to be addressed by these fine titles.' Then witnesses gave\ntestimony concerning these things. The last accusation--that of Jesus\ncausing himself to be called king--made some impression upon Pilate; he\nbecame a little thoughtful, left the terrace and, casting a\nscrutinising glance on Jesus, went into the adjoining apartment, and\nordered the guards to bring him alone into his presence. Pilate was not\nonly superstitious, but likewise extremely weak-minded and susceptible.\nHe had often, during the course of his pagan education, heard mention\nmade of sons of his gods who had dwelt for a time upon earth; he was\nlikewise fully aware that the Jewish prophets had long foretold that\none should appear in the midst of them who should be the Anointed of\nthe Lord, their Saviour, and Deliverer from slavery; and that many\namong the people believed this firmly. He remembered likewise that\nkings from the east had come to Herod, the predecessor of the present\nmonarch of that name, to pay homage to a newly-born king of the Jews,\nand that Herod had on this account given orders for the massacre of the\nInnocents. He had often heard of the traditions concerning the Messiah\nand the king of the Jews, and even examined them with some curiosity;\nalthough of course, being a pagan, without the slightest belief. Had he\nbelieved at all, he would probably have agreed with the Herodians, and\nwith those Jews who expected a powerful and victorious king. With such\nimpressions, the idea of the Jews accusing the poor miserable\nindividual whom they had brought into his presence of setting himself\nup as the promised king and Messiah, of course appeared to him absurd;\nbut as the enemies of Jesus brought forward these charges in proof of\ntreason against the emperor, he thought it proper to interrogate him\nprivately concerning them.\n\n'Art thou the king of the Jews,' said Pilate, looking at our Lord, and\nunable to repress his astonishment at the divine expression of his\ncountenance.\n\nJesus made answer, 'Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others\ntold it thee of me?'\n\nPilate was offended that Jesus should think it possible for him to\nbelieve such a thing, and answered, 'Am I a Jew? Thy own nation and the\nchief priests have delivered thee up to me as deserving of death: what\nhast thou done?'\n\nJesus answered majestically, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my\nkingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I\nshould not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from\nhence.'\n\nPilate was somewhat moved by these solemn words, and said to him in\na more serious tone, 'Art thou a king, then?'\n\nJesus answered, 'Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born,\nand for this I came into the world, that I should give testimony to the\ntruth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.'\n\n Pilate looked at him, and rising from his seat said, 'The truth! What\nis truth?'\n\nThey then exchanged a few more words, which I do not now remember,\nand Pilate returned to the terrace. The answers and deportment of Jesus\nwere far beyond his comprehension; but he saw plainly that his\nassumption of royalty would not clash with that of the emperor, for\nthat it was to no worldly kingdom that he laid claim; whereas the\nemperor cared for nothing beyond this world. He therefore again\naddressed the chief priests from the terrace, and said, 'I find no cause\nin him.' The enemies of Jesus became furious, and uttered a thousand\ndifferent accusations against our Saviour. But he remained silent,\nsolely occupied in praying for his base enemies, and replied not when\nPilate addressed him in these words, 'Answerest thou nothing? Behold in\nhow many things they accuse thee!' Pilate was filled with astonishment,\nand said, 'I see plainly that all they allege is false.' But his accusers,\nwhose anger continued to increase, cried out, 'You find no cause in him?\nIs it no crime to incite the people to revolt in all parts of the\nkingdom?--to spread his false doctrines, not only here, but in Galilee\nlikewise?'\n\nThe mention of Galilee made Pilate pause: he reflected for a moment,\nand then asked, 'Is this man a Galilean, and a subject of Herod's?' They made\nanswer, 'He is; his parents lived at Nazareth, and his present dwelling\nis in Capharnaum.'\n\n'Since that is the case,' replied Pilate, 'take him before Herod; he is\nhere for the festival, and can judge him at once, as he is his subject.'\nJesus was immediately led out of the tribunal, and Pilate dispatched an\nofficer to Herod, to inform him that Jesus of Nazareth, who was his\nsubject, was about to be brought to him to be judged. Pilate had two\nreasons for following this line of conduct; in the first place he was\ndelighted to escape having to pass sentence himself, as he felt very\nuncomfortable about the whole affair; and in the second place he was\nglad of an opportunity of pleasing Herod, with whom he had had a\ndisagreement, for he knew him to be very curious to see Jesus.\n\nThe enemies of our Lord were enraged at being thus dismissed by\nPilate in the presence of the whole multitude, and gave vent to their\nanger by ill-treating him even more than before. They pinioned him\nafresh, and then ceased not overwhelming him with curses and blows as\nthey led him hurriedly through the crowd, towards the palace of Herod,\nwhich was situated at no great distance from the forum. Some Roman\nsoldiers had joined the procession.\n\nDuring the time of the trial Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate,\nhad sent him frequent messages to intimate that she wished extremely to\nspeak to him; and when Jesus was sent to Herod, she placed herself on a\nbalcony and watched the cruel conduct of his enemies with mingled\nfeelings of fear, grief, and horror.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nThe Origin of the Way of the Cross.\n\n\n\nDuring the whole of the scene which we have just described, the\nMother of Jesus, with Magdalen and John, had stood in a recess in the\nforum: they were overwhelmed with the most bitter sorrow, which was but\nincreased by all they heard and saw. When Jesus was taken before Herod,\nJohn led the Blessed Virgin and Magdalen over the parts which had been\nsanctified by his footsteps. They again looked at the house of Caiphas,\nthat of Annas, Ophel, Gethsemani, and the Garden of Olives; they\nstopped and contemplated each spot where he had fallen, or where he had\nsuffered particularly; and they wept silently at the thought of all he\nhad undergone. The Blessed Virgin knelt down frequently and kissed the\nground where her Son had fallen, while Magdalen wrung her hands in\nbitter grief, and John, although he could not restrain his own tears,\nendeavoured to console his companions, supported and led them on. Thus\nwas the holy devotion of the 'Way of the Cross' first practised; thus were\nthe Mysteries of the Passion of Jesus first honoured, even before that\nPassion was accomplished, and the Blessed Virgin, that model of\nspotless purity, was the first to show forth the deep veneration felt\nby the Church for our dear Lord. How sweet and consoling to follow this\nImmaculate Mother, passing to and fro, and bedewing the sacred spots\nwith her tears. But, ah! Who can describe the sharp, sharp sword of\ngrief which then transfixed her tender soul? She who had once borne the\nSaviour of the world in her chaste womb, and suckled him for so long,--she\nwho had truly conceived him who was the Word of God, in God from all\neternity, and truly God,--she beneath whose heart, full of grace, he had\ndeigned to dwell nine months, who had felt him living within her before\nhe appeared among men to impart the blessing of salvation and teach\nthem his heavenly doctrines; she suffered with Jesus, sharing with him\nnot only the sufferings of his bitter Passion, but likewise that ardent\ndesire of redeeming fallen man by an ignominious death, which consumed\nhim.\n\nIn this touching manner did the most pure and holy Virgin lay the\nfoundation of the devotion called the Way of the Cross; thus at each\nstation, marked by the sufferings of her Son, did she lay up in her\nheart the inexhaustible merits of his Passion, and gather them up as\nprecious stones or sweet-scented flowers to be presented as a choice\noffering to the Eternal Father in behalf of all true believers. The\ngrief of Magdalen was so intense as to make her almost like an insane\nperson. The holy and boundless love she felt for our Lord prompted her\nto cast herself at his feet, and there pour forth the feelings of her\nheart (as she once poured the precious ointment on his head as he sat\nat table); but when on the point of following this impulse, a dark gulf\nappeared to intervene between herself and him. The repentance she felt\nfor her faults was immense, and not less intense was her gratitude for\ntheir pardon; but when she longed to offer acts of love and\nthanksgiving as precious incense at the feet of Jesus, she beheld him\nbetrayed, suffering, and about to die for the expiation of her offences\nwhich he had taken upon himself, and this sight filled her with horror,\nand almost rent her soul asunder with feelings of love, repentance, and\ngratitude. The sight of the ingratitude of those for whom he was about\nto die increased the bitterness of these feelings tenfold, and every\nstep, word, or movement demonstrated the agony of her soul. The heart\nof John was filled with love, and he suffered intensely, but he uttered\nnot a word. He supported the Mother of his beloved Master in this her\nfirst pilgrimage through the stations of the Way of the Cross, and\nassisted her in giving the example of that devotion which has since\nbeen practised with so much fervour by the members of the Christian\nChurch.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nPilate and his Wife.\n\n\n\nWhilst the Jews were leading Jesus to Herod, I saw Pilate go to his\nwife, Claudia Procles. She hastened to meet him, and they went together\ninto a small garden-house which was on one of the terraces behind the\npalace. Claudia appeared to be much excited, and under the influence of\nfear. She was a tall, fine-looking woman, although extremely pale. Her\nhair was plaited and slightly ornamented, but partly covered by a long\nveil which fell gracefully over her shoulders. She wore earrings, a\nnecklace, and her flowing dress was drawn together and held up by a\nspecies of clasp. She conversed with Pilate for a long time, and\nentreated him by all that he held sacred not to injure Jesus, that\nProphet, that saint of saints; and she related the extraordinary dreams\nor visions which she had had on the previous night concerning him.\n\nWhilst she was speaking I saw the greatest part of these visions:\nthe following were the most striking. In the first place, the principal\nevents in the life of our Lord--the annunciation, the nativity, the\nadoration of the shepherds and that of the kings, the prophecy of\nSimeon and that of Anna, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the\nInnocents, and our Lord's temptation in the wilderness. She had likewise\nbeen shown in her sleep the most striking features of the public life\nof Jesus. He always appeared to her environed with a resplendent light,\nbut his malicious and cruel enemies were under the most horrible and\ndisgusting forms imaginable. She saw his intense sufferings, his\npatience, and his inexhaustible love, likewise the anguish of his\nMother, and her perfect resignation. These visions filled the wife of\nPilate with the greatest anxiety and terror, particularly as they were\naccompanied by symbols which made her comprehend their meaning, and her\ntender feelings were harrowed by the sight of such dreadful scenes. She\nhad suffered from them during the whole of the night; they were\nsometimes obscure, but more often clear and distinct; and when morning\ndawned and she was roused by the noise of the tumultuous mob who were\ndragging Jesus to be judged, she glanced at the procession and\ninstantly saw that the unresisting victim in the midst of the crows,\nbound, suffering, and so inhumanely treated as to be scarcely\nrecognisable, was no other than that bright and glorious being who had\nbeen so often brought before her eyes in the visions of the past night.\nShe was greatly affected by this sight, and immediately sent for\nPilate, and gave him an account of all that had happened to her. She\nspoke with much vehemence and emotion; and although there was a great\ndeal in what she had seen which she could not understand, much less\nexpress, yet she entreated and implored her husband in the most\ntouching terms to grant her request.\n\nPilate was both astonished and troubled by the words of his wife. He\ncompared the narration with all he had previously heard concerning\nJesus; and reflected on the hatred of the Jews, the majestic silence of\nour Saviour, and the mysterious answers he had given to all his\nquestions. He hesitated for some time, but was at last overcome by the\nentreaties of his wife, and told her that he had already declared his\nconviction of the innocence of Jesus, and that he would not condemn\nhim, because he saw that the accusations were mere fabrications of his\nenemies. He spoke of the words of Jesus to himself, promised his wife\nthat nothing should induce him to condemn this just man, and even gave\nher a ring before they parted as a pledge of his promise.\n\nThe character of Pilate was debauched and undecided, but his worst\nqualities were an extreme pride and meanness which made him never\nhesitate in the performance of an unjust action, provided it answered\nhis ends. He was excessively superstitious, and when in any difficulty\nhad recourse to charms and spells. He was much puzzled and alarmed\nabout the trial of Jesus; and I saw him running backwards and forwards,\noffering incense first to one god and then to another, and imploring\nthem to assist him; but Satan filled his imagination with still greater\nconfusion; he first instilled one false idea and then another into his\nmind. He then had recourse to one of his favourite superstitious\npractices, that of watching the sacred chickens eat, but in vain,--his\nmind remained enveloped in darkness, and he became more and more\nundecided. He first thought that he would acquit our Saviour, whom he\nwell knew to be innocent, but then he feared incurring the wrath of his\nfalse gods if he spared him, as he fancied he might be a species of\ndemigod, and obnoxious to them. 'It is possible,' said he inwardly, 'that\nthis man may really be that king of the Jews concerning whose coming\nthere are so many prophecies. It was a king of the Jews whom the Magi\ncame from the East to adore. Perhaps he is a secret enemy both of our\ngods and of the emperor; it might be most imprudent in me to spare his\nlife. Who knows whether his death would not be a triumph to my gods?'\nThen he remembered the wonderful dreams described to him by his wife,\nwho had never seen Jesus, and he again changed, and decided that it\nwould be safer not to condemn him. He tried to persuade himself that he\nwished to pass a just sentence; but he deceived himself, for when he\nasked himself, 'What is the truth?' he did not wait for the answer. His\nmind was filled with confusion, and he was quite at a loss how to act,\nas his sole desire was to entail no risk upon himself.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nJesus before Herod.\n\n\n\nThe palace of the Tetrarch Herod was built on the north side of the\nforum, in the new town; not very far from that of Pilate. An escort of\nRoman soldiers, mostly from that part of the country which is situated\nbetween Switzerland and Italy, had joined the procession. The enemies\nof Jesus were perfectly furious at the trouble they were compelled to\ntake in going backwards and forwards, and therefore vented their rage\nupon him. Pilate's messenger had preceded the procession, consequently\nHerod was expecting them. He was seated on a pile of cushions, heaped\ntogether so as to form a species of throne, in a spacious hall, and\nsurrounded by courtiers and warriors. The Chief Priests entered and\nplaced themselves by his side, leaving Jesus at the entrance. Herod was\nmuch elated and pleased at Pilate's having thus publicly acknowledged his\nright of judging the Galileans, and likewise rejoiced at seeing that\nJesus who had never deigned to appear before him reduced to such a\nstate of humiliation and degradation. His curiosity had been greatly\nexcited by the high terms in which John the Baptist had announced the\ncoming of Jesus, and he had likewise heard much about him from the\nHerodians, and through the many spies whom he had sent into different\nparts: he was therefore delighted at this opportunity of interrogating\nhim in the presence of the courtiers and of the Jewish priests, hoping\nto make a grand display of this own knowledge and talents. Pilate\nhaving sent him word, 'that he could find no cause in the man,' he\nconcluded that these words were intended as a hint that he (Pilate)\nwished the accusers to be treated with contempt and mistrust. He,\ntherefore, addressed them in the most haughty distant manner possible,\nand thereby increased their rage and anger indescribably.\n\nThey all began at once to vociferate their accusations, to which\nHerod hardly listened, being intent solely on gratifying his curiosity\nby a close examination of Jesus, whom he had so often wished to see.\nBut when he beheld him stripped of all clothing save the remnant of a\nmantel, scarcely able to stand, and his countenance totally disfigured\nfrom the blows he had received, and from the mud and missiles which the\nrabble had flung at his head, the luxurious and effeminate prince\nturned away in disgust, uttered the name of God, and said to the\npriests in a tone of mingled pity and contempt, 'Take him hence, and\nbring him not back into my presence in such a deplorable state.' The\nguards took Jesus into the outer court, and procured some water in a\nbasin, with which they cleansed his soiled garments and disfigured\ncountenance; but they could not restrain their brutality even while\ndoing this, and paid no regard to the wounds with which he was covered.\n\nHerod meantime accosted the priests in much the same strain as\nPilate had done. 'Your behaviour vastly resembles that of butchers,' he\nsaid, 'and you commence your immolations pretty early in the morning.' The\nChief Priests produced their accusations at once. Herod, when Jesus was\nagain brought into his presence, pretended to feel some compassion, and\noffered him a glass of wine to recruit his strength; but Jesus turned\nhis head away and refused this alleviation.\n\nHerod then began to expatiate with great volubility on all he had\nheard concerning our Lord. He asked a thousand questions, and exhorted\nhim to work a miracle in his presence; but Jesus answered not a word,\nand stood before him with his eyes cast down, which conduct both\nirritated and disconcerted Herod, although he endeavoured to conceal\nhis anger, and continued his interrogations. He at first expressed\nsurprise, and made use of persuasive words. 'Is it possible, Jesus of\nNazareth,' he exclaimed, 'that it is thou thyself that appearest before me\nas a criminal? I have heard thy actions so much spoken of. Thou art not\nperhaps aware that thou didst offend me grievously by setting free the\nprisoners whom I had confined at Thirza, but possibly thy intentions\nwere good. The Roman governor has now sent thee to me to be judged;\nwhat answer canst thou give to all these accusations? Thou art silent?\nI have heard much concerning thy wisdom, and the religion thou\nteachest, let me hear thee answer and confound thy enemies. Art thou\nthe king of the Jews? Art thou the Son of God? Who art thou? Thou art\nsaid to have performed wonderful miracles; work one now in my presence.\nI have the power to release thee. Is it true that thou hast restored\nsight to the blind, raised up Lazarus from the dead, and fed two or\nthree thousand persons with a few loaves? Why dost thou not answer? I\nrecommend thee to work a miracle quickly before me; perhaps thou mayest\nrejoice afterwards at having complied with my wishes.'\n\nJesus still kept silence, and Herod continued to question him with\neven more volubility.\n\n'Who art thou?' said he. 'From whence hast thou thy power? How is it that\nthou dost no longer possess it? Art thou he whose birth was foretold in\nsuch a wonderful manner? Kings from the East came to my father to see a\nnewly-born king of the Jews: is it true that thou wast that child?\nDidst thou escape when so many children were massacred, and how was thy\nescape managed? Why hast thou been for so many years unknown? Answer my\nquestions! Art thou a king? Thy appearance certainly is not regal. I\nhave been told that thou wast conducted to the Temple in triumph a\nshort time ago. What was the meaning of such an exhibition?--speak out at\nonce!--Answer me!'\n\nHerod continued to question Jesus in this rapid manner; but our Lord\ndid not vouchsafe a reply. I was shown (as indeed I already knew) that\nJesus was thus silent because Herod was in a state of excommunication,\nboth on account of his adulterous marriage with Herodias, and of his\nhaving given orders for the execution of St. John the Baptist. Annas\nand Caiphas, seeing how indignant Herod was at the silence of Jesus,\nimmediately endeavoured to take advantage of his feelings of wrath, and\nrecommenced their accusations, saying that he had called Herod himself\na fox; that his great aim for many years had been the overthrow of\nHerod's family; that he was endeavouring to establish a new religion, and\nhad celebrated the Pasch on the previous day. Although Herod was\nextremely enraged at the conduct of Jesus, he did not lose sight of the\npolitical ends which he wished to forward. He was determined not to\ncondemn our Lord, both because he experienced a secret and indefinable\nsensation of terror in his presence, and because he still felt remorse\nat the thought of having put John the Baptist to death, besides which\nhe detested the High Priests for not having allowed him to take part in\nthe sacrifices on account of his adulterous connection with Herodias.\n\nBut his principal reason for determining not to condemn Jesus was,\nthat he wished to make some return to Pilate for his courtesy, and he\nthought the best return would be the compliment of showing deference to\nhis decision and agreeing with him in opinion. But he spoke in the most\ncontemptuous manner to Jesus, and turning to the guards and servants\nwho surrounded him, and who were about two hundred in number, said: 'Take\naway this fool, and pay him that homage which is his due; he is mad,\nrather than guilty of any crime.'\n\nOur Lord was immediately taken into a large court, where every\npossible insult and indignity was heaped upon him. This court was\nbetween the two wings of the palace, and Herod stood a spectator on a\nplatform for some time. Annas and Caiphas were by his side,\nendeavouring to persuade him to condemn our Saviour. But their efforts\nwere fruitless, and Herod answered in a tone loud enough to be heard by\nthe Roman soldiers: 'No, I should act quite wrongly if I condemned him.'\nHis meaning was, that it would be wrong to condemn as guilty one whom\nPilate had pronounced innocent, although he had been so courteous as to\ndefer the final judgment to him.\n\nWhen the High Priests and the other enemies of Jesus perceived that\nHerod was determined no to give in to their wishes, they dispatched\nemissaries to that division of the city called Acre, which was chiefly\ninhabited by Pharisees, to let them know that they must assemble in the\nneighbourhood of Pilate's palace, gather together the rabble, and bribe\nthem to make a tumult, and demand the condemnation of our Lord. They\nlikewise sent forth secret agents to alarm the people by threats of the\ndivine vengeance if they did not insist on the execution of Jesus, whom\nthey termed a sacrilegious blasphemer. These agents were ordered\nlikewise to alarm them by intimating that if Jesus were not put to\ndeath, he would go over to the Romans, assist in the extermination of\nthe Jewish nation, for that it was to this he referred when he spoke of\nhis future kingdom. They endeavoured to spread a report in other parts\nof the city, that Herod had condemned him, but still that it was\nnecessary for the people likewise to express their wishes, as his\npartisans were to be feared; for that if he were released he would join\nthe Romans, make a disturbance on the festival day, and take the most\ninhuman revenge. Some among them circulated contradictory and alarming\nreports, in order to excite the people and cause an insurrection; while\nothers distributed money among the soldiers to bribe them to ill-treat\nJesus, so as to cause his death, which they were most anxious should be\nbrought about as quickly as possible, lest Pilate should acquit him.\n\nWhilst the Pharisees were busying themselves in this manner, our\nBlessed Saviour was suffering the greatest outrages from the brutal\nsoldiers to whom Herod had delivered him, that they might deride him as\na fool. They dragged him into the court, and one of their number having\nprocured a large white sack which had once been filled with cotton,\nthey made a hole in its centre with a sword, and then tossed it over\nthe head of Jesus, accompanying each action with bursts of the most\ncontemptuous laughter. Another soldier brought the remnant of an old\nscarlet cloak, and passed it round his neck, while the rest bent their\nknee before him--shoved him--abused him--spat upon him--struck him on the check,\nbecause he had refused to answer their king, mocked him by pretending\nto pay homage--threw mud upon him--seized him by the waist, pretending to\nmake him dance; then, having thrown him down, dragged him through a\ngutter which ran on the side of the court, thus causing his sacred head\nto strike against the columns and sides of the wall, and when at last\nthey raised him up, it was only in order to recommence their insults.\nThe soldiers and servants of Herod who were assembled in this court\namounted to upwards of two hundred, and all thought to pay court to\ntheir monarch by torturing Jesus in some unheard-of way. Many were\nbribed by the enemies of our Lord to strike him on the head with their\nsticks, and they took advantage of the confusion and tumult to do so.\nJesus looked upon them with compassion; excess of pain drew from him\noccasional moans and groans, but his enemies rejoiced in his\nsufferings, and mocked his moans, and not one among the whole assembly\nshowed the slightest degree of compassion. I saw blood streaming from\nhis head, and three times did the blows prostrate him, but angels were\nweeping at his side, and they anointed his head with heavenly balsam.\nIt was revealed to me that had it not been for this miraculous\nassistance he must have died from those wounds. The Philistines at\nGaza, who gave vent to their wrath by tormenting poor blind Samson;\nwere far less barbarous than these cruel executioners of our Lord.\n\nThe priests were, however, impatient to return to the Temple;\ntherefore, having made certain that their orders regarding Jesus would\nbe obeyed, they returned to Herod, and endeavoured to persuade him to\ncondemn our Lord. But he, being determined to do all in his power to\nplease Pilate, refused to accede to their wishes, and sent Jesus back\nagain clothed in the fool's garment.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nJesus led back from the Court of Herod to that of Pilate.\n\n\n\nThe enemies of Jesus were perfectly infuriated at being obliged to\ntake Jesus back, still uncondemned, to Pilate, who had so many times\ndeclared his innocence. They led him round by a much longer road, in\norder in the first place to let the persons of that part of the town\nsee him in the state of ignominy to which he was reduced, and in the\nsecond place to give their emissaries more time to stir up the populace.\n\nThis road was extremely rough and uneven; and the soldiers,\nencouraged by the Pharisees, scarcely refrained a moment from\ntormenting Jesus. The long garment with which he was clothed impeded\nhis steps, and caused him to fall heavily more than once; and his cruel\nguards, as also many among the brutal populace, instead of assisting\nhim in his state of exhaustion, endeavoured by blows and kicks to force\nhim to rise.\n\nTo all these outrages Jesus offered not the smallest resistance; he\nprayed constantly to his Father for grace and strength that he might\nnot sink under them, but accomplish the work of his Passion for our\nredemption.\n\nIt was about eight o'clock when the procession reached the palace of\nPilate. The crowd was dense, and the Pharisees might be seen walking to\nand fro, endeavouring to incite and infuriate them still more. Pilate,\nwho remembered an insurrection which had taken place the year before at\nthe Paschal time, had assembled upwards of a thousand soldiers, whom he\nposted around the Praetorium, the Forum, and his palace.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin, her elder sister Mary (the daughter of Heli),\nMari (the daughter of Cleophas), Magdalen, and about twenty of the holy\nwomen, were standing in a room from whence they could see all which\ntook place, and at first John was with them.\n\nThe Pharisees led Jesus, still clothed in the fool's garment, through\nthe midst of the insolent mob, and had done all in their power to\ngather together the most vile and wicked of miscreants from among the\ndregs of the people. A servant sent by Herod had already reached\nPilate, with a message to the effect that his master had fully\nappreciated his polite deference to his opinion, but that he looked\nupon the far famed Galilean as not better than a fool, that he had\ntreated him as such, and now sent him back. Pilate was quite satisfied\nat finding that Herod had come to the same conclusion as himself, and\ntherefore returned a polite message. From that hour they became\nfriends, having been enemies many years; in fact, ever since the\nfalling-in of the aqueduct.\n\n\n\n [The cause of the quarrel between Pilate and Herod was, according\nto the account of Sister Emmerich, simply this: Pilate had undertaken\nto build an aqueduct on the south-east side of the mountain on which\nthe Temple stood, at the edge of the torrent into which the waters of\nthe pool of Bethsaida emptied themselves, and this aqueduct was to\ncarry off the refuse of the Temple. Herod, through the medium of one of\nhis confidants, who was a member of the Sanhedrin, agreed to furnish\nhim with the necessary materials, as also with twenty-eight architects,\nwho were also Herodians. His aim was to set the Jews still more against\nthe Roman governor, by causing the undertaking to fail. He accordingly\ncame to a private understanding with the architects, who agreed to\nconstruct the aqueduct in such a manner that it would be certain to\nfail. When the work was almost finished, and a number of bricklayers\nfrom Ophel were busily employed in removing the scaffolding, the\ntwenty-eight builders went on to the top of the Tower of Siloe to\ncontemplate the crash which they knew must take place. Not only did the\nwhole of the building crumble to pieces, fall, and kill ninety-three\nworkmen, but even the tower containing the twenty-eight architects came\ndown, and not one escaped death. This accident occurred a short time\nprevious to the 8th of January, two years after Jesus had commenced\npreaching; it took place on Herod's birthday, the same day that John the\nBaptist was beheaded in the Castle of Marcherunt. No Roman officer\nattended these festivities on account of the affair of the aqueduct,\nalthough Pilate had, with hypocritical politeness, been requested to\ntake a part in them. Sister Emmerich saw some of the disciples of Jesus\ncarry the news of this event into Samaria, where he was teaching, on\nthe 8th of January. Jesus went from thence to Hebron, to comfort the\nfamily of John; and she saw him, on the 13th of January, cure many\namong the workmen of Ophel who had been injured by the fall of the\naqueduct. We have seen by the relation previously given how little\ngratitude they showed him. The enmity of Herod towards Pilate was still\nfarther increased by the manner in which the latter revenged himself on\nthe followers of Herod. We will insert here a few details which were\ncommunicated at different times to Sister Emmerich. On the 25th of\nMarch, of the second year of our Lord's preaching, when Jesus and his\ndisciples were in the neighbourhood of Bethania, they were warned by\nLazarus that Judas of Gaulon intended to excite an insurrection against\nPilate. On the 28th of March, Pilate issued a proclamation to the\neffect that he intended to impose a tax, the proceeds of which were\npartly to cover the expenses he had incurred in raising the building\nwhich had just fallen to the ground. This announcement was followed by\na sedition headed by Judas of Gaulon, who always stood up for liberty,\nand who was (unknown to himself) a tool in the hands of the Herodians.\nThe Herodians were rather like our Freemasons. On the 30th of March, at\nten o'clock p.m., Jesus, dressed in a dark garment, was teaching in the\nTemple, with his Apostles and thirty disciples. The revolt of the\nGalileans against Pilate burst forth on this very day, and the rebels\nset free fifty of their number who had been imprisoned the day before;\nand many among the Romans were killed. On the 6th of April, Pilate\ncaused the Galileans to be massacred at the moment of offering\nsacrifice, by disguised soldiers whom he had concealed in the Temple.\nJudas was killed with his companions. This massacre exasperated Herod\nstill more against Pilate, and we have just seen by what means their\nreconciliation was effected.]\n\n\n\nJesus was again led to the house of Pilate. The archers dragged him\nup the stairs with their usual brutality; his feet became entangled in\nhis long robe, and he fell upon the white marble steps, which were\nstained with blood from his sacred head. His enemies had again taken\ntheir seats at the entrance of the forum; the mob laughed at his fall,\nand the archers truck their innocent victim, instead of assisting him\nto rise. Pilate was reclining on a species of easy-chair, with a little\ntable before him, and surrounded with officers and persons who held\nstrips of parchment covered with writing in their hands. He came\nforward and said to the accusers of Jesus: 'You have presented unto me\nthis man, as one that perverteth the people, and behold I, having\nexamined him before you, find no cause in this man in those things\nwherein you accuse him. No, nor Herod neither. For I sent you to him,\nand behold, nothing worthy of death is done to him. I will chastise\nhim, therefore, and release him.'\n\n When the Pharisees heard these words, they became furious, and\nendeavoured to the utmost of their power to persuade the people to\nrevolt, distributing money among them to effect this purpose. Pilate\nlooked around with contempt, and addressed them in scornful words.\n\nIt happened to be the precise time when, according to an ancient\ncustom, the people had the privilege of demanding the deliverance of\none prisoner. The Pharisees had dispatched emissaries to persuade the\npeople to demand the death, and not the life, of our Lord. Pilate hoped\nthat they would ask for Jesus, and determined to give them to choose\nbetween him and a criminal called Barabbas, who had been convicted of a\ndreadful murder committed during a sedition, as also of many other\ncrimes, and was, moreover, detested by the people.\n\nThere was considerable excitement among the crowd; a certain portion\ncame forward, and their orators, addressing Pilate in a loud voice,\nsaid: 'Grant us the favour you have always granted on the festival day.'\nPilate made answer: 'It is customary for me to deliver to you a criminal\nat the Paschal time; whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, or\nJesus that is called Christ?'\n\nAlthough Pilate did not in his own mind feel at all certain that\nJesus was the King of the Jews, yet he called him so, partly because\nhis Roman pride made him take delight in humbling the Jews by calling\nsuch a despicable-looking person their king; and partly because he felt\na kind of inward belief that Jesus might really be that miraculous\nking, that Messiah who had been promised. He saw plainly that the\npriests were incited by envy alone in their accusations against Jesus;\nthis made him most anxious to disappoint them; and the desire was\nincreased by that glimmering of the truth which partly enlightened his\nmind. There was some hesitation among the crowd when Pilate asked this\nquestion, and a few voices answered, 'Barabbas.' A servant sent by Pilate's\nwife asked for him at this moment; he left the platform, and the\nmessenger presented the pledge which he had given her, saying at the\nsame time: 'Claudia Procles begs you to remember your promise this\nmorning.' The Pharisees and the priests walked anxiously and hastily\nabout among the crowd, threatening some and ordering others, although,\nin fact, little was required to incite the already infuriated multitude.\n\nMary, with Magdalen, John, and the holy women, stood in a corner of\nthe forum, trembling and weeping; for although the Mother of Jesus was\nfully aware that the redemption of man could not be brought about by\nany other means than the death of her Son, yet she was filled with the\nanguish of a mother, and with a longing desire to save him from those\ntortures and from that death which he was about to suffer. She prayed\nGod not to allow such a fearful crime to be perpetrated; she repeated\nthe words of Jesus in the Garden of Olives: 'If it is possible, let this\nchalice pass away.' She still felt a glimmering of hope, because there\nwas a report current that Pilate wished to acquit Jesus. Groups of\npersons, mostly inhabitants of Capharnaum, where Jesus had taught, and\namong whom he had wrought so many miraculous cures, were congregated in\nher vicinity; they pretended not to remember either her or her weeping\ncompanions; they simply cast a glance now and then, as if by chance, at\ntheir closely-veiled figures. Many thought, as did her companions\nlikewise, that these persons at least would reject Barabbas, and beg\nfor the life of their Saviour and Benefactor; but these hopes were,\nalas, fallacious.\n\nPilate sent back the pledge to his wife, as an assurance of his\nintention to keep his promise. He again came forward on the platform,\nand seated himself at the little table. The Chief Priests took their\nseats likewise, and Pilate once more demanded: 'Which of the two am I to\ndeliver up to you?' A general cry resounded through the hall: 'Not this\nman, but Barabbas!' 'But what am I to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?'\nreplied Pilate. All exclaimed in a tumultuous manner: 'Let him be\ncrucified! Let him be crucified!' 'But what evil has he done?' asked Pilate\nfor the third time. 'I find no cause in him. I will scourge and then\nacquit him.' But the cry, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' burst from the crowd,\nand the sounds echoed like an infernal tempest; the High Priests and\nthe Pharisees vociferated and hurried backwards and forwards as if\ninsane. Pilate at last yielded; his weak pusillanimous character could\nnot withstand such violent demonstrations; he delivered up Barabbas to\nthe people, and condemned Jesus to be scourged.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nThe Scourging of Jesus.\n\n\n\nThat most weak and undecided of all judges, Pilate, had several\ntimes repeated these dastardly words: 'I find no crime in him: I will\nchastise him, therefore, and let him go;' to which the Jews had continued\nto respond, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' but he determined to adhere to his\nresolution of not condemning our Lord to death, and ordered him to be\nscourged according to the manner of the Romans. The guards were\ntherefore ordered to conduct him through the midst of the furious\nmultitude to the forum, which they did with the utmost brutality, at\nthe same time loading him with abuse, and striking him with their\nstaffs. The pillar where criminals were scourged stood to the north of\nPilate's palace, near the guard-house, and the executioners soon arrived,\ncarrying whips, rods, and ropes, which they tossed down at its base.\nThey were six in number, dark, swarthy men, somewhat shorter than\nJesus; their chests were covered with a piece of leather, or with some\ndirty stuff; their loins were girded, and their hairy, sinewy arms\nbare. They were malefactors from the frontiers of Egypt, who had been\ncondemned for their crimes to hard labour, and were employed\nprincipally in making canals, and in erecting public buildings, the\nmost criminal being selected to act as executioners in the Praetorium.\n\nThese cruel men had many times scourged poor criminals to death at\nthis pillar. They resembled wild beasts or demons, and appeared to be\nhalf drunk. They struck our Lord with their fists, and dragged him by\nthe cords with which he was pinioned, although he followed them without\noffering the least resistance, and, finally, they barbarously knocked\nhim down against the pillar. This pillar, placed in the centre of the\ncourt, stood alone, and did not serve to sustain any part of the\nbuilding; it was not very high, for a tall man could touch the summit\nby stretching out his arm; there was a large iron ring at the top, and\nboth rings and hooks a little lower down. It is quite impossible to\ndescribe the cruelty shown by these ruffians towards Jesus: they tore\noff the mantle with which he had been clothed in derision at the court\nof Herod, and almost threw prostrate again.\n\nJesus trembled and shuddered as he stood before the pillar, and took\noff his garments as quickly as he could, but his hands were bloody and\nswollen. The only return he made when his brutal executioners struck\nand abused him was, to pray for them in the most touching manner: he\nturned his face once towards his Mother, who was standing overcome with\ngrief; this look quite unnerved her: she fainted, and would have\nfallen, had not the holy women who were there supported her. Jesus put\nhis arms round the pillar, and when his hands were thus raised, the\narchers fastened them to the iron ring which was at the top of the\npillar; they then dragged his arms to such a height that his feet,\nwhich were tightly bound to the base of the pillar, scarcely touched\nthe ground. Thus was the Holy of Holies violently stretched, without a\nparticle of clothing, on a pillar used for the punishment of the\ngreatest criminals; and then did two furious ruffians who were\nthirsting for his blood begin in the most barbarous manner to scourge\nhis sacred body from head to foot. The whips or scourges which they\nfirst made use of appeared to me to be made of a species of flexible\nwhite wood, but perhaps they were composed of the sinews of the ox, or\nof strips of leather.\n\nOur loving Lord, the Son of God, true God and true Man, writhed as a\nworm under the blows of these barbarians; his mild but deep groans\nmight be heard from afar; they resounded through the air, forming a\nkind of touching accompaniment to the hissing of the instruments of\ntorture. These groans resembled rather a touching cry of prayer and\nsupplication, than moans of anguish. The clamour of the Pharisees and\nthe people formed another species of accompaniment, which at times as a\ndeafening thunder-storm deadened and smothered these sacred and\nmournful cries, and in their place might be heard the words, 'Put him to\ndeath!' 'Crucify him!' Pilate continued parleying with the people, and when\nhe demanded silence in order to be able to speak, he was obliged to\nproclaim his wishes to the clamorous assembly by the sound of a\ntrumpet, and at such moments you might again hear the noise of the\nscourges, the moans of Jesus, the imprecations of the soldiers, and the\nbleating of the Paschal lambs which were being washed in the Probatica\npool, at no great distance from the forum. There was something\npeculiarly touching in the plaintive bleating of these lambs: they\nalone appeared to unite their lamentations with the suffering moans of\nour Lord.\n\nThe Jewish mob was gathered together at some distance from the\npillar at which the dreadful punishment was taking place, and Roman\nsoldiers were stationed in different parts round about. Many persons\nwere walking to and fro, some in silence, others speaking of Jesus in\nthe most insulting terms possible, and a few appearing touched, and I\nthought I beheld rays of light issuing from our Lord and entering the\nhearts of the latter. I saw groups of infamous, bold-looking young men,\nwho were for the most part busying themselves near the watch-house in\npreparing fresh scourges, while others went to seek branches of thorns.\nSeveral of the servants of the High Priests went up to the brutal\nexecutioners and gave them money; as also a large jug filled with a\nstrong bright red liquid, which quite inebriated them, and increased\ntheir cruelty tenfold towards their innocent Victim. The two ruffians\ncontinued to strike our Lord with unremitting violence for a quarter of\nan hour, and were then succeeded by two others. His body was entirely\ncovered with black, blue, and red marks; the blood was trickling down\non the ground, and yet the furious cries which issued from among the\nassembled Jews showed that their cruelty was far from being satiated.\n\nThe night had been extremely cold, and the morning was dark and\ncloudy; a little hail had fallen, which surprised everyone, but towards\ntwelve o'clock the day became brighter, and the sun shone forth.\n\nThe two fresh executioners commenced scourging Jesus with the\ngreatest possible fury; they made use of a different kind of rod,--a\nspecies of thorny stick, covered with knots and splinters. The blows\nfrom these sticks tore his flesh to pieces; his blood spouted out so as\nto stain their arms, and he groaned, prayed, and shuddered. At this\nmoment, some strangers mounted on camels passed through the forum; they\nstopped for a moment, and were quite overcome with pity and horror at\nthe scene before them, upon which some of the bystanders explained the\ncause of what they witnessed. Some of these travellers had been\nbaptised by John, and others had heard the sermon of Jesus on the\nmountain. The noise and the tumult of the mob was even more deafening\nnear the house of Pilate.\n\nTwo fresh executioners took the places of the last mentioned, who\nwere beginning to flag; their scourges were composed of small chains,\nor straps covered with iron hooks, which penetrated to the bone, and\ntore off large pieces of flesh at every blow. What word, alas! could\ndescribe this terrible--this heartrending scene!\n\nThe cruelty of these barbarians was nevertheless not yet satiated;\nthey untied Jesus, and again fastened him up with his back turned\ntowards the pillar. As he was totally unable to support himself in an\nupright position, they passed cords round his waist, under his arms,\nand above his knees, and having bound his hands tightly into the rings\nwhich were placed at the upper part of the pillar, they recommenced\nscourging him with even greater fury than before; and one among them\nstruck him constantly on the face with a new rod. The body of our Lord\nwas perfectly torn to shreds,--it was but one wound. He looked at his\ntorturers with his eyes filled with blood; as if entreating mercy; but\ntheir brutality appeared to increase, and his moans each moment became\nmore feeble.\n\nThe dreadful scourging had been continued without intermission for\nthree quarters of an hour, when a stranger of lowly birth, a relation\nto Ctesiphon, the blind man whom Jesus had cured, rushed from amidst\nthe crowd, and approached the pillar with a knife shaped like a cutlass\nin his hand. 'Cease!' he exclaimed, in an indignant tone; 'Cease! Scourge not\nthis innocent man unto death!' The drunken miscreants, taken by surprise,\nstopped short, while he quickly severed the cords which bound Jesus to\nthe pillar, and disappeared among the crowd. Jesus fell almost without\nconsciousness on the ground, which was bathed with his blood. The\nexecutioners left him there, and rejoined their cruel companions, who\nwere amusing themselves in the guardhouse with drinking, and plaiting\nthe crown of thorns.\n\nOur Lord remained for a short time on the ground, at the foot of the\npillar, bathed in his own blood, and two or three bold-looking girls\ncame up to gratify their curiosity away in disgust, but at the moment\nthe pain of the wounds of Jesus was so intense that he raised his\nbleeding head and looked at them. They retired quickly, and the\nsoldiers and guards laughed and made game of them.\n\nDuring the time of the scourging of our Lord, I saw weeping angels\napproach him many times; I likewise heard the prayers he constantly\naddressed to his Father for the pardon of our sins--prayers which never\nceased during the whole time of the infliction of this cruel\npunishment. Whilst he lay bathed in his blood I saw an angel present to\nhim a vase containing a bright-looking beverage which appeared to\nreinvigorate him in a certain degree. The archers soon returned, and\nafter giving him some blows with their sticks, bade him rise and follow\nthem. He raised himself with the greatest difficulty, as his trembling\nlimbs could scarcely support the weight of this body; they did not give\nhim sufficient time to put on his clothes, but threw his upper garment\nover his naked shoulders and led him from the pillar to the guardhouse,\nwhere he wiped the blood which trickled down his face with a corner of\nhis garment. When he passed before the benches on which the High\nPriests were seated, they cried out, 'Put him to death! Crucify him!\nCrucify him!' and then turned away disdainfully. The executioners led him\ninto the interior of the guardhouse, which was filled with slaves,\narchers, hodmen, and the very dregs of the people, but there were no\nsoldiers.\n\nThe great excitement among the populace alarmed Pilate so much, that\nhe sent to the fortress of Antonia for a reinforcement of Roman\nsoldiers, and posed these well-disciplined troops round the\nguard-house; they were permitted to talk and to deride Jesus in every\npossible way, but were forbidden to quit their ranks. These soldiers,\nwhom Pilate had sent for to intimidate the mob, numbered about a\nthousand.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nMary during the Scourging of our Lord.\n\n\n\nI saw the Blessed Virgin in a continual ecstasy during the time of\nthe scourging of her Divine Son; she saw and suffered with\ninexpressible love and grief all the torments he was enduring. She\ngroaned feebly, and her eyes were red with weeping. A large veil\ncovered her person, and she leant upon Mary of Heli, her eldest sister,\nwho was old and extremely like their mother, Anne.10 Mary of Cleophas,\nthe daughter of Mary of Heli, was there also. The friends of Jesus and\nMary stood around the latter; they wore large veils, appeared overcome\nwith grief and anxiety, an were weeping as if in the momentary\nexpectation of death. The dress of Mary was blue; it was long, and\npartly covered by a cloak made of white wool, and her veil was of\nrather a yellow white. Magdalen was totally beside herself from grief,\nand her hair was floating loosely under her veil.\n\nWhen Jesus fell down at the foot of the pillar, after the\nflagellation, I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, sent some\nlarge pieces of linen to the Mother of God. I know not whether she\nthought that Jesus would be set free, and that his Mother would then\nrequire linen to dress his wounds, or whether this compassionate lady\nwas aware of the use which would be made of her present. At the\ntermination of the scourging, Mary came to herself for a time, and saw\nher Divine Son all torn and mangled, being led away by the archers\nafter the scouring: he wiped his eyes, which were filled with blood,\nthat he might look at his Mother, and she stretched out her hands\ntowards him, and continued to look at the bloody traces of his\nfootsteps. I soon after saw Mary and Magdalen approach the pillar where\nJesus had been scourged; the mob were at a distance, and they were\npartly concealed by the other holy women, and by a few kind-hearted\npersons who had joined them; they knelt down on the ground near the\npillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia\nProcles had sent. John was not at that time with the holy women, who\nwere about twenty in number. The sons of Simeon and of Obed, and\nVeronica, as also the two nephews of Joseph of Arimathea--Aram and\nThemni--were in the Temple, and appeared to be overwhelmed with grief. It\nwas not more than nine o'clock a.m. when the scourging terminated.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nInterruption of the Visions of the Passion by the Appearance of St.\nJoseph under the form of a Child.\n\n\n\nDuring the whole time of the visions which we have just narrated\n(that is to say, from the 18th of February until the 8th of March),\nSister Emmerich continued to suffer all the mental and bodily tortures\nwhich were once endured by our Lord. Being totally immersed in these\nmeditations, and, as it were, dead to exterior objects, she wept and\ngroaned like a person in the hands of an executioner, trembled,\nshuddered, and writhed on her couch, while her face resembled that of a\nman about to expire under torture, and a bloody sweat often trickled\nover her chest and shoulders. She generally perspired so profusely that\nher bed and clothes were saturated. Her sufferings from thirst were\nlikewise fearful, and she might truly be compared to a person perishing\nin a desert from the want of water. Generally speaking, her mouth was\nso parched in the morning, and her tongue so contracted and dried up,\nthat she could not speak, but was obliged by signs and inarticulate\nsounds to beg for relief. Her constant state of fever was probably\nbrought on by the great pains she endured, added to which she likewise\noften took upon herself the illnesses and temporal calamities merited\nby others. It was always necessary for her to rest for a time before\nrelating the different scenes of the Passion, nor was it always that\nshe could speak of what she had seen, and she was even often obliged to\ndiscontinue her narrations for the day. She was in this state of\nsuffering on Saturday the 8th of March, and with the greatest\ndifficulty and suffering described the scourging of our Lord which she\nhad seen in the vision of the previous night, and which appeared to be\npresent to her mind during the greatest part of the following day.\nTowards evening, however, a change took place, and there was an\ninterruption in the course of meditations on the Passion which had\nlatterly followed one another so regularly. We will describe this\ninterruption, in order, in the first place, to give our readers a more\nfull comprehension of the interior life of this most extraordinary\nperson; and, in the second, to enable them to pause for a time to rest\ntheir minds, as I well know that meditations on the Passion of our Lord\nexhaust the weak, even when they remember that it was for their\nsalvation that he suffered and died.\n\nThe life of Sister Emmerich, both as regarded her spiritual and\nintellectual existence, invariably harmonised with the spirit of the\nChurch at different seasons of the year. It harmonised even more\nstrongly than man's natural life does with season, or with the hours of\nthe day, and this caused her to be (if we may thus express ourselves) a\nrealisation of the existence and of the various intentions of the\nChurch. Her union with its spirit was so complete, that no sooner did a\nfestival day begin (that is to say, on the eve), than a perfect change\ntook place within her, both intellectually and spiritually. As soon as\nthe spiritual sun of these festival days of the Church was set, she\ndirected all her thoughts towards that which would rise on the\nfollowing day, and disposed all her prayers, good works, and sufferings\nfor the attainment of the special graces attached to the feast about to\ncommence, like a plant which absorbs the dew, and revels in the warmth\nand light of the first rays of the sun. These changes did not, as will\nreadily be believed, always take place at the exact moment when the\nsound of the Angelus announced the commencement of a festival, and\nsummoned the faithful to prayer; for this bell is often, either through\nignorance or negligence, rung at the wrong time; but they commenced at\nthe time when the feast really began.\n\nIf the Church commemorated a sorrowful mystery, she appeared\ndepressed, faint, and almost powerless; but the instant the celebration\nof a joyful feast commenced, both body and soul revived to a new life,\nas if refreshed by the dew of new graces, and she continued in this\ncalm, quiet, and happy state, quite released from every kind of\nsuffering, until the evening. These things took place in her soul quite\nindependently of her will; but as she had had from infancy the most\nardent desire of being obedient to Jesus and to his Church, God had\nbestowed upon her those special graces which give a natural facility\nfor practising obedience. Every faculty of her soul was directed\ntowards the Church, in the same manner as a plant which, even if put\ninto a dark cellar, naturally turns its leaves upwards, and appears to\nseek the light.\n\nOn Saturday, 8th of March 1823, after sunset, Sister Emmerich had,\nwith the greatest difficulty, portrayed the different events of the\nscourging of our Lord, and the writer of these pages thought that her\nmind was occupied in the contemplation of the 'crowning with thorns,' when\nsuddenly her countenance, which was preciously pale and haggard, like\nthat of a person on the point of death, became bright and serene and\nshe exclaimed in a coaxing tone, as if speaking to a child, 'O, that dear\nlittle boy! Who is he?--Stay, I will ask him. His name is Joseph. He has\npushed his way through the crowd to come to me. Poor child, he is\nlaughing: he knows nothing at all of what is going on. How light his\nclothing is! I fear he must be cold, the air is so sharp this morning.\nWait, my child; let me put something more over you.' After saying these\nwords in such a natural tone of voice that it was almost impossible for\nthose present not to turn round and expect to see the child, she held\nup a dress which was near her, as would be done by a kind-hearted\nperson wishing to clothe a poor frozen child. The friend who was\nstanding by her bedside had not sufficient time to ask her to explain\nthe words she had spoken, for a sudden change took place, both in her\nwhole appearance and manner, when her attendant pronounced the word\nobedience,--one of the vows by which she had consecrated herself to our\nLord. She instantly came to herself, and, like an obedient child\nawakening from a sound sleep and starting up at the voice of its\nmother, she stretched forth her hand, took the rosary and crucifix\nwhich were always at her side, arranged her dress, rubbed her eyes, and\nsat up. She was then carried from her bed to a chair, as she could\nneither stand nor walk; and it being the time for making her bed, her\nfriend left the room in order to write out what he had heard during the\nday.\n\nOn Sunday, the 9th of March, the friend asked her attendant what\nSister Emmerich meant the evening before when she spoke of a child\ncalled Joseph. The attendant answered, 'She spoke of him again many times\nyesterday evening; he is the son of a cousin of mine, and a great\nfavourite of hers. I fear that her talking so much about him is a sign\nthat he is going to have an illness, for she said so many times that\nthe poor child was almost without clothing, and that he must be cold.'\n\nThe friend remembered having often seen this little Joseph playing\non the bed of Sister Emmerich, and he supposed that she was dreaming\nabout him on the previous day. When the friend went to see her later in\nthe day to endeavour to obtain a continuation of the narrations of the\nPassion, he found her, contrary to his expectation, more calm, and\napparently better in health than on the previous day. She told him that\nshe had seen nothing more after the scourging of our Lord; and when he\nquestioned her concerning what she had said about little Joseph, she\ncould not remember having spoken of the child at all. He then asked the\nreason of her being so calm, serene, and apparently well in health; and\nshe answered, 'I always feel thus when Mid-Lent comes, for then the\nChurch sings with Isaias in the introit at Mass: \"Rejoice, O, Jerusalem,\nand come together all you that love her; rejoice with joy, you that\nhave been in sorrow, that you may exult and be filled from the breasts\nof your consolation.\" Mid-Lent Sunday is consequently a day of rejoicing;\nand you may likewise remember that, in the gospel of this day, the\nChurch relates how our Lord fed five thousand men with five loaves and\ntwo fishes, of which twelve baskets of fragments remained, consequently\nwe ought to rejoice.'\n\nShe likewise added, that our Lord had deigned to visit her on that\nday in the Holy Communion, and that she always felt especial spiritual\nconsolation when she received him on that particular day of the year.\nThe friend cast his eyes on the calendar of the diocese of Munster, and\nsaw that on that day they not only kept Mid-Lent Sunday, but likewise\nthe Feast of St. Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord; he was not\naware of this before, because in other places the feast of St. Joseph\nis kept on the 19th, and he remarked this circumstance to Sister\nEmmerich, and asked her whether she did not think that was the cause of\nher speaking about Joseph. She answered that she was perfectly aware of\nits being the feast of the foster-father of Jesus, but that she had not\nbeen thinking of the child of that name. However, a moment after, she\nsuddenly remembered what her thoughts had been the day before, and\nexplained to her friend that the moment the feast of St. Joseph began,\nher vision of the sorrowful mysteries of the Passion ceased, and were\nsuperseded by totally different scenes, in which St. Joseph appeared\nunder the form of a child, and that it was to him that the words we\nhave mentioned above were addressed.\n\nWe found that when she received these communications the vision was\noften in the form of a child, especially in those cases when an artist\nwould have made use of that simile to express his ideas. If, for\ninstance, the accomplishment of some Scripture prophecy was being shown\nto her, she often saw by the side of the illustration a child, who\nclearly designated the characteristics of such or such a prophet, by\nhis position, his dress, and the manner in which he held in his hand\nand waved to and fro the prophetic roll appended to a staff.\n\nSometimes, when she was in extreme suffering, a beautiful child,\ndressed in green, with a calm and serene countenance, would approach,\nand seat himself in a posture of resignation at the side of her bed,\nallowing himself to be moved from one side to the other, or even put\ndown on to the ground, without the smallest opposition and constantly\nlooking at her affectionately and consoling her. If, when quite\nprostrate from illness and the sufferings of others which she had taken\nupon herself, she entered into communication with a saint, either by\nparticipation in the celebration of his feast, or from his relics being\nbrought to her, she sometimes saw passages of the childhood of\nmartyrdom. In her greatest sufferings she was usually consoled,\ninstructed, or reproved (whichever the occasion called for) by\napparitions under the form of children. Sometimes, when totally\novercome by trouble and distress, she would fall asleep, and be carried\nback in imagination to the scenes and perils of her childhood. She\nsometimes dreamed, as her exclamations and gestures demonstrated, that\nshe was once more a little country girl of five years old, climbing\nover a hedge, caught in the briars, and weeping with fear.\n\nThese scenes of her childhood were always events which had really\noccurred, and the words which escaped her showed what was passing in\nher mind. She would exclaim (as if repeating the words of others): 'Why\ndo you call out so?' 'I will not hold the hedge back until you are quiet\nand ask me gently to do so.' She had obeyed this injunction when she was\na child and caught in the hedge, and she followed the same rule when\ngrown up and suffering from the most terrible trials. She often spoke\nand joked about the thorn hedge, and the patience and prayer which had\nthen been recommended to her, which admonition she, in after-life, had\nfrequently neglected, but which had never failed her when she had\nrecourse to it. This symbolical coincidence of the events of her\nchildhood with those of her riper years shows that, in the individual\nno less than in humanity at large, prophetic types may be found. But,\nto the individual as well as to mankind in general, a Divine Type has\nbeen given in the person of our Redeemer, in order that both the one\nand the other, by walking in his footsteps and with his assistance, may\nsurpass human nature and attain to perfect wisdom and grace with God\nand man. Thus it is that the will of God is done on earth as in heaven,\nand that this kingdom is attained by 'men of good will.'\n\nShe then gave a short account of the visions which had, on the\nprevious night, interrupted her visions of the Passion at the\ncommencement of the feast of St. Joseph.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nDescription of the Personal Appearance of the Blessed Virgin.\n\n\n\nWhile these sad events were taking place I was in Jerusalem,\nsometimes in one locality and sometimes in another; I was quite\novercome, my sufferings were intense, and I felt as if about to expire.\nDuring the time of the scourging of my adorable Spouse I sat in the\nvicinity, in a part which no Jew dared approach, for fear of defiling\nhimself; but I did not fear defilement, I was only anxious for a drop\nof our Lord's blood to fall upon me, to purify me. I felt so completely\nheartbroken that I thought I must die as I could not relieve Jesus, and\neach blow which he received drew from me such sobs and moans that I\nfelt quite astonished at not being driven away. When the executioners\ntook Jesus into the guardhouse, to crown him with thorns, I longed to\nfollow that I might again contemplate him in his sufferings. Then it\nwas that the Mother of Jesus, accompanied by the holy women, approached\nthe pillar and wiped up the blood with which it and the ground around\nwere saturated. The door of the guardhouse was open, and I heard the\nbrutal laughter of the heartless men who were busily employed in\nfinishing off the crown of thorns which they had prepared for our Lord.\nI was too much affected to weep, but I endeavoured to drag myself near\nto the place where our Lord was to be crowned with thorns.\n\nI once more saw the Blessed Virgin; her countenance was wan and\npale, her eyes red with weeping, but the simple dignity of her\ndemeanour cannot be described. Notwithstanding her grief and anguish,\nnotwithstanding the fatigue which she had endured (for she had been\nwandering ever since the previous evening through the streets of\nJerusalem, and across the Valley of Josaphat), her appearance was\nplacid and modest, and not a fold of her dress out of place. She looked\nmajestically around, and her veil fell gracefully over her shoulders.\nShe moved quietly, and although her heart was a prey to the most bitter\ngrief, her countenance was calm and resigned. Her dress was moistened\nby the dew which had fallen upon it during the night, and by the tears\nwhich she had shed in such abundance; otherwise it was totally\nunsoiled. Her beauty was great, but indescribable, for it was\nsuper-human--a mixture of majesty, sanctity, simplicity, and purity.\n\nThe appearance of Mary Magdalen was totally different; she was\ntaller and more robust, the expression of her countenance showed\ngreater determination, but its beauty was almost destroyed by the\nstrong passions which she had so long indulged, and by the violent\nrepentance and grief she had since felt. It was painful to look upon\nher; she was the very picture of despair, her long dishevelled hair was\npartly covered by her torn and wet veil, and her appearance was that of\none completely absorbed by woe and almost beside herself from sorrow.\nMany of the inhabitants of Magdalum were standing near, gazing at her\nwith surprise and curiosity, for they had known her in former days,\nfirst in prosperity and afterwards in degradation and consequent\nmisery. They pointed, they even cast mud upon her, but she saw nothing,\nknew nothing, and felt nothing, save her agonising grief.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nThe Crowning with Thorns.\n\n\n\nNo sooner did Sister Emmerich recommence the narrative of her\nvisions on the Passion than she again became extremely ill, oppressed\nwith fever, and so tormented by violent thirst that her tongue was\nperfectly parched and contracted; and on the Monday after Mid-Lent\nSunday, she was so exhausted that it was not without great difficulty,\nand after many intervals of rest, that she narrated all which our Lord\nsuffered in this crowning with thorns. She was scarcely able to speak,\nbecause she herself felt every sensation which she described in the\nfollowing account:\n\nPilate harangued the populace many times during the time of the\nscourging of Jesus, but they interrupted him once, and vociferated, 'He\nshall be executed, even if we die for it.' When Jesus was led into the\nguardhouse, they all cried out again, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'\n\nAfter this there was silence for a time. Pilate occupied himself in\ngiving different orders to the soldiers, and the servants of the High\nPriests brought them some refreshments; after which Pilate, whose\nsuperstitious tendencies made him uneasy in mind, went into the inner\npart of his palace in order to consult his gods, and to offer them\nincense.\n\nWhen the Blessed Virgin and the holy women had gathered up the blood\nof Jesus, with which the pillar and the adjacent parts were saturated,\nthey left the forum and went into a neighbouring small house, the owner\nof which I do not know. John was not, I think, present at the scourging\nof Jesus.\n\nA gallery encircled the inner court of the guardhouse where our Lord\nwas crowned with thorns, and the doors were open. The cowardly\nruffians, who were eagerly waiting to gratify their cruelty by\ntorturing and insulting our Lord, were about fifty in number, and the\ngreatest part slaves or servants of the jailers and soldiers. The mob\ngathered round the building, but were soon displaced by a thousand\nRoman soldiers, who were drawn up in good order and stationed there.\nAlthough forbidden to leave their ranks, these soldiers nevertheless\ndid their utmost by laughter and applause to incite the cruel\nexecutioners to redouble their insults; and as public applause gives\nfresh energy to a comedian, so did their words of encouragement\nincrease tenfold the cruelty of these men.\n\nIn the middle of the court there stood the fragment of a pillar, and\non it was placed a very low stool which these cruel men maliciously\ncovered with sharp flints and bits of broken potsherds. Then they tore\noff the garments of Jesus, thereby reopening all his wounds; threw over\nhis shoulders an old scarlet mantle which barely reached his knees;\ndragged him to the seat prepared, and pushed him roughly down upon it,\nhaving first placed the crown of thorns upon his head. The crown of\nthorns was made of three branches plaited together, the greatest part\nof the thorns being purposely turned inwards so as to pierce our Lord's\nhead. Having first placed these twisted branches on his forehead, they\ntied them tightly together at the back of his head, and no sooner was\nthis accomplished to their satisfaction than they put a large reed into\nhis hand, doing all with derisive gravity as if they were really\ncrowning him king. They then seized the reed, and struck his head so\nviolently that his eyes were filled with blood; they knelt before him,\nderided him, spat in his face, and buffeted him, saying at the same\ntime, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' Then they threw down his stool, pulled him\nup again from the ground on which he had fallen, and reseated him with\nthe greatest possible brutality.\n\nIt is quite impossible to describe the cruel outrages which were\nthought of and perpetrated by these monsters under human form. The\nsufferings of Jesus from thirst, caused by the fever which his wounds\nand sufferings had brought on, were intense.11 He trembled all over,\nhis flesh was torn piecemeal, his tongue contracted, and the only\nrefreshment he received was the blood which trickled from his head on\nto his parched lips. This shameful scene was protracted a full\nhalf-hour, and the Roman soldiers continued during the whole time to\napplaud and encourage the perpetration of still greater outrages.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nEcce Homo.\n\n\n\nThe cruel executioners then reconducted our Lord to Pilate's palace,\nwith the scarlet cloak still thrown over his shoulders, the crown of\nthorns on his head, and the reed in his fettered hands. He was\nperfectly unrecognisable, his eyes, mouth, and beard being covered with\nblood, his body but one wound, and his back bowed down as that of an\naged man, while every limb trembled as he walked. When Pilate saw him\nstanding at the entrance of his tribunal, even he (hart-hearted as he\nusually was) started, and shuddered with horror and compassion, whilst\nthe barbarous priests and the populace, far from being moved to pity,\ncontinued their insults and mockery. When Jesus had ascended the\nstairs, Pilate came forward, the trumpet was sounded to announce that\nthe governor was about to speak, and he addressed the Chief Priests and\nthe bystanders in the following words: 'Behold, I bring him forth to you,\nthat you may know that I find no cause in him.'\n\nThe archers then led Jesus up to Pilate, that the people might again\nfeast their cruel eyes on him, in the state of degradation to which he\nwas reduced. Terrible and heartrending, indeed, was the spectacle he\npresented, and an exclamation of horror burst from the multitude,\nfollowed by a dead silence, when he with difficulty raised his wounded\nhead, crowned as it was with thorns, and cast his exhausted glance on\nthe excited throng. Pilate exclaimed, as he pointed him out to the\npeople; 'Ecce homo! Behold the man!' The hatred of the High Priests and\ntheir followers was, if possible, increased at the sight of Jesus, and\nthey cried out, 'Put him to death; crucify him.' 'Are you not content?' said\nPilate. 'The punishment he has received is, beyond question, sufficient\nto deprive him of all desire of making himself king.' But they cried out\nthe more and the multitude joined in the cry, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'\nPilate then sounded the trumpet to demand silence, and said: 'Take you\nhim and crucify him, for I find no cause in him.' 'We have a law, and\naccording to that law he ought to die,' replied the priests, 'because he\nmade himself the Son of God.' These words, 'he made himself the Son of God,'\nrevived the fears of Pilate; he took Jesus into another room, and asked\nhim; 'Whence art thou?' But Jesus made no answer. 'Speakest thou not to me?'\nsaid Pilate; 'knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and\npower to release thee?' 'Thou shouldst not have any power against me,'\nreplied Jesus, 'unless it were given thee from above; therefore he that\nhath delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.'\n\nThe undecided, weak conduct of Pilate filled Claudia Procles with\nanxiety; she again sent him the pledge, to remind him of his promise,\nbut he only returned a vague, superstitious answer, importing that he\nshould leave the decision of the case to the gods. The enemies of\nJesus, the High Priests and the Pharisees, having heard of the efforts\nwhich were being made by Claudia to save him, caused a report to be\nspread among the people, that the partisans of our Lord had seduced\nher, that he would be released, and then join the Romans and bring\nabout the destruction of Jerusalem, and the extermination of the Jews.\n\nPilate was in such a state of indecision and uncertainty as to be\nperfectly beside himself; he did not know what step to take next, and\nagain addressed himself to the enemies of Jesus, declaring that 'he found\nno crime in him,' but they demanded his death still more clamorously. He\nthen remembered the contradictory accusations which had been brought\nagainst Jesus, the mysterious dreams of his wife, and the unaccountable\nimpression which the words of Jesus had made on himself, and therefore\ndetermined to question him again in order thus to obtain some\ninformation which might enlighten him as to the course he ought to\npursue; he therefore returned to the Praetorium, went alone into a\nroom, and sent for our Saviour. He glanced at the mangled and bleeding\nForm before him, and exclaimed inwardly: 'Is it possible that he can be\nGod?' Then he turned to Jesus, and adjured him to tell him if he was God,\nif he was that king who had been promised to the Jews, where his\nkingdom was, and to what class of gods he belonged. I can only give the\nsense of the words of Jesus, but they were solemn and severe. He told\nhim 'that his kingdom was not of this world,' and likewise spoke strongly\nof the many hidden crimes with which the conscience of Pilate was\ndefiled; warned him of the dreadful fate which would be his if he did\nnot repent; and finally declared that he himself, the Son of Man, would\ncome at the last day, to pronounce a just judgment upon him.\n\nPilate was half frightened and half angry at the words of Jesus; he\nreturned to the balcony, and again declared that he would release\nJesus; but they cried out: 'If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar's\nfriend. For whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.'\nOthers said that they would accuse him to the Emperor of having\ndisturbed their festival; that he must make up his mind at once,\nbecause they were obliged to be in the Temple by ten o'clock at night.\nThe cry, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' resounded on all sides; it re-echoed\neven from the flat roofs of the houses near the forum, where many\npersons were assembled. Pilate saw that all his efforts were vain, that\nhe could make no impression on the infuriated mob; their yells and\nimprecations were deafening, and he began to fear an insurrection.\nTherefore he took water, and washed his hands before the people,\nsaying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to it.' A\nfrightful and unanimous cry then came from the dense multitude, who\nwere assembled from all parts of Palestine, 'His blood be upon us, and\nupon our children.'\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nReflections on the Visions.\n\n\n\nWhenever, during my meditations on the Passion of our Lord, I\nimagine I hear that frightful cry of the Jews, 'His blood be upon us, and\nupon our children,' visions of a wonderful and terrible description\ndisplay before my eyes at the same moment the effect of that solemn\ncurse. I fancy I see a gloomy sky covered with clouds, of the colour of\nblood, from which issue fiery swords and darts, lowering over the\nvociferating multitude; and this curse, which they have entailed upon\nthemselves, appears to me to penetrate even to the very marrow of their\nbones,--even to the unborn infants. They appear to me encompassed on all\nsides by darkness; the words they utter take, in my eyes, the form of\nblack flames, which recoil upon them, penetrating the bodies of some,\nand only playing around others.\n\nThe last-mentioned were those who were converted after the death of\nJesus, and who were in considerable numbers, for neither Jesus nor Mary\never ceased praying, in the midst of their sufferings, for the\nsalvation of these miserable beings.\n\nWhen, during visions of this kind, I turn my thoughts to the holy\nsouls of Jesus and Mary, and to those of the enemies of Christ, all\nthat takes place within them is shown me under various forms. I see\nnumerous devils among the crowd, exciting and encouraging the Jews,\nwhispering in their ears, entering their mouths, inciting them still\nmore against Jesus, but nevertheless trembling at the sight of his\nineffable love and heavenly patience. Innumerable angels surrounded\nJesus, Mary, and the small number of saints who were there. The\nexterior of these angels denotes the office they fill; some represent\nconsolation, others prayer, or some of the works of mercy.\n\nI likewise often see consolatory, and at other times menacing\nvoices, under the appearance of bright or coloured gleams of light,\nissuing from the mouths of these different apparitions; and I see the\nfeelings of their souls, their interior sufferings, and in a word,\ntheir every thought, under the appearance of dark or bright rays. I\nthen understand everything perfectly, but it is impossible for me to\ngive an explanation to others; besides which, I am so ill, and so\ntotally overcome by the grief which I feel for my own sins and for\nthose of the world, I am so overpowered by the sight of the sufferings\nof our Lord, that I can hardly imagine how it is possible for me to\nrelate events with the slightest coherency. Many of these things, but\nmore especially the apparitions of devils and of angels, which are\nrelated by other persons who have had visions of the Passion of Jesus\nChrist, are fragments of symbolical interior perceptions of this\nspecies, which vary according to the state of the soul of the\nspectator. Hence the numerous contradictions, because many things are\nnaturally forgotten or omitted.\n\nSister Emmerich sometimes spoke on these subjects, either during the\ntime of her visions on the Passion, or before they commenced; but she\nmore often refused to speak at all concerning them, for fear of causing\nconfusion in the visions. It is easy to see how difficult it must have\nbeen for her, in the midst of such a variety of apparitions, to\npreserve any degree of connection in her narrations. Who can therefore\nbe surprised at finding some omissions and confusion in her\ndescriptions?\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIX.\n\nJesus condemned to be crucified.\n\n\n\nPilate, who did not desire to know the truth, but was solely anxious\nto get out of the difficulty without harm to himself, became more\nundecided than ever; his conscience whispered--'Jesus is innocent;' his wife\nsaid, 'he is holy;' his superstitious feelings made him fear that Jesus was\nthe enemy of his gods; and his cowardice filled him with dread lest\nJesus, if he was a god, should wreak his vengeance upon his judge. He\nwas both irritated and alarmed at the last words of Jesus, and he made\nanother attempt for his release; but the Jews instantly threatened to\nlay an accusation against him before the Emperor. This menace terrified\nhim, and he determined to accede to their wishes, although firmly\nconvinced in his own mind of the innocence of Jesus, and perfectly\nconscious that by pronouncing sentence of death upon him he should\nviolate every law of justice, besides breaking the promise he had made\nto his wife in the morning. Thus did he sacrifice Jesus to the enmity\nof the Jews, and endeavour to stifle remorse by washing his hands\nbefore the people, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just man;\nlook you to it.' Vainly dost thou pronounce these words, O Pilate! for\nhis blood is on thy head likewise; thou canst not wash his blood from\nthy soul, as thou dost from thy hands.\n\nThose fearful words, 'His blood be upon us and upon our children,' had\nscarcely ceased to resound, when Pilate commenced his preparations for\npassing sentence. He called for the dress which he wore on state\noccasions, put a species of diadem, set in precious stones, on his\nhead, changed his mantle, and caused a staff to be carried before him.\nHe was surrounded with soldiers, preceded by officers belonging to the\ntribunal, and followed by Scribes, who carried rolls of parchments and\nbooks used for inscribing names and dates. One man walked in front, who\ncarried the trumpet. The procession marched in this order from Pilate's\npalace to the forum, where an elevated seat, used on these particular\noccasions, was placed opposite to the pillar where Jesus was scourged.\nThis tribunal was called Gabbatha; it was a kind of round terrace,\nascended by means of staircases; on the top was a seat for Pilate, and\nbehind this seat a bench for those in minor offices, while a number of\nsoldiers were stationed round the terrace and upon the staircases. Many\nof the Pharisees had left the palace and were gone to the Temple, so\nthat Annas, Caiphas, and twenty-eight priests alone followed the Roman\ngovernor on to the forum, and the two thieves were taken there at the\ntime that Pilate presented our Saviour to the people, saying: 'Ecce homo!'\n\nOur Lord was still clothed in his purple garment, his crown of\nthorns upon his head, and his hands manacled, when the archers brought\nhim up to the tribunal, and placed him between the two malefactors. As\nsoon as Pilate was seated, he again addressed the enemies of Jesus, in\nthese words, 'Behold your King!' But the cries of 'Crucify him! Crucify him!'\nresounded on all sides.\n\n'Shall I crucify your King?' said Pilate.\n\n'We have no King but Caesar!' responded the High Priests.\n\nPilate found it was utterly hopeless to say anything more, and\ntherefore commenced his preparations for passing sentence. The two\nthieves had received their sentence of crucifixion some time before;\nbut the High Priests had obtained a respite for them, in order that our\nLord might suffer the additional ignominy of being executed with two\ncriminals of the most infamous description. The crosses of the two\nthieves were by their sides; that intended fro our Lord was not\nbrought, because he was not as yet sentenced to death.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin, who had retired to some distance after the\nscourging of Jesus, again approached to hear the sentence of death\npronounced upon her Son and her God. Jesus stood in the midst of the\narchers, at the foot of the staircase leading up to the tribunal. The\ntrumpet was sounded to demand silence, and then the cowardly, the base\njudge, in a tremulous undecided voice, pronounced the sentence of death\non the Just Man. The sight of the cowardice and duplicity of this\ndespicable being, who was nevertheless puffed up with pride at his\nimportant position, almost overcame me, and the ferocious joy of the\nexecutioners--the triumphant countenances of the High Priests, added to\nthe deplorable condition to which our loving Saviour was reduced, and\nthe agonising grief of his beloved Mother--still further increased my\npain. I looked up again, and saw the cruel Jews almost devouring their\nvictim with their eyes, the soldiers standing coldly by, and multitudes\nof horrible demons passing to and fro and mixing in the crowd. I felt\nthat I ought to have been in the place of Jesus, my beloved Spouse, for\nthe sentence would not then have been unjust; but I was so overcome\nwith anguish, and my sufferings were so intense, that I cannot exactly\nremember all that I did see. However, I will relate all as nearly as I\ncan.\n\nAfter a long preamble, which was composed principally of the most\npompous and exaggerated eulogy of the Emperor Tiberias, Pilate spoke of\nthe accusations which had been brought against Jesus by the High\nPriests. He said that they had condemned him to death for having\ndisturbed the public peace, and broken their laws by calling himself\nthe Son of God and King of the Jews; and that the people had\nunanimously demanded that their decree should be carried out.\nNotwithstanding his oft repeated conviction of the innocence of Jesus,\nthis mean and worthless judge was not ashamed of saying that he\nlikewise considered their decision a just one, and that he should\ntherefore pronounce sentence--which he did in these words: 'I condemn Jesus\nof Nazareth, the King of the Jews, to be crucified;' and he ordered the\nexecutioners to bring the cross. I think I remember likewise that he\ntook a long stick in his hands, broke it, and threw the fragments at\nthe feet of Jesus.\n\nOn hearing these words of Pilate the Mother of Jesus became for a\nfew moments totally unconscious, for she was now certain that her\nbeloved Son must die the most ignominious and the most painful of all\ndeaths. John and the holy women carried her away, to prevent the\nheartless beings who surrounded them from adding crime to crime by\njeering at her grief; but no sooner did she revive a little than she\nbegged to be taken again to each spot which had been sanctified by the\nsufferings of her Son, in order to bedew them with her tears; and thus\ndid the Mother of our Lord, in the name of the Church, take possession\nof those holy places.\n\nPilate then wrote down the sentence, and those who stood behind him\ncopied it out three times. The words which he wrote were quite\ndifferent from those he had pronounced; I could see plainly that his\nmind was dreadfully agitated--an angel of wrath appeared to guide his\nhand. The substance of the written sentence was this: 'I have been\ncompelled, for fear of an insurrection, to yield to the wishes of the\nHigh Priests, the Sanhedrin, and the people, who tumultuously demanded\nthe death of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they accused of having disturbed\nthe public peace, and also of having blasphemed and broken their laws.\nI have given him up to them to be crucified, although their accusations\nappeared to be groundless. I have done so for fear of their alleging to\nthe Emperor that I encourage insurrections, and cause dissatisfaction\namong the Jews by denying them the rights of justice.'\n\nHe then wrote the inscription for the cross, while his clerks copied\nout the sentence several times, that these copies might be sent to\ndistant parts of the country.\n\nThe High Priests were extremely dissatisfied at the words of the\nsentence, which they said were not true; and they clamorously\nsurrounded the tribunal to endeavour to persuade him to alter the\ninscription; and not to put King of the Jews, but that he said, I am\nthe King of the Jews.\n\nPilate was vexed, and answered impatiently, 'What I have written I\nhave written!' They were likewise anxious that the cross of our Lord\nshould not be higher than those of the two thieves, but it was\nnecessary for it to be so, because there would otherwise not have been\nsufficient place for Pilate's inscription; they therefore endeavoured to\npersuade him not to have this obnoxious inscription put up at all. But\nPilate was determined, and their words made no impression upon him; the\ncross was therefore obliged to be lengthened by a fresh bit of wood.\nConsequently the form of the cross was peculiar--the two arms stood out\nlike the branches of a tree growing from the stem, and the shape was\nvery like that of the letter Y, with the lower part lengthened so as to\nrise between the arms, which had been put on separately, and were\nthinner than the body of the cross. A piece of wood was likewise nailed\nat the bottom of the cross for the feet to rest upon.\n\nDuring the time that Pilate was pronouncing the iniquitous sentence,\nI saw his wife, Claudia Procles, send him back the pledge which he had\ngiven her, and in the evening she left his palace and joined the\nfriends of our Lord, who concealed her in a subterraneous vault in the\nhouse of Lazarus at Jerusalem. Later in the same day, I likewise saw a\nfriend of our Lord engrave the words, Judex injustus, and the name of\nClaudia Procles, on a greenlooking stone, which was behind the terrace\ncalled Gabbatha--this stone is still to be found in the foundations of a\nchurch or house at Jerusalem, which stands on the spot formerly called\nGabbatha. Claudia Procles became a Christian, followed St. Paul, and\nbecame his particular friend.\n\nNo sooner had Pilate pronounced sentence than Jesus was given up\ninto the hands of the archers, and the clothes which he had taken off\nin the court of Caiphas were brought for him to put on again. I think\nsome charitable persons had washed them, for they looked clean. The\nruffians who surrounded Jesus untied his hands for his dress to be\nchanged, and roughly dragged off the scarlet mantle with which they had\nclothed him in mockery, thereby reopening all his wounds; he put on his\nown linen under-garment with trembling hands, and they threw his\nscapular over his shoulders. As the crown of thorns was too large and\nprevented the seamless robe, which his Mother had made for him, from\ngoing over his head, they pulled it off violently, heedless of the pain\nthus inflicted upon him. His white woollen dress was next thrown over\nhis shoulders, and then his wide belt and cloak. After this, they again\ntied round his waist a ring covered with sharp iron points, and to it\nthey fastened the cords by which he was led, doing all with their usual\nbrutal cruelty.\n\nThe two thieves were standing, one on the right and the other on the\nleft of Jesus, with their hands tied and a chain round their necks;\nthey were covered with black and lived marks, the effects of the\nscourging of the previous day. The demeanour of the one who was\nafterwards converted was quiet and peaceable, while that of the other,\non the contrary, was rough and insolent, and he joined the archers in\nabusing and insulting Jesus, who looked upon his two companions with\nlove and compassion, and offered up his sufferings for their salvation.\nThe archers gathered together all the implements necessary for the\ncrucifixions, and prepared everything for the terrible and painful\njourney to Calvary.\n\nAnnas and Caiphas at last left off disputing with Pilate, and\nangrily retired, taking with them the sheets of parchment on which the\nsentence was written; they went away in haste, fearing that they should\nget to the Temple too late for the Paschal sacrifice. Thus did the High\nPriests, unknowingly to themselves, leave the true Paschal Lamb. They\nwent to a temple made of stone, to immolate and to sacrifice that lamb\nwhich was but a symbol, and they left the true Paschal Lamb, who was\nbeing led to the Altar of the Cross by the cruel executioners; they\nwere most careful not to contract exterior defilement, while their\nsouls were completely defiled by anger, hatred, and envy. They had\nsaid, 'His blood be upon us and upon our children!' And by these words they\nhad performed the ceremony, and had placed the hand of the sacrificer\nupon the head of the Victim. Thus were the two paths formed--the one\nleading to the altar belonging to the Jewish law, the other leading to\nthe Altar of Grace: Pilate, that proud and irresolute pagan, that slave\nof the world, who trembled in the presence of the true God, and yet\nadored his false gods, took a middle path, and returned to his palace.\n\nThe iniquitous sentence was given at about ten in the morning.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXX.\n\nThe Carrying of the Cross.\n\n\n\nWhen Pilate left the tribunal a portion of the soldiers followed\nhim, and were drawn up in files before the palace; a few accompanying\nthe criminals. Eight-and-twenty armed Pharisees came to the forum on\nhorseback, in order to accompany Jesus to the place of execution, and\namong these were the six enemies of Jesus, who had assisted in\narresting him in the Garden of Olives. The archers led Jesus into the\nmiddle of the court, the slaves threw down the cross at his feet, and\nthe two arms were forthwith tied on to the centre piece. Jesus knelt\ndown by its side, encircled it with his sacred arms, and kissed it\nthree times, addressing, at the same time, a most touching prayer of\nthanksgiving to his Heavenly Father for that work of redemption which\nhe had begun. It was the custom among pagans for the priest to embrace\na new altar, and Jesus in like manner embraced his cross, that august\naltar on which the bloody and expiatory sacrifice was about to be\noffered. The archers soon made him rise, and then kneel down again, and\nalmost without any assistance, place the heavy cross on his right\nshoulder, supporting its great weight with his right hand. I saw angels\ncome to his assistance, otherwise he would have been unable even to\nraise it from the ground. Whilst he was on his knees, and still\npraying, the executioners put the arms of the crosses, which were a\nlittle curbed and not as yet fastened to the centre pieces, on the\nbacks of the two thieves, and tied their hands tightly to them. The\nmiddle parts of the crosses were carried by slaves, as the transverse\npieces were not to be fastened to them until just before the time of\nexecution. The trumpet sounded to announce the departure of Pilate's\nhorsemen, and one of the Pharisees belonging to the escort came up to\nJesus, who was still kneeling, and said, 'Rise, we have had a sufficiency\nof thy fine speeches; rise and set off.' They pulled him roughly up, for\nhe was totally unable to rise without assistance, and he then felt upon\nhis shoulders the weight of that cross which we must carry after him,\naccording to his true and holy command to follow him. Thus began that\ntriumphant march of the King of Kings, a march so ignominious on earth,\nand so glorious in heaven.\n\nBy means of ropes, which the executioners had fastened to the foot\nof the cross, two archers supported it to prevent its getting entangled\nin anything, and four other soldiers took hold of the ropes, which they\nhad fastened to Jesus underneath his clothes. The sight of our dear\nLord trembling beneath his burden, reminded me forcibly of Isaac, when\nhe carried the wood destined for his own sacrifice up the mountains.\nThe trumpet of Pilate was sounded as the signal for departure, for he\nhimself intended to go to Calvary at the head of a detachment of\nsoldiers, to prevent the possibility of an insurrection. He was on\nhorseback, in armour, surrounded by officers and a body of cavalry, and\nfollowed by about three hundred of the infantry, who came from the\nfrontiers of Italy and Switzerland. The procession was headed by a\ntrumpeter, who sounded his trumpet at every corner and proclaimed the\nsentence. A number of women and children walked behind the procession\nwith ropes, nails, wedges, and baskets filled with different articles,\nin their hands; others, who were stronger, carried poles, ladders, and\nthe centre pieces of the crosses of the two thieves, and some of the\nPharisees followed on horseback. A boy who had charge of the\ninscription which Pilate had written for the cross, likewise carried\nthe crown of thorns (which had been taken off the head of Jesus) at the\nend of a long stick, but he did not appear to be wicked and\nhard-hearted like the rest. Next I beheld our Blessed Saviour and\nRedeemer--his bare feet swollen and bleeding--his back bent as though he were\nabout to sink under the heavy weight of the cross, and his whole body\ncovered with wounds and blood. He appeared to be half fainting from\nexhaustion (having had neither refreshment or sleep since the supper of\nthe previous night), weak from loss of blood, and parched with thirst\nproduced by fever and pain. He supported the cross on his right\nshoulder with his right hand, the left hung almost powerless at his\nside, but he endeavoured now and then to hold up his long garment to\nprevent his bleeding feet from getting entangled in it. The four\narchers who held the cords which were fastened round his waist, walked\nat some distance from him, the two in front pulled him on, and the two\nbehind dragged him back, so that he could not get on at all without the\ngreatest difficulty. His hands were cut by the cords with which they\nhad been bound; his face bloody and disfigured; his hair and beard\nsaturated with blood; the weight of the cross and of his chains\ncombined to press and make the woollen dress cleave to his wounds, and\nreopen them: derisive and heartless words alone were addressed to him,\nbut he continued to pray for his persecutors, and his countenance bore\nan expression of combined love and resignation. Many soldiers under\narms walked by the side of the procession, and after Jesus came the two\nthieves, who were likewise led, the arms of their crosses, separate\nfrom the middle, being placed upon their backs, and their hands tied\ntightly to the two ends. They were clothed in large aprons, with a sort\nof sleeveless scapular which covered the upper part of their bodies,\nand they had straw caps upon their heads. The good thief was calm, but\nthe other was, on the contrary furious, and never ceased cursing and\nswearing. The rear of the procession was brought up by the remainder of\nthe Pharisees on horseback, who rode to and fro to keep order. Pilate\nand his courtiers were at a certain distance behind; he was in the\nmidst of his officers clad in armour, preceded by a squadron of\ncavalry, and followed by three hundred foot soldiers; he crossed the\nforum, and then entered one of the principal streets, for he was\nmarching through the town in order to prevent any insurrection among\nthe people.\n\nJesus was conducted by a narrow back street, that the procession\nmight not inconvenience the persons who were going to the Temple, and\nlikewise in order that Pilate and his band might have the whole\nprincipal street entirely to themselves. The crowd had dispersed and\nstarted in different directions almost immediately after the reading of\nthe sentence, and the greatest part of the Jews either returned to\ntheir own houses, or to the Temple, to hasten their preparations for\nsacrificing the Paschal lamb; but a certain number were still hurrying\non in disorder to see the melancholy procession pass; the Roman\nsoldiers prevented all persons from joining the procession, therefore\nthe most curious were obliged to go round by back streets, or to\nquicken their steps so as to reach Calvary before Jesus. The street\nthrough which they led Jesus was both narrow and dirty; he suffered\nmuch in passing through it, because the archers were close and harassed\nhim. Persons stood on the roofs of the houses, and at the windows, and\ninsulted him with opprobrious language; the slaves who were working in\nthe streets threw filth and mud at him; even the children, incited by\nhis enemies, had filled their pinafores with sharp stones, which they\nthrow down before their doors as he passed, that he might be obliged to\nwalk over them.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXI.\n\nThe First Fall of Jesus.\n\n\n\nThe street of which we have just spoken, after turning a little to\nthe left, became rather steep, as also wider, a subterranean aqueduct\nproceeding from Mount Sion passed under it, and in its vicinity was a\nhollow which was often filled with water and mud after rain, and a\nlarge stone was placed in its centre to enable persons to pass over\nmore easily. When Jesus reached this spot, his strength was perfectly\nexhausted; he was quite unable to move; and as the archers dragged and\npushed him without showing the slightest compassion, he fell quite down\nagainst this stone, and the cross fell by his side. The cruel\nexecutioners were obliged to stop, they abused and struck him\nunmercifully, but the whole procession came to a standstill, which\ncaused a degree of confusion. Vainly did he hold out his hand for\nsomeone to assist him to rise: 'Ah!' he exclaimed, 'all will soon be over;' and\nhe prayed for his enemies. Lift him up,' said the Pharisees, 'otherwise he\nwill die in our hands.' There were many women and children following the\nprocession; the former wept, and the latter were frightened. Jesus,\nhowever, received support from above, and raised his head; but these\ncruel men, far from endeavouring to alleviate his sufferings, put the\ncrown of thorns again on his head before they pulled him out of the\nmud, and no sooner was he once more on his feet than they replaced the\ncross on his back. The crown of thorns which encircled his head\nincreased his pain inexpressibly, and obliged him to bend on one side\nto give room for the cross, which lay heavily on his shoulders.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXII.\n\nThe Second Fall of Jesus.\n\n\n\nThe afflicted Mother of Jesus had left the forum, accompanied by\nJohn and some other women, immediately after the unjust sentence was\npronounced. She had employed herself in walking to many of the spots\nsanctified by our Lord and watering them with her tears; but when the\nsound of the trumpet, the rush of people, and the clang of the horsemen\nannounced that the procession was about to start for Calvary, she could\nnot resist her longing desire to behold her beloved Son once more, and\nshe begged John to take her to some place through which he must pass.\nJohn conducted her to a palace, which had an entrance in that street\nwhich Jesus traversed after his first fall; it was, I believe, the\nresidence of the high priest Caiphas, whose tribunal was in the\ndivision called Sion. John asked and obtained leave from a kind-hearted\nservant to stand at the entrance mentioned above, with Mary and her\ncompanions. The Mother of God was pale, her eyes were red with weeping,\nand she was closely wrapped in a cloak of a bluish-grey colour. The\nclamour and insulting speeches of the enraged multitude might be\nplainly heard; and a herald at that moment proclaimed in a loud voice,\nthat three criminals were about to be crucified. The servant opened the\ndoor; the dreadful sounds became more distinct every moment; and Mary\nthrew herself on her knees. After praying fervently, she turned to John\nand said, 'Shall I remain? Ought I to go away? Shall I have strength to\nsupport such a sight?' John made answer, 'If you do not remain to see him\npass, you will grieve afterwards.' They remained therefore near the door,\nwith their eyes fixed on the procession, which was still distant, but\nadvancing by slow degrees. When those who were carrying the instruments\nfor the execution approached, and the Mother of Jesus saw their\ninsolent and triumphant looks, she could not control her feelings, but\njoined her hands as if to implore the help of heaven; upon which one\namong them said to his companions: 'What woman is that who is uttering\nsuch lamentations?' Another answered: 'She is the Mother of the Galilean.'\nWhen the cruel men heard this, far from being moved to compassion, they\nbegan to make game of the grief of this most afflicted Mother: they\npointed at her, and one of them took the nails which were to be used\nfor fastening Jesus to the cross, and presented them to her in an\ninsulting manner; but she turned away, fixed her eyes upon Jesus, who\nwas drawing near, and leant against the pillar for support, lest she\nshould again faint from grief, for her cheeks were as pale as death,\nand her lips almost blue. The Pharisees on horseback passed by first,\nfollowed by the boy who carried the inscription. Then came her beloved\nSon. He was almost sinking under the heavy weight of his cross, and his\nhead, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony on his shoulder.\nHe cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon his Mother, staggered, and\nfell for the second time upon his hands and knees. Mary was perfectly\nagonised at this sight; she forgot all else; she saw neither soldiers\nnor executioners; she saw nothing but her dearly-loved Son; and,\nspringing from the doorway into the midst of the group who were\ninsulting and abusing him, she threw herself on her knees by his side\nand embraced him. The only words I heard were, 'Beloved Son!' and 'Mother!' but\nI do not know whether these words were really uttered, or whether they\nwere only in my own mind.\n\nA momentary confusion ensued. John and the holy women endeavoured to\nraise Mary from the ground, and the archers reproached her, one of them\nsaying, 'What hast thou to do her, woman? He would not have been in our\nhands if he had been better brought up.'\n\nA few of the soldiers looked touched; and, although they obliged the\nBlessed Virgin to retire to the doorway, not one laid hands upon her.\nJohn and the women surrounded her as she fell half fainting against a\nstone, which was near the doorway, and upon which the impression of her\nhands remained. This stone was very hard, and was afterwards removed to\nthe first Catholic church built in Jerusalem, near the Pool of\nBethsaida, during the time that St. James the Less was Bishop of that\ncity. The two disciples who were with the Mother of Jesus carried her\ninto the house, and the door was shut. In the mean time the archers had\nraised Jesus, and obliged him to carry the cross in a different manner.\nIts arm being unfastened from the centre, and entangled in the ropes\nwith which he was bound, he supported them on his arm, and by this\nmeans the weight of the body of the cross was a little taken off, as it\ndragged more on the ground. I saw numbers of persons standing about in\ngroups, the greatest part amusing themselves by insulting our Lord in\ndifferent ways, but a few veiled females were weeping.\n\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\n\nSimon of Cyrene. Third Fall of Jesus.\n\n\n\nThe procession had reached an arch formed in an old wall belonging\nto the town, opposite to a square, in which three streets terminated,\nwhen Jesus stumbled against a large stone which was placed in the\nmiddle of the archway, the cross slipped from his shoulder, he fell\nupon the stone, and was totally unable to rise. Many\nrespectable-looking persons who were on their way to the Temple\nstopped, and exclaimed compassionately: 'Look at that poor man, he is\ncertainly dying!' but his enemies showed no compassion. This fall caused\na fresh delay, as our Lord could not stand up again, and the Pharisees\nsaid to the soldiers: 'We shall never get him to the place of execution\nalive, if you do not find someone to carry his cross.' At this moment\nSimon of Cyrene, a pagan, happened to pass by, accompanied by his three\nchildren. He was a gardener, just returning home after working in a\ngarden near the eastern wall of the city, and carrying a bundle of\nlopped branches. The soldiers perceiving by his dress that he was a\npagan, seized him, and ordered him to assist Jesus in carrying his\ncross. He refused at first, but was soon compelled to obey, although\nhis children, being frightened, cried and made a great noise, upon\nwhich some women quieted and took charge of them. Simon was much\nannoyed, and expressed the greatest vexation at being obliged to walk\nwith a man in so deplorable a condition of dirt and misery; but Jesus\nwept, and cast such a mild and heavenly look upon him that he was\ntouched, and instead of continuing to show reluctance, helped him to\nrise, while the executioners fastened one arm of the cross on his\nshoulders, and he walked behind our Lord, thus relieving him in a great\nmeasure from its weight; and when all was arranged, the procession\nmoved forward. Simon was a stout-looking man, apparently about forty\nyears of age. His children were dressed in tunics made of a variegated\nmaterial; the two eldest, named Rufus and Alexander, afterwards joined\nthe disciples; the third was much younger, but a few years later went\nto live with St. Stephen. Simon had not carried the cross after Jesus\nany length of time before he felt his heart deeply touched by grace.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\n\nThe Veil of Veronica.\n\n\n\nWhile the procession was passing through a long street, an incident\ntook place which made a strong impression upon Simon. Numbers of\nrespectable persons were hurrying towards the Temple, of whom many got\nout of the way when they saw Jesus, from a Pharisaical fear of\ndefilement, while others, on the contrary, stopped and expressed pity\nfor his sufferings. But when the procession had advanced about two\nhundred steps from the spot where Simon began to assist our Lord in\ncarrying his cross, the door of a beautiful house on the left opened,\nand a woman of majestic appearance, holding a young girl by the hand,\ncame out, and walked up to the very head of the procession. Seraphia\nwas the name of the brave woman who thus dared to confront the enraged\nmultitude; she was the wife of Sirach, one of the councillors belonging\nto the Temple, and was afterwards known by the name of Veronica, which\nname was given from the words vera icon (true portrait), to commemorate\nher brave conduct on this day.\n\nSeraphia had prepared some excellent aromatic wine, which she\npiously intended to present to our Lord to refresh him on his dolorous\nway to Calvary. She had been standing in the street for some time, and\nat last went back into the house to wait. She was, when I first saw\nher, enveloped in a long veil, and holding a little girl of nine years\nof age, whom she had adopted, by the hand; a large veil was likewise\nhanging on her arm, and the little girl endeavoured to hide the jar of\nwine when the procession approached. Those who were marching at the\nhead of the procession tried to push her back; but she made her way\nthrough the mob, the soldiers, and the archers, reached Jesus, fell on\nher knees before him, and presented the veil, saying at the same time,\n'Permit me to wipe the face of my Lord.' Jesus took the veil in his left\nhand, wiped his bleeding face, and returned it with thanks. Seraphia\nkissed it, and put it under her cloak. The girl then timidly offered\nthe wine, but the brutal soldiers would not allow Jesus to drink it.\nThe suddenness of this courageous act of Seraphia had surprised the\nguards, and caused a momentary although unintentional halt, of which\nshe had taken advantage to present the veil to her Divine Master. Both\nthe Pharisees and the guards were greatly exasperated, not only by the\nsudden halt, but much more by the public testimony of veneration which\nwas thus paid to Jesus, and they revenged themselves by striking and\nabusing him, while Seraphia returned in haste to her house.\n\nNo sooner did she reach her room than she placed the woollen veil on\na table, and fell almost senseless on her knees. A friend who entered\nthe room a short time after, found her thus kneeling, with the child\nweeping by her side, and saw, to his astonishment, the bloody\ncountenance of our Lord imprinted upon the veil, a perfect likeness,\nalthough heartrending and painful to look upon. He roused Seraphia, and\npointed to the veil. She again knelt down before it, and exclaimed\nthrough her tears, 'Now I shall indeed leave all with a happy heart, for\nmy Lord has given me a remembrance of himself.' The texture of this veil\nwas a species of very fine wool; it was three times the length of its\nwidth, and was generally worn on the shoulders. It was customary to\npresent these veil to persons who were in affliction, or overfatigued,\nor ill, that they might wipe their faces with them, and it was done in\norder to express sympathy or compassion. Veronica kept this veil until\nher death, and hung it at the head of her bed; it was then given to the\nBlessed Virgin, who left it to the Apostles and they afterwards passed\nit on to the Church.\n\nSeraphis and John the Baptist were cousins, her father and Zacharias\nbeing brothers. When Joachim and Anna brought the Blessed Virgin, who\nwas then only four years old, up to Jerusalem, to place her among the\nvirgins in the Temple, they lodged in the house of Zacharias, which was\nsituated near the fish-market. Seraphia was at least five years older\nthan the Blessed Virgin, was present at her marriage with St. Joseph,\nand was likewise related to the aged Simeon, who prophesied when the\nChild Jesus was put into his arms. She was brought up with his sons,\nboth of whom, as well as Seraphia, he imbued with his ardent desire of\nseeing our Lord. When Jesus was twelve years old, and remained teaching\nin the Temple, Seraphia, who was not then married, sent food for him\nevery day to a little inn, a quarter of a mile from Jerusalem, where he\ndwelt when he was not in the Temple. Mary wet there for two days, when\non her way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to offer her Child in the\nTemple. The two old men who kept this inn were Essenians, and well\nacquainted with the Holy Family; it contained a kind of foundation for\nthe poor, and Jesus and his disciples often went there for a night's\nlodging.\n\nSeraphia married rather late in life; her husband, Sirach, was\ndescended from the chaste Susannah, and was a member of the Sanhedrin.\nHe was at first greatly opposed to our Lord, and his wife suffered much\non account of her attachment to Jesus, and to the holy women, but\nJoseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus brought him to a better state of\nfeeling, and he allowed Seraphia to follow our Lord. When Jesus was\nunjustly accused in the court of Caiphas, the husband of Seraphia\njoined with Joseph and Nicodemus in attempts to obtain the liberation\nof our Lord, and all three resigned their seats in the Council.\n\nSeraphia was about fifty at the time of the triumphant procession of\nour Lord when he entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and I then saw\nher take off her veil and spread it on the ground for him to walk upon.\nIt was this same veil, which she presented to Jesus, at this his second\nprocession, a procession which outwardly appeared to be far less\nglorious, but was in fact much more so. This veil obtained for her the\nname of Veronica, and it is still shown for the veneration of the\nfaithful.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXV.\n\nThe Fourth and Fifth Falls of Jesus.\n\nThe Daughters of Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nThe procession was still at some distance from the south-west gate,\nwhich was large, and attached to the fortifications, and the street was\nrough and steep; it had first to pass under a vaulted arch, then over a\nbridge, and finally under a second arch. The wall on the left side of\nthe gate runs first in southerly direction, then deviates a little to\nthe west, and finally runs to the south behind Mount Sion. When the\nprocession was near this gate, the brutal archers shoved Jesus into a\nstagnant pool, which was close to it; Simon of Cyrene, in his\nendeavours to avoid the pool, gave the cross a twist, which caused\nJesus to fall down for the fourth time in the midst of the dirty mud,\nand Simon had the greatest difficulty in lifting up the cross again.\nJesus then exclaimed in a tone which, although clear, was moving and\nsad: 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered together thy\nchildren as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou\nwouldst not!' When the Pharisees heard these words, they became still\nmore angry, and recommencing their insults and blows endeavoured to\nforce him to get up out of the mud. Their cruelty to Jesus so\nexasperated Simon of Cyrene that he at last exclaimed, 'If you continue\nthis brutal conduct, I will throw down the cross and carry it no\nfarther. I will do so if you kill me for it.'\n\nA narrow and stony path was visible as soon as the gate was passed,\nand this path ran in a northerly direction, and led to Calvary. The\nhigh road from which it deviates divided shortly after into three\nbranches, one to the south-west, which led to Bethlehem, through the\nvale of Gihon; a second to the south towards Emmaus and Joppa; a third,\nlikewise to the south-west, wound round Calvary, and terminated at the\ngate which led to Bethsur. A person standing at the gate through which\nJesus was led might easily see the gate of Bethlehem. The officers had\nfastened an inscription upon a post which stood at the commencement of\nthe road to Calvary, to inform those who passed by that Jesus and the\ntwo thieves were condemned to death. A group of women had gathered\ntogether near this spot, and were weeping and lamenting; many carried\nyoung children in their arms; the greatest part were young maidens and\nwomen from Jerusalem, who had preceded the procession, but a few came\nfrom Bethlehem, from Hebron, and from other neighbouring places, in\norder to celebrate the Pasch.\n\nJesus was on the point of again falling, but Simon, who was behind,\nperceiving that he could not stand, hastened to support him; he leant\nupon Simon, and was thus saved from falling to the ground. When the\nwomen and children of whom we have spoken above, saw the deplorable\ncondition to which our Lord was reduced, they uttered loud cries, wept,\nand, according to the Jewish custom, presented him cloths to wipe his\nface. Jesus turned towards them and said: 'Daughters of Jerusalem, weep\nnot over me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold\nthe days shall come wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren, and\nthe wombs that have not borne, and the papas that have not given suck.\nThen shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us, and to the\nhills: Cover us. For if in the green wood they do these things, what\nshall be done in the dry?' He then addressed a few words of consolation\nto hem, which I do not exactly remember.\n\nThe procession made a momentary halt. The executioners, who set of\nfirst, had reached Calvary with the instruments for the execution, and\nwere followed by a hundred of the Roman soldiers who had started with\nPilate; he only accompanied the procession as far as the gateway, and\nreturned to the town.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVI.\n\nJesus on Mount Golgotha.\n\nSixth and Seventh Falls of Jesus.\n\n\n\nThe procession again moved on; the road was very steep and rough\nbetween the walls of the town and Calvary, and Jesus had the greatest\ndifficulty in walking with his heavy burden on his shoulders; but his\ncruel enemies, far from feeling the slightest compassion, or giving the\nleast assistance, continued to urge him on by the infliction of hard\nblows, and the utterance of dreadful curses. At last they reached a\nspot where the pathway turned suddenly to the south; here he stumbled\nand fell for the sixth time. The fall was a dreadful one, but the\nguards only struck him the harder to force him to get up, and no sooner\ndid he reach Calvary that he sank down again for the seventh time.\n\nSimon of Cyrene was filled with indignation and pity;\nnotwithstanding his fatigue, he wished to remain that he might assist\nJesus, but the archers first reviled, and then drove him away, and he\nsoon after joined the body of disciples. The executioners then ordered\nthe workmen and the boys who had carried the instruments of the\nexecution to depart, and the Pharisees soon arrived, for they were on\nhorseback, and had taken the smooth and easy road which ran to the east\nof Calvary. There was a fine view of the whole town of Jerusalem from\nthe top of Calvary. This top was circular, and about the size of an\nordinary ridingschool, surrounded by a low wall, and with five separate\nentrances. This appeared to be the usual number in those parts, for\nthere were five roads at the baths, at the place where they baptised,\nat the pool of Bethsaida, and there were likewise many towns with five\ngates. In this, as in many other peculiarities of the Holy Land, there\nwas a deep prophetic signification; that number five, which so often\noccurred, was a type of those five sacred wound of our Blessed Saviour,\nwhich were to open to us the gates of Heaven.\n\nThe horsemen stopped on the west side of the mount, where the\ndeclivity was not so steep; for the side up which the criminals were\nbrought was both rough and steep. About a hundred soldiers were\nstationed on different parts of the mountain, and as space was\nrequired, the thieves were not brought to the top, but ordered to halt\nbefore they reached it, and to lie on the ground with their arms\nfastened to their crosses. Soldiers stood around and guarded them,\nwhile crowds of persons who did not fear defiling themselves, stood\nnear the platform or on the neighbouring heights; these were mostly of\nthe lower classes--strangers, slaves, and pagans, and a number of them\nwere women.\n\nIt wanted about a quarter to twelve when Jesus, loaded with his\ncross, sank down at the precise spot where he was to be crucified. The\nbarbarous executioners dragged him up by the cords which they had\nfastened round his waist, and then untied the arms of the cross, and\nthrew them on the ground. The sight of our Blessed Lord at this moment\nwas, indeed, calculated to move the hardest heart to compassion; he\nstood or rather bent over the cross, being scarcely able to support\nhimself; his heavenly countenance was pale and was as that of a person\non the verge of death, although wounds and blood disfigured it to a\nfrightful degree; but the hearts of these cruel men were, alas! harder\nthan iron itself, and far from showing the slightest commiseration,\nthey threw him brutally down, exclaiming in a jeering tone, 'Most\npowerful king, we are about to prepare thy throne.' Jesus immediately\nplaced himself upon the cross, and they measured him and marked the\nplaces for his feet and hands; whilst the Pharisees continued to insult\ntheir unresisting Victim. When the measurement was finished, they led\nhim to a cave cut in the rock, which had been used formerly as a\ncellar, opened the door, and pushed him in so roughly that had it not\nbeen for the support of angels, his legs must have been broken by so\nhard a fall on the rough stone floor. I most distinctly heard his\ngroans of pain, but they closed the door quickly, and placed guards\nbefore it, and the archers continued their preparations for the\ncrucifixion. The centre of the platform mentioned above was the most\nelevated part of Calvary,--it was a round eminence, about two feet high,\nand persons were obliged to ascend two of three steps to reach its top.\nThe executioners dug the holes for the three crosses at the top of this\neminence, and placed those intended for the thieves one on the right\nand the other on the left of our Lord's; both were lower and more roughly\nmade than his. They then carried the cross of our Saviour to the spot\nwhere they intended to crucify him, and placed it in such a position\nthat it would easily fall into the hole prepared for it. They fastened\nthe two arms strongly on to the body of the cross, nailed the board at\nthe bottom which was to support the feet, bored the holes for the\nnails, and cut different hollows in the wood in the parts which would\nreceive the head and back of our Lord, in order that his body might\nrest against the cross, instead of being suspended from it. Their aim\nin this was the prolongation of his tortures, for if the whole weight\nof this body was allowed to fall upon the hands the holes might be\nquite torn open, and death ensue more speedily than they desired. The\nexecutioners then drove into the ground the pieces of wood which were\nintended to keep the cross upright, and made a few other similar\npreparations.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVII.\n\nThe Departure of Mary and the holy Women of Calvary.\n\n\n\nAlthough the Blessed Virgin was carried away fainting after the sad\nmeeting with her Son loaded with his cross, yet she soon recovered\nconsciousness; for love, and the ardent desire of seeing him once more,\nimparted to her a supernatural feeling of strength. Accompanied by her\ncompanions she went to the house of Lazarus, which was at the bottom of\nthe town, and where Martha, Magdalen, and many holy women were already\nassembled. All were sad and depressed, but Magdalen could not restrain\nher tears and lamentations. They started from this house, about\nseventeen in number, to make the way of the cross, that is to say, to\nfollow every step Jesus had taken in this most painful journey. Mary\ncounted each footstep, and being interiorly enlightened, pointed out to\nher companions those places which had been consecrated by peculiar\nsufferings. Then did the sharp sword predicted by aged Simeon impress\nfor the first time in the heart of Mary that touching devotion which\nhas since been so constantly practised in the Church. Mary imparted it\nto her companions, and they in their turn left it to future\ngenerations,--a most precious gift indeed, bestowed by our Lord on his\nbeloved Mother, and which passed from her heart to the hearts of her\nchildren through the revered voice of tradition.\n\nWhen these holy women reached the house of Veronica they entered it,\nbecause Pilate and his officers were at that moment passing through the\nstreet, on their way home. They burst forth into unrestrained tears\nwhen they beheld the countenance of Jesus imprinted on the veil, and\nthey returned thanks to God for the favour he had bestowed on his\nfaithful servant. They took the jar of aromatic wine which the Jews had\nprevented Jesus from drinking, and set off together towards Golgotha.\nTheir number was considerably increased, for many pious men and women\nwhom the sufferings of our Lord had filled with pity had joined them,\nand they ascended the west side of Calvary, as the declivity there was\nnot so great. The Mother of Jesus, accompanied by her niece, Mary (the\ndaughter of Cleophas), John, and Salome went quite up to the round\nplatform; but Martha, Mary of Heli, Veronica, Johanna Chusa, Susanna,\nand Mary, the mother of Mark, remained below with Magdalen, who could\nhardly support herself. Lower down on the mountain there was a third\ngroup of holy women, and there were a few scattered individuals between\nthe three groups, who carried messages from one to the other. The\nPharisees on horseback rode to and fro among the people, and the five\nentrances were guarded by Roman soldiers. Mary kept her eyes fixed on\nthe fatal spot, and stood as if entranced,--it was indeed a sight\ncalculated to appal and rend the heart of a mother. There lay the\nterrible cross, the hammers, the ropes, the nails, and alongside of\nthese frightful instruments to torture stood the brutal executioners,\nhalf drunk, and almost without clothing, swearing and blaspheming,\nwhilst making their preparations. The sufferings of the Blessed Virgin\nwere greatly increased by her not being able to see her Son; she knew\nthat he was still alive, and she felt the most ardent desire once more\nto behold him, while the thought of the torments he still had to endure\nmade her heart ready to burst with grief.\n\nA little hail had been falling at times during the morning, but the\nsun came out again after ten o'clock, and a thick red fog began to\nobscure it towards twelve.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVIII.\n\nThe Nailing of Jesus to the Cross.\n\n\n\nThe preparations for the crucifixion being finished four archers\nwent to the cave where they had confined our Lord and dragged him out\nwith their usual brutality, while the mob looked on and made use of\ninsulting language, and the Roman soldiers regarded all with\nindifference, and thought of nothing but maintaining order. When Jesus\nwas again brought forth, the holy women gave a man some money, and\nbegged him to pay the archer anything they might demand if they would\nallow Jesus to drink the wine which Veronica had prepared; but the\ncruel executioners, instead of giving it to Jesus, drank it themselves.\nThey had brought two vases with them, one of which contained vinegar\nand gall, and the other a mixture which looked like wine mixed with\nmyrrh and absinthe; they offered a glass of the latter to our Lord,\nwhich he tasted, but would not drink.\n\nThere were eighteen archers on the platform; the six who had\nscourged Jesus, the four who had conducted him to Calvary, the two who\nheld the ropes which supported the cross, and six others who came for\nthe purpose of crucifying him. They were strangers in the pay of either\nthe Jews or the Romans, and were short thick-set men, with most\nferocious countenances, rather resembling wild beasts than human\nbeings, and employing themselves alternately in drinking and in making\npreparations for the crucifixion.\n\nThis scene was rendered the more frightful to me by the sight of\ndemons, who were invisible to others, and I saw large bodies of evil\nspirits under the forms of toads, serpents, sharp-clawed dragons, and\nvenomous insects, urging these wicked men to still greater cruelty, and\nperfectly darkening the air. They crept into the mouths and into the\nhearts of the assistants, sat upon their shoulders, filled their minds\nwith wicked images, and incited them to revile and insult our Lord with\nstill greater brutality. Weeping angels, however, stood around Jesus,\nand the sight of their tears consoled me not a little, and they were\naccompanied by little angels of glory, whose heads alone I saw. There\nwere likewise angels of pity and angels of consolation among them; the\nlatter frequently approached the Blessed Virgin and the rest of the\npious persons who were assembled there, and whispered words of comfort\nwhich enabled them to bear up with firmness.\n\nThe executioners soon pulled off our Lord's cloak, the belt to which\nthe ropes were fastened, and his own belt, when they found it was\nimpossible to drag the woollen garment which his Mother had woven for\nhim over his head, on account of the crown of thorns; they tore off\nthis most painful crown, thus reopening every wound, and seizing the\ngarment, tore it mercilessly over his bleeding and wounded head. Our\ndear Lord and Saviour then stood before his cruel enemies, stripped of\nall save the short scapular which was on his shoulders, and the linen\nwhich girded his loins. His scapular was of wool; the wool had stuck to\nthe wounds, and indescribable was the agony of pain he suffered when\nthey pulled it roughly off. He shook like the aspen as he stood before\nthem, for he was so weakened from suffering and loss of blood that he\ncould not support himself for more than a few moments; he was covered\nwith open wounds, and his shoulders and back were torn to the bone by\nthe dreadful scourging he had endured. He was about to fall when the\nexecutioners, fearing that he might die, and thus deprive them of the\nbarbarous pleasure of crucifying him, led him to a large stone and\nplaced him roughly down upon it, but no sooner was he seated than they\naggravated his sufferings by putting the crown of thorns again upon his\nhead. They then offered him some vinegar and gall, from which, however,\nhe turned away in silence. The executioners did not allow him to rest\nlong, but bade him rise and place himself on the cross that they might\nnail him to it. Then seizing his right arm they dragged it to the hole\nprepared for the nail, and having tied it tightly down with a cord, one\nof them knelt upon his sacred chest, a second held his hand flat, and a\nthird taking a long thick nail, pressed it on the open palm of that\nadorable hand, which had ever been open to bestow blessings and favours\non the ungrateful Jews, and with a great iron hammer drove it through\nthe flesh, and far into the wood of the cross. Our Lord uttered one\ndeep but suppressed groan, and his blood gushed forth and sprinkled the\narms of the archers. I counted the blows of the hammer, but my extreme\ngrief made me forget their number. The nails were very large, the heads\nabout the size of a crown piece, and the thickness that of a man's thumb,\nwhile the points came through at the back of the cross. The Blessed\nVirgin stood motionless; from time to time you might distinguish her\nplaintive moans; she appeared as if almost fainting from grief, and\nMagdalen was quite beside herself. When the executioners had nailed the\nright hand of our Lord, they perceived that his left hand did not reach\nthe hole they had bored to receive the nail, therefore they tied ropes\nto his left arm, and having steadied their feet against the cross,\npulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for\nit. This dreadful process caused our Lord indescribable agony, his\nbreast heaved, and his legs were quite contracted. They again knelt\nupon him, tied down his arms, and drove the second nail into his left\nhand; his blood flowed afresh, and his feeble groans were once more\nheard between the blows of the hammer, but nothing could move the\nhard-hearted executioners to the slightest pity. The arms of Jesus,\nthus unnaturally stretched out, no longer covered the arms of the\ncross, which were sloped; there was a wide space between them and his\narmpits. Each additional torture and insult inflicted on our Lord\ncaused a fresh pang in the heart of his Blessed Mother; she became\nwhite as a corpse, but as the Pharisees endeavoured to increase her\npain by insulting words and gestures, the disciples led her to a group\nof pious women who were standing a little farther off.\n\nThe executioners had fastened a piece of wood at the lower part of\nthe cross under where the feet of Jesus would be nailed, that thus the\nweight of his body might not rest upon the wounds of his hands, as also\nto prevent the bones of his feet from being broken when nailed to the\ncross. A hole had been pierced in this wood to receive the nail when\ndriven through his feet, and there was likewise a little hollow place\nfor his heels. These precautions were taken lest his wounds should be\ntorn open by the weight of this body, and death ensue before he had\nsuffered all the tortures which they hoped to see him endure. The whole\nbody of our Lord had been dragged upward, and contracted by the violent\nmanner with which the executioners had stretched out his arms, and his\nknees were bent up; they therefore flattened and tied them down tightly\nwith cords; but soon perceiving that his feet did not reach the bit of\nwood which was placed for them to rest upon, they became infuriated.\nSome of their number proposed making fresh holes for the nails which\npierced his hands, as there would be considerable difficulty in\nremoving the bit of wood, but the others would do nothing of the sort,\nand continued to vociferate, 'He will not stretch himself out, but we\nwill help him;' they accompanied these words with the most fearful oaths\nand imprecations, and having fastened a rope to his right leg, dragged\nit violently until it reached the wood, and then tied it down as\ntightly as possible. The agony which Jesus suffered from this violent\ntension was indescribable; the words 'My God, my God,' escaped his lips,\nand the executioners increased his pain by tying his chest and arms to\nthe cross, lest the hands should be torn from the nails. They then\nfastened his left foot on to his right foot, having first bored a hole\nthrough them with a species of piercer, because they could not be\nplaced in such a position as to be nailed together at once. Next they\ntook a very long nail and drove it completely through both feet into\nthe cross below, which operation was more than usually painful, on\naccount of his body being so unnaturally stretched out; I counted at\nleast six and thirty blows of the hammer. During the whole time of the\ncrucifixion our Lord never ceased praying, and repeating those passages\nin the Psalms which he was then accompanying, although from time to\ntime a feeble moan caused by excess of suffering might be heard. In\nthis manner he had prayed when carrying his cross, and thus he\ncontinued to pray until his death. I heard him repeat all these\nprophecies; I repeated them after him, and I have often since noted the\ndifferent passages when reading the Psalms, but I now feel so exhausted\nwith grief that I cannot at all connect them.\n\nWhen the crucifixion of Jesus was finished, the commander of the\nRoman soldiers ordered Pilate's inscription to be nailed on the top of\nthe cross. The Pharisees were much incensed at this, and their anger\nwas increased by the jeers of the Roman soldiers, who pointed at their\ncrucified king; they therefore hastened back to Jerusalem, determined\nto use their best endeavours to persuade the governor to allow them to\nsubstitute another inscription.\n\nIt was about a quarter past twelve when Jesus was crucified, and at\nthe moment the cross was lifted up, the Temple resounded with the blast\nof trumpets, which were always blown to announce the sacrifice of the\nPaschal Lamb.\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIX.\n\nRaising of the Cross.\n\n\n\nWhen the executioners had finished the crucifixion of our Lord, they\ntied ropes to the trunk of the cross, and fastened the ends of these\nropes round a long beam which was fixed firmly in the ground at a\nlittle distance, and by means of these ropes they raised the cross.\nSome of their number supported it while others shoved its foot towards\nthe hole prepared for its reception--the heavy cross fell into this hole\nwith a frightful shock--Jesus uttered a faint cry, and his wounds were\ntorn open in the most fearful manner, his blood again burst forth, and\nhis half dislocated bones knocked one against the other. The archers\npushed the cross to get it thoroughly into the hole, and caused it to\nvibrate still more by planting five stakes around to support it.\n\nA terrible, but at the same time a touching sight it was to behold\nthe cross raised up in the midst of the vast concourse of persons who\nwere assembled all around; not only insulting soldiers, proud\nPharisees, and the brutal Jewish mob were there, but likewise strangers\nfrom all parts. The air resounded with acclamations and derisive cries\nwhen they beheld it towering on high, and after vibrating for a moment\nin the air, fall with a heavy crash into the hole cut for it in the\nrock. But words of love and compassion resounded through the air at the\nsame moment; and need we say that these words, these sounds, were\nemitted by the most saintly of human beings--Mary--John--the holy women, and all\nwho were pure of heart? They bowed down and adored the 'Word made flesh,'\nnailed to the cross; they stretched forth their hands as if desirous of\ngiving assistance to the Holy of Holies, whom they beheld nailed to a\ncross and in the power of his furious enemies. But when the solemn\nsound of the fall of the cross into the hole prepared for it in the\nrock was heard, a dead silence ensued, every heart was filled with an\nindefinable feeling of awe--a feeling never before experienced, and for\nwhich no one could account, even to himself; all the inmates of hell\nshook with terror, and vented their rage by endeavouring to stimulate\nthe enemies of Jesus to still greater fury and brutality; the souls in\nLimbo were filled with joy and hope, for the sound was to them a\nharbinger of happiness, the prelude to the appearance of their\nDeliverer. Thus was the blessed cross of our Lord planted for the first\ntime on the earth; and well might it be compared to the tree of life in\nParadise, for the wounds of Jesus were as sacred fountains, from which\nflowed four rivers destined both to purify the world from the curse of\nsin, and to give it fertility, so as to produce fruit unto salvation.\n\nThe eminence on which the cross was planted was about two feet\nhigher than the surrounding parts; the feet of Jesus were sufficiently\nnear the ground for his friends to be able to reach to kiss them, and\nhis face was turned to the north-west.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XL.\n\nCrucifixion of the Thieves.\n\n\n\nDuring the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, the two thieves were\nleft lying on the ground at some distance off; their arms were fastened\nto the crosses on which they were to be executed, and a few soldiers\nstood near on guard. The accusation which had been proved against them\nwas that of having assassinated a Jewish woman who, with her children,\nwas travelling from Jerusalem to Joppa. They were arrested, under the\ndisguise of rich merchants, at a castle in which Pilate resided\noccasionally, when employed in exercising his troops, and they had been\nimprisoned for a long time before being brought to trial. The thief\nplaced on the left-hand side was much older than the other; a regular\nmiscreant, who had corrupted the younger. They were commonly called\nDismas and Gesmas, and as I forget their real names I shall distinguish\nthem by these terms, calling the good one Dismas, and the wicked one\nGesmas. Both the one and the other belonged to a band of robbers who\ninfested the frontiers of Egypt; and it was in a cave inhabited by\nthese robbers that the Holy Family took refuge when flying into Egypt,\nat the time of the massacre of the Innocents. The poor leprous child,\nwho was instantly cleansed by being dipped in the water which had been\nused for washing the infant Jesus, was no other than this Dismas, and\nthe charity of his mother, in receiving and granting hospitality to the\nHoly Family, had been rewarded by the cure of her child; while this\noutward purification was an emblem of the inward purification which was\nafterwards accomplished in the soul of Dismas on Mount Calvary, through\nthat Sacred Blood which was then shed on the cross for our redemption.\nDismas knew nothing at all about Jesus, but as his heart was not\nhardened, the sight of the extreme patience of our Lord moved him much.\nWhen the executioners had finished putting up the cross of Jesus, they\nordered the thieves to rise without delay, and they loosened their\nfetters in order to crucify them at once, as the sky was becoming very\ncloudy and bore every appearance of an approaching storm. After giving\nthem some myrrh and vinegar, they stripped off their ragged clothing,\ntied ropes round their arms, and by the help of small ladders dragged\nthem up to their places on the cross. The executioners then bound the\narms of the thieves to the cross, with cords made of the bark of trees,\nand fastened their wrists, elbows, knees, and feet in like manner,\ndrawing the cords so tight that their joints cracked, and the blood\nburst out. They uttered piercing cries, and the good thief exclaimed as\nthey were drawing him up, 'This torture is dreadful, but if they had\ntreated us as they treated the poor Galilean, we should have been dead\nlong ago.'\n\nThe executioners had divided the garments of Jesus, in order to draw\nlots for them; his mantle, which was narrow at the top, was very wide\nat the bottom, and lined over the chest, thus forming a pocket between\nthe lining and the material itself; the lining they pulled out, tore\ninto bands, and divided. They did the same with his long white robe,\nbelt, scapular, and under-garment, which was completely saturated with\nhis Sacred Blood. Not being able to agree as to who was to be the\npossessor of the seamless robe woven by his Mother, which could not be\ncut up and divided, they brought out a species of chessboard marked\nwith figures, and were about to decide the point by lots, when a\nmessenger, sent by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, informed them\nthat there were persons ready to purchase all the clothes of Jesus;\nthey therefore gathered them together and sold them in a bundle. Thus\ndid the Christians get possession of these precious relics.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLI.\n\nJesus hanging on the Cross between two Thieves.\n\n\n\nThe tremendous concussion caused by the fall of the cross into the\nhole prepared for it drove the sharp points of the crown of thorns,\nwhich was still upon the head of our dear Saviour, still deeper into\nhis sacred flesh, and blood ran down again in streams, both from it and\nfrom his hands and feet. The archers then placed ladders against the\nsides of the cross, mounted them and unfastened the ropes with which\nthey had bound our Lord to the cross, previous to lifting it up,\nfearing that the shock might tear open the wounds in his hands and\nfeet, and that then the nails would no longer support his body. His\nblood had become, in a certain degree, stagnated by his horizontal\nposition and the pressure of the cords, but when these were withdrawn,\nit resumed its usual course, and caused such agonising sensations\nthroughout his countless wounds, that he bowed his head, and remained\nas if dead for more than seven minutes. A pause ensued; the\nexecutioners were occupied with the division of his garments; the\ntrumpets in the Temple no longer resounded; and all the actors in this\nfearful tragedy appeared to be exhausted, some by grief, and others by\nthe efforts they had made to compass their wicked ends, and by the joy\nwhich they felt now at having at last succeeded in bringing about the\ndeath of him whom they had so long envied. With mixed feelings of fear\nand compassion I cast my eyes upon Jesus,--Jesus my Redeemer,--the Redeemer\nof the world. I beheld him motionless, and almost lifeless. I felt as\nif I myself must expire; my heart was overwhelmed between grief, love,\nand horror; my mind was half wandering, my hands and feet burning with\na feverish heat; each vein, nerve, and limb was racked with\ninexpressible pain; I saw nothing distinctly, excepting my beloved\nSpouse hanging on the cross. I contemplated his disfigured countenance,\nhis head encircled with that terrible crown of thorns, which prevented\nhis raising it even for a moment without the most intense suffering,\nhis mouth parched and half open from exhaustion, and his hair and beard\nclotted with blood. His chest was torn with stripes and wounds, and his\nelbows, wrists, and shoulders so violently distended as to be almost\ndislocated; blood constantly trickled down from the gaping wounds in\nhis hands, and the flesh was so torn from his ribs that you might\nalmost count them. His legs and thighs, as also his arms, were\nstretched out almost to dislocation, the flesh and muscles so\ncompletely laid bare that every bone was visible, and his whole body\ncovered with black, green, and reeking wounds. The blood which flowed\nfrom his wounds was at first red, but it became by degrees light and\nwatery, and the whole appearance of his body was that of a corpse ready\nfor interment. And yet, notwithstanding the horrible wounds with which\nhe was covered, notwithstanding the state of ignominy to which he was\nreduced, there still remained that inexpressible look of dignity and\ngoodness which had ever filled all beholders with awe.\n\nThe complexion of our Lord was fair, like that of Mary, and slightly\ntinted with red; but his exposure to the weather during the last three\nyears had tanned him considerably. His chest was wide, but not hairy\nlike that of St. John Baptist; his shoulders broad, and his arms and\nthighs sinewy; his knees were strong and hardened, as is usually the\ncase with those who have either walked or knelt much, and his legs\nlong, with very strong muscles; his feet were well formed, and his\nhands beautiful, the fingers being long and tapering, and although not\ndelicate like those of a woman, still not resembling those of a man who\nhad laboured hard. His neck was rather long, with a well-set and finely\nproportioned head; his forehead large and high; his face oval; his\nhair, which was far from thick, was of a golden brown colour, parted in\nthe middle and falling over his shoulders; his beard was not any great\nlength, but pointed and divided under the chin. When I contemplated him\non the cross, his hair was almost all torn off, and what remained was\nmatted and clotted with blood; his body was one wound, and every limb\nseemed as if dislocated.\n\nThe crosses of the two thieves were placed, the one to the right and\nthe other to the left of Jesus; there was sufficient space left for a\nhorseman to ride between them. Nothing can be imagined more distressing\nthan the appearance of the thieves on their crosses; they suffered\nterribly, and the one on the left-hand side never ceased cursing and\nswearing. The cords with which they were tied were very tight, and\ncaused great pain; their countenances were livid, and their eyes\nenflamed and ready to start from the sockets. The height of the crosses\nof the two thieves was much less than that of our Lord.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLII.\n\nFirst Word of Jesus on the Cross.\n\n\n\nAs soon as the executioners had crucified the two thieves and\ndivided the garment of Jesus between them, they gathered up their\ntools, addressed a few more insulting words to our Lord, and went away.\nThe Pharisees, likewise, rode up to Jesus, looked at him scornfully,\nmade use of some opprobrious expression, and then left the place. The\nRoman soldiers, of whom a hundred had been posted round Calvary, were\nmarched away, and their places filled by fifty others, the command of\nwhom was given to Abenadar, an Arab by birth, who afterwards took the\nname of Ctesiphon in baptism; and the second in command was Cassius,\nwho, when he became a Christian, was known by the name of Longinus:\nPilate frequently made use of him as a messenger. Twelve Pharisees,\ntwelve Sadducees, as many scribes, and a few ancients, accompanied by\nthose Jews who had been endeavouring to persuade Pilate to change the\ninscription on the Cross of Jesus, then came up: they were furious, as\nthe Roman governor had given them a direct refusal. They rode round the\nplatform, and drove away the Blessed Virgin, whom St. John led to the\nholy women. When they passed the Cross of Jesus, they shook their heads\ndisdainfully at him, exclaiming at the same time, 'Vah! thou that\ndestroyest the temple of God, and in three days buildest it up again,\nsave thyself, coming down from the Cross. Let Christ, the King of\nIsrael, come down now from the Cross, that we may see and believe.' The\nsoldiers, likewise, made use of deriding language.\n\nThe countenance and whole body of Jesus became even more colourless:\nhe appeared to be on the point of fainting, and Gesmas (the wicked\nthief) exclaimed, 'The demon by whom he is possessed is about to leave\nhim.' A soldier then took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a\nreed, and presented it to Jesus, who appeared to drink. 'If thou art the\nKing of the Jews,' said the soldier, 'save thyself, coming down from the\nCross.' These things took place during the time that the first band of\nsoldiers was being relieved by that of Abenadar. Jesus raised his head\na little, and said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'\nAnd Gesmas cried out, 'If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us.' Dismas\n(the good thief) was silent, but he was deeply moved at the prayer of\nJesus for his enemies. When Mary heard the voice of her Son, unable to\nrestrain herself, she rushed forward, followed by John, Salome, and\nMary of Cleophas, and approached the Cross, which the kind-hearted\ncenturion did not prevent. The prayers of Jesus obtained for the good\nthief a moist powerful grace; he suddenly remembered that it was Jesus\nand Mary who had cured him of leprosy in his childhood, and he\nexclaimed in a loud and clear voice, 'How can you insult him when he\nprays for you? He has been silent, and suffered all your outrages with\npatience; he is truly a Prophet--he is our King--he is the Son of God.' This\nunexpected reproof from the lips of a miserable malefactor who was\ndying on a cross caused a tremendous commotion among the spectators;\nthey gathered up stones, and wished to throw them at him; but the\ncenturion Abenadar would not allow it.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin was much comforted and strengthened by the prayer\nof Jesus, and Dismas said to Gesmas, who was still blaspheming Jesus,\n'Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art under the same condemnation.\nAnd we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but\nthis man hath done no evil. Remember thou art now at the point of\ndeath, and repent.' He was enlightened and touched: he confessed his sins\nto Jesus, and said: 'Lord, if thou condemnest me it will be with justice.'\nAnd Jesus replied, 'Thou shalt experience my mercy.' Dismas, filled with\nthe most perfect contrition, began instantly to thank God for the great\ngraces he had received, and to reflect over the manifold sins of his\npast life. All these events took place between twelve and the half-hour\nshortly after the crucifixion; but such a surprising change had taken\nplace in the appearance of nature during that time as to astonish the\nbeholders and fill their minds with awe and terror.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIII.\n\nEclipse of the Sun.\n\nSecond and Third Word of Jesus on the Cross.\n\n\n\nA little hail had fallen at about ten o'clock,--when Pilate was passing\nsentence,--and after that the weather cleared up, until towards twelve,\nwhen the thick red-looking fog began to obscure the sun. Towards the\nsixth hour, according to the manner of counting of the Jews, the sun\nwas suddenly darkened. I was shown the exact cause of this wonderful\nphenomenon; but I have unfortunately partly forgotten it, and what I\nhave not forgotten I cannot find words to express; but I was lifted up\nfrom the earth, and beheld the stars and the planets moving about out\nof their proper spheres. I saw the moon like an immense ball of fire\nrolling along as if flying from the earth. I was then suddenly taken\nback to Jerusalem, and I beheld the moon reappear behind the Mountain\nof Olives, looking pale and full, and advancing rapidly towards the\nsun, which was dim and over-shrouded by a fog. I saw to the east of the\nsun a large dark body which had the appearance of a mountain, and which\nsoon entirely hid the sun. The centre of this body was dark yellow, and\na red circle like a ring of fire was round it. The sky grew darker and\nthe stars appeared to cast a red and lurid light. Both men and beasts\nwere struck with terror; the enemies of Jesus ceased reviling him,\nwhile the Pharisees endeavoured to give philosophical reasons for what\nwas taking place, but they failed in their attempt, and were reduced to\nsilence. Many were seized with remorse, struck their breasts, and cried\nout, 'May his blood fall upon his murderers!' Numbers of others, whether\nnear the Cross or at a distance, fell on their knees and entreated\nforgiveness of Jesus, who turned his eyes compassionately upon them in\nthe midst of his sufferings. However, the darkness continued to\nincrease, and everyone excepting Mary and the most faithful among the\nfriends of Jesus left the Cross. Dismas then raised his head, and in a\ntone of humility and hope said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when thou\nshalt come into thy kingdom.' And Jesus made answer, 'Amen, I say to thee,\nThis day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.' Magdalen, Mary of Cleophas,\nand John stood near the Cross of our Lord and looked at him, while the\nBlessed Virgin, filled with intense feelings of motherly love,\nentreated her Son to permit her to die with him; but he, casting a look\nof ineffable tenderness upon her, turned to John and said, 'Woman, behold\nthy son;' then he said to John, 'Behold thy mother.' John looked at his dying\nRedeemer, and saluted this beloved mother (whom he henceforth\nconsidered as his own) in the most respectful manner. The Blessed\nVirgin was so overcome by grief at these words of Jesus that she almost\nfainted, and was carried to a short distance from the Cross by the holy\nwomen.\n\nI do not know whether Jesus really pronounced these words, but I\nfelt interiorly that he gave Mary to John as a mother, and John to Mary\nas a son. In similar visions a person is often conscious of things\nwhich are not written, and words can only express a portion of them,\nalthough to the individual to whom they are shown they are so clear as\nnot to require explanation. For this reason it did not appear to me in\nthe least surprising that Jesus should call the Blessed Virgin 'Woman,'\ninstead of 'Mother.' I felt that he intended to demonstrate that she was\nthat woman spoken of in Scripture who was to crush the head of the\nserpent, and that then was the moment in which that promise was\naccomplished in the death of her Son. I knew that Jesus, by giving her\nas a mother to John, gave her also as a mother to all who believe in\nhim, who become children of God, and are not born of flesh and blood,\nor of the will of man, but of God. Neither did it appear to me\nsurprising that the most pure, the most humble, and the most obedient\namong women, who, when saluted by the angel as 'full of grace,' immediately\nreplied, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to\nthy word,' and in whose sacred womb the Word was instantly made flesh,--that\nshe, when informed by her dying Son that she was to become the\nspiritual mother of another son, should repeat the same words with\nhumble obedience, and immediately adopt as her children all the\nchildren of God, the brothers of Jesus Christ. These things are much\neasier to feel by the grace of God than to be expressed in words. I\nremember my celestial Spouse once saying to me, 'Everything is imprinted\nin the hearts of those children of the Church who believe, hope, and\nlove.'\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIV.\n\nThe Fear felt by the Inhabitants of Jerusalem.\n\nFourth Word of Jesus on the Cross.\n\n\n\nIt was about half-past one o'clock when I was taken into Jerusalem to\nsee what was going on there. The inhabitants were perfectly overcome\nwith terror and anxiety; the streets dark and gloomy, and some persons\nwere feeling their way about, while others, seated on the ground with\ntheir heads veiled, struck their breasts, or went up to the roofs of\ntheir houses, looked at the sky, and burst forth in bitter\nlamentations. Even the animals uttered mournful cries, and hid\nthemselves; the birds flew low, and fell to the ground. I saw Pilate\nconferring with Herod on the alarming state of things: they were both\nextremely agitated, and contemplated the appearance of the sky from\nthat terrace upon which Herod was standing when he delivered up Jesus\nto be insulted by the infuriated rabble. 'These events are not in the\ncommon course of nature,' they both exclaimed: 'they must be caused by the\nanger of the gods, who are displeased at the cruelty which has been\nexercised towards Jesus of Nazareth.' Pilate and Herod, surrounded by\nguards, then directed their hasty trembling steps through the forum to\nHerod's palace. Pilate turned away his head when he passed Gabbatha, from\nwhence he had condemned Jesus to be crucified. The square was almost\nempty; a few persons might be seen re-entering their houses as quickly\nas possible, and a few others running about and weeping, while two or\nthree small groups might be distinguished in the distance. Pilate sent\nfor some of the ancients and asked them what they thought the\nastounding darkness could possible portend, and said that he himself\nconsidered it a terrific proof of the anger of their God at the\ncrucifixion of the Galilean, who was most certainly their prophet and\ntheir king: he added that he had nothing to reproach himself with on\nthat head, for he had washed his hands of the whole affair, and was,\ntherefore, quite innocent. The ancients were as hardened as ever, and\nreplied, in a sullen tone, that there was nothing unnatural in the\ncourse of events, that they might be easily accounted for by\nphilosophers, and that they did not repent of anything they had done.\nHowever, many persons were converted, and among others those soldiers\nwho fell to the ground at the words of our Lord when they were sent to\narrest him in the Garden of Olives.\n\nThe rabble assembled before Pilate's house, and instead of the cry of\n'Crucify him, crucify him!' which had resounded in the morning, you might\nhave heard vociferations of 'Down with the iniquitous judge!' 'May the blood\nof the just man fall upon his murderers!' Pilate was much alarmed; he\nsent for additional guards, and endeavoured to cast all the blame upon\nthe Jews. He again declared that the crime was not his; that he was no\nsubject of this Jesus, whom they had put to death unjustly, and who was\ntheir king, their prophet, their Holy One; that they alone were guilty,\nas it must be evident to all that he condemned Jesus solely from\ncompulsion.\n\nThe Temple was thronged with Jews, who were intent on the immolation\nof the Paschal lamb; but when the darkness increased to such a degree\nthat it was impossible to distinguish the countenance of one from that\nof the other, they were seized with fear, horror, and dread, which they\nexpressed by mournful cries and lamentations. The High Priests\nendeavoured to maintain order and quiet. All the lamps were lighted;\nbut the confusion became greater every moment, and Annas appeared\nperfectly paralysed with terror. I saw him endeavouring to hide first\nin one place, and then in another. When I left the Temple, and walked\nthrough the streets, I remarked that, although not a breath of wind was\nstirring, yet both the doors and windows of the houses were shaking as\nif in a storm, and the darkness was becoming every moment more dense.\n\nThe consternation produced by the sudden darkness at Mount Calvary\nwas indescribable. When it first commenced, the confusion of the noise\nof the hammers, the vociferations of the rabble, the cries of the two\nthieves on being fastened to their crosses, the insulting speeches of\nthe Pharisees, the evolutions of the soldiers, and the drunken shouts\nof the executioners, had so completely engrossed the attention of\neveryone, that the change which was gradually coming over the face of\nnature was not remarked; but as the darkness increased, every sound\nceased, each voice was hushed, and remorse and terror took possession\nof every heart, while the bystanders retired one by one to a distance\nfrom the Cross. Then it was that Jesus gave his Mother to St. John, and\nthat she, overcome by grief, was carried away to a short distance. As\nthe darkness continued to grow more and more dense, the silence became\nperfectly astounding; everyone appeared terror struck; some looked at\nthe sky, while others, filled with remorse, turned towards the Cross,\nsmote their breasts, and were converted. Although the Pharisees were in\nreality quite as much alarmed as other persons, yet they endeavoured at\nfirst to put a bold face on the matter, and declared that they could\nsee nothing unaccountable in these events; but at last even they lost\nassurance, and were reduced to silence. The disc of the sun was of a\ndark-yellow tint, rather resembling a mountain when viewed by\nmoonlight, and it was surrounded by a bright fiery ring; the stars\nappeared, but the light they cast was red and lurid; the birds were so\nterrified as to drop to the ground; the beasts trembled and moaned; the\nhorses and the asses of the Pharisees crept as close as possible to one\nanother, and put their heads between their legs. The thick fog\npenetrated everything.\n\nStillness reigned around the Cross. Jesus hung upon it alone;\nforsaken by all,--disciples, followers, friends, his Mother even was\nremoved from his side; not one person of the thousands upon whom he had\nlavished benefits was near to offer him the slightest alleviation in\nhis bitter agony,--his soul was overspread with an indescribable feeling\nof bitterness and grief,--all within him was dark, gloomy, and wretched.\nThe darkness which reigned around was but symbolical of that which\noverspread his interior; he turned, nevertheless, to his Heavenly\nFather, he prayed for his enemies, he offered the chalice of his\nsufferings for their redemption, he continued to pray as he had done\nduring the whole of his Passion, and repeated portions of those Psalms\nthe prophecies of which were then receiving their accomplishment in\nhim. I saw angels standing around. Again I looked at Jesus--my beloved\nSpouse--on his Cross, agonising and dying, yet still in dreary solitude.\nHe at that moment endured anguish which no mortal pen can describe,--he\nfelt that suffering which would overwhelm a poor weak mortal if\ndeprived at once of all consolation, both divine and human, and then\ncompelled, without refreshment, assistance, or light, to traverse the\nstormy desert of tribulation upheld by faith, hope, and charity alone.\n\nHis sufferings were inexpressible; but it was by them that he\nmerited for us the grace necessary to resist those temptations to\ndespair which will assail us at the hour of death,--that tremendous hour\nwhen we shall feel that we are about to leave all that is dear to us\nhere below. When our minds, weakened by disease, have lost the power of\nreasoning, and even our hopes of mercy and forgiveness are become, as\nit were, enveloped in mist and uncertainty,--then it is that we must fly\nto Jesus, unite our feelings of desolation with that indescribable\ndereliction which he endured upon the Cross, and be certain of\nobtaining a glorious victory over our infernal enemies. Jesus then\noffered to his Eternal Father his poverty, his dereliction, his\nlabours, and, above all, the bitter sufferings which our ingratitude\nhad caused him to endure in expiation for our sins and weakness; no\none, therefore, who is united to Jesus in the bosom of his Church must\ndespair at the awful moment preceding his exit from this life, even if\nhe be deprived of all sensible light and comfort; for he must then\nremember that the Christian is no longer obliged to enter this dark\ndesert alone and unprotected, as Jesus has cast his own interior and\nexterior dereliction on the Cross into this gulf of desolation,\nconsequently he will not be left to cope alone with death, or be\nsuffered to leave this world in desolation of spirit, deprived of\nheavenly consolation. All fear of loneliness and despair in death must\ntherefore be cast away; for Jesus, who is our true light, the Way, the\nTruth, and the Life, has preceded us on that dreary road, has\noverspread it with blessings, and raised his Cross upon it, one glance\nat which will calm our every fear. Jesus then (if we may so express\nourselves) made his last testament in the presence of his Father, and\nbequeathed the merits of his Death and Passion to the Church and to\nsinners. Not one erring soul was forgotten; he thought of each and\neveryone; praying, likewise, even for those heretics who have\nendeavoured to prove that, being God, he did not suffer as a man would\nhave suffered in his place. The cry which he allowed to pass his lips\nin the height of his agony was intended not only to show the excess of\nthe sufferings he was then enduring, but likewise to encourage all\nafflicted souls who acknowledge God as their Father to lay their\nsorrows with filial confidence at his feet. It was towards three o'clock\nwhen he cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani?' 'My God,\nmy God, why hast thou forsaken me?' These words of our Lord interrupted\nthe dead silence which had continued so long; the Pharisees turned\ntowards him, and one of them said, 'Behold, he calleth Elias;' and another,\n'Let us see whether Elias will come to deliver him.' When Mary heard the\nvoice of her divine Son, she was unable to restrain herself any longer,\nbut rushed forwards, and returned to the foot of the Cross, followed by\nJohn, Mary the daughter of Cleophas, Mary Magdalen, and Salome. A troop\nof about thirty horsemen from Judea and the environs of Joppa, who were\non their way to Jerusalem for the festival, passed by just at the time\nwhen all was silent round the Cross, both assistants and spectators\nbeing transfixed with terror and apprehensions. When they beheld Jesus\nhanging on the Cross, saw the cruelty with which he had been treated,\nand remarked the extraordinary signs of God's wrath which overspread the\nface of nature, they were filled with horror, and exclaimed, 'If the\nTemple of God were not in Jerusalem, the city should be burned to the\nground for having taken upon itself so fearful a crime.' These words from\nthe lips of strangers--strangers too who bore the appearance of persons of\nrank--made a great impression on the bystanders, and loud murmurs and\nexclamations of grief were heard on all sides; some individuals\ngathered together in groups, more freely to indulge their sorrow,\nalthough a certain portion of the crowd continued to blaspheme and\nrevile all around them. The Pharisees were compelled to assume a more\nhumble tone, for they feared great existing excitement among the\ninhabitants of Jerusalem. They therefore held a consultation with\nAbenadar, the centurion, and agreed with him that the gate of the city,\nwhich was in the vicinity, should be closed, in order to prevent\nfarther communication, and that they should send to Pilate and Herod\nfor 500 men to guard against the chance of an insurrection, the\ncenturion, in the mean time, doing all in his power to maintain order,\nand preventing the Pharisees from insulting Jesus, lest it should\nexasperate the people still more.\n\nShortly after three o'clock the light reappeared in a degree, the moon\nbegan to pass away from the disc of the sun, while the sun again shone\nforth, although its appearance was dim, being surrounded by a species\nof red mist; by degrees it became more bright, and the stars vanished,\nbut the sky was still gloomy. The enemies of Jesus soon recovered their\narrogant spirit when they saw the light returning; and it was then that\nthey exclaimed, 'Behold, he calleth Elias.'\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLV.\n\nFifth, Sixth, and Seventh Words of Jesus on the Cross.\n\nHis Death.\n\n\n\nThe light continued to return by degrees, and the livid exhausted\ncountenance of our Lord again became visible. His body was become much\nmore white from the quantity of blood he had lost; and I heard him\nexclaim, 'I am pressed as the grape, which is trodden in the winepress.\nMy blood shall be poured out until water cometh, but wine shall here be\nmade no more.' I cannot be sure whether he really pronounced these words,\nso as to be heard by others, or whether they were only an answer given\nto my interior prayer. I afterwards had a vision relating to these\nwords, and in it I saw Japhet making wine in this place.\n\nJesus was almost fainting; his tongue was parched, and he said: 'I\nthirst.' The disciples who were standing round the Cross looked at him\nwith the deepest expression of sorrow, and he added, 'Could you not have\ngiven me a little water?' By these words he gave them to understand that\nno one would have prevented them from doing so during the darkness.\nJohn was filled with remorse, and replied: 'We did not think of doing so,\nO Lord.' Jesus pronounced a few more words, the import of which was: 'My\nfriends and my neighbours were also to forget me, and not give me to\ndrink, that so what was written concerning me might be fulfilled.' This\nomission had afflicted him very much. The disciples then offered money\nto the soldiers to obtain permission to give him a little water: they\nrefused to give it, but dipped a sponge in vinegar and gall, and were\nabout to offer it to Jesus, when the centurion Abenadar, whose heart\nwas touched with compassion, took it from them, squeezed out the gal,\npoured some fresh vinegar upon it, and fastening it to a reed, put the\nreed at the end of a lance, and presented it for Jesus to drink. I\nheard our Lord say several other things, but I only remember these\nwords: 'When my voice shall be silent, the mouths of the dead shall be\nopened.' Some of the bystanders cried out: 'He blasphemeth again.' But\nAbenadar compelled them to be silent.\n\nThe hour of our Lord was at last come; his death-struggle had\ncommenced; a cold sweat overspread every limb. John stood at the foot\nof the Cross, and wiped the feet of Jesus with his scapular. Magdalen\nwas crouched to the ground in a perfect frenzy of grief behind the\nCross. The Blessed Virgin stood between Jesus and the good thief,\nsupported by Salome and Mary of Cleophas, with her eyes rivetted on the\ncountenance of her dying Son. Jesus then said: 'It is consummated;' and,\nraising his head, cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into thy hands I\ncommend my spirit.' These words, which he uttered in a clear and\nthrilling tone, resounded through heaven and earth; and a moment after,\nhe bowed down his head and gave up the ghost. I saw his soul, under the\nappearance of a bright meteor, penetrate the earth at the foot of the\nCross. John and the holy women fell prostrate on the ground. The\ncenturion Abenadar had kept his eyes steadfastly fixed on the\ndisfigured countenance of our Lord, and was perfectly overwhelmed by\nall that had taken place. When our Lord pronounced his last words,\nbefore expiring, in a loud tone, the earth trembled, and the rock of\nCalvary burst asunder, forming a deep chasm between the Cross of our\nLord and that of Gesmas. The voice of God--that solemn and terrible\nvoice--had re-echoed through the whole universe; it had broken the solemn\nsilence which then pervaded all nature. All was accomplished. The soul\nof our Lord had left his body: his last cry had filled every breast\nwith terror. The convulsed earth had paid homage to its Creator: the\nsword of grief had pierced the hearts of those who loved him. This\nmoment was the moment of grace for Abenadar: his horse trembled under\nhim; his heart was touched; it was rent like the hard rock; he threw\nhis lance to a distance, struck his breast, and cried out: 'Blessed be\nthe Most High God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; indeed\nthis Man was the Son of God!' His words convinced many among the\nsoldiers, who followed his example, and were likewise converted.\n\nAbenadar became from this moment a new man; he adored the true God,\nand would no longer serve his enemies. He gave both his horse and his\nlance to a subaltern of the name of Longinus, who, having addressed a\nfew words to the soldiers, mounted his horse, and took the command upon\nhimself. Abenadar then left Calvary, and went through the Valley of\nGihon to the caves in the Valley of Hinnom, where the disciples were\nhidden, announced the death of our Lord to them, and then went to the\ntown, in order to see Pilate. No sooner had Abenadar rendered public\ntestimony of his belief in the divinity of Jesus, than a large number\nof soldiers followed his example, as did also some of the bystanders,\nand even a few Pharisees. Many struck their breasts, wept, and returned\nhome, while others rent their garments, and cast dust on their heads,\nand all were filled with horror and fear. John arose; and some of the\nholy women who were at a short distance came up to the Blessed Virgin,\nand led her away from the foot of the Cross.\n\nWhen Jesus, the Lord of life and death, gave up his soul into the\nhands of his Father, and allowed death to take possession of his body,\nthis sacred body trembled and turned lividly white; the countless\nwounds which were covered with congealed blood appeared like dark\nmarks; his cheeks became more sunken, his nose more pointed, and his\neyes, which were obscured with blood, remained but half open. He raised\nhis weary head, which was still crowned with thorns, for a moment, and\nthen dropped it again in agony of pain; while his parched and torn\nlips, only partially closed, showed his bloody and swollen tongue. At\nthe moment of death his hands, which were at one time contracted round\nthe nails, opened and returned to their natural size, as did also his\narms; his body became stiff, and the whole weight was thrown upon the\nfeet, his knees bent, and his feet twisted a little on one side.\n\nWhat words can, alas, express the deep grief of the Blessed Virgin?\nHer eyes closed, a death-like tint overspread her countenance; unable\nto stand, she fell to the ground, but was soon lifted up, and supported\nby John, Magdalen, and the others. She looked once more upon her\nbeloved Son--that Son whom she had conceived by the Holy Ghost, the flesh\nof her flesh, the bone of her bone, the heart of her heart--hanging on a\ncross between two thieves; crucified, dishonoured, contemned by those\nwhom he came on earth to save; and well might she at this moment be\ntermed 'the queen of martyrs.'\n\nThe sun still looked dim and suffused with mist; and during the time\nof the earthquake the air was close and oppressive, but by degrees it\nbecame more clear and fresh.\n\nIt was about three o'clock when Jesus expired. The Pharisees were at\nfirst much alarmed at the earthquake; but when the first shock was over\nthey recovered themselves, began to throw stones into the chasm, and\ntried to measure its depth with ropes. Finding, however, that they\ncould not fathom its bottom, they became thoughtful, listened anxiously\nto the groans of the penitents, who were lamenting and striking their\nbreasts, and then left Calvary. Many among the spectators were really\nconverted, and the greatest part returned to Jerusalem perfectly\novercome with fear. Roman soldiers were placed at the gates, and in\nother principal parts of the city, to prevent the possibility of an\ninsurrection. Cassius remained on Calvary with about fifty soldiers.\nThe friends of Jesus stood round the Cross, contemplated our Lord, and\nwept; many among the holy women had returned to their homes, and all\nwere silent and overcome with grief.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVI.\n\nThe Earthquake.\n\nApparitions of the Dead in Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nI saw the soul of Jesus, at the moment he expired, appear under the\nform of a bright orb, and accompanied by angels, among whom I\ndistinguished the angel Gabriel penetrate the earth at the foot of the\nCross. I likewise saw these angels cast a number of evil spirits into\nthe great abyss, and I heard Jesus order several of the souls in Limbo\nto re-enter the bodies in which they once dwelt, in order that the\nsight might fill sinners with a salutary terror, and that these souls\nmight render a solemn testimony to his divinity.\n\nThe earthquake which produced the deep chasm at Calvary did much\ndamage in different parts of Palestine, but ifs effects were even more\nfatal in Jerusalem. Its inhabitants were just beginning to be a little\nreassured by the return of light, when their terror was reawakened with\ndouble force by the shocks of the earthquake, and the terrible noise\nand confusion caused by the downfall of houses and walls on all sides,\nwhich panic was still farther increased by the sudden appearance of\ndead persons, confronting the trembling miscreants who were flying to\nhide themselves, and addressing them in the most severe and reproachful\nlanguage.\n\nThe High Priests had recommenced the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb\n(which had been stopped by the unexpected darkness), and they were\ntriumphing at the return of light, when suddenly the ground beneath\nthem trembled, the neighbouring buildings fell down, and the veil of\nthe Temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. Excess of terror\nat first rendered those on the outside speechless, but after a time\nthey burst forth into cries and lamentations. The confusion in the\ninterior of the Temple was not, however, as great as would naturally\nhave been expected, because the strictest order and decorum were always\nenforced there, particularly with regard to the regulation to be\nfollowed by those who entered to make their sacrifice, and those who\nleft after having offered it. The crowd was great, but the ceremonies\nwere so solemnly carried out by the priests, that they totally\nengrossed the minds of the assistants. First came the immolation of the\nlamb, then the sprinkling of its blood, accompanied by the chanting of\ncanticles and the sounding of trumpets. The priests were endeavouring\nto continue the sacrifices, when suddenly an unexpected and most\nappalling pause ensued; terror and astonishment were depicted on each\ncountenance; all was thrown into confusion; not a sound was heard; the\nsacrifices ceased; there was a general rush to the gates of the Temple;\neveryone endeavoured to fly as quickly as possible. And well might they\nfly, well might they fear and tremble; for in the midst of the\nmultitude there suddenly appeared persons who had been dead and buried\nfor many years! These persons looked at them sternly, and reproved them\nmost severely for the crime they had committed that day, in bringing\nabout the death of 'the just man,' and calling down his blood upon their\nheads. Even in the midst of this confusion, some attempts were,\nhowever, made by the priests to preserve order; they prevented those\nwho were in the inner part of the Temple from rushing forward, pushing\ntheir way through the crowds who were in advance of them, and\ndescending the steps which led out of the Temple: they even continued\nthe sacrifices in some parts, and endeavoured to calm the fears of the\npeople.\n\nThe appearance of the Temple at this moment can only be described by\ncomparing it to an ant-hill on which persons have thrown stones, or\nwhich has been disturbed by a sick being driven into its centre. The\nants in those parts on which the stones have fallen, or which the stick\nhad disturbed, are filled with confusion and terror; they run to and\nfro and do nothing; while the ants in those parts which have not been\ndisturbed continue to labour quietly, and even begin to repair the\ndamaged parts.\n\nThe High Priest Caiphas and his retinue did not lose their presence\nof mind, and by the outward tranquillity which their diabolical\nhardness of heart enabled them to preserve, they calmed the confusion\nin a great degree, and then did their utmost to prevent the people from\nlooking upon these stupendous events as testimonies of the innocence of\nJesus. The Roman garrison belonging to the fortress of Antonia likewise\nmade great efforts to maintain order; consequently, the disturbance of\nthe festival was not followed by an insurrection, although every heart\nwas fixed with fear and anxiety, which anxiety the Pharisees\nendeavoured (and in some instances with success) to calm.\n\nI remember a few other striking incidents: in the first place, the\ntwo columns which were placed at the entrance of their Holy of Holies,\nand to which a magnificent curtain was appended, were shaken to the\nvery foundations; the column on the left side fell down in a southerly,\nand that on the right side in a northerly direction, thus rending the\nveil in two from the top to the bottom with a fearful sound, and\nexposing the Holy of Holies uncovered to the public gaze. A large stone\nwas loosened and fell from the wall at the entrance of the sanctuary,\nnear where the aged Simeon used to kneel, and the arch was broken. The\nground was heaved up, and many other columns were thrown down in other\nparts of the Temple.\n\nAn apparition of the High Priest Zacharias, who was slain between\nthe porch and the altar, was seen in the sanctuary. He uttered fearful\nmenaces, spoke of the death of the second Zacharias, and of that of St.\nJohn Baptist, as also of the violent deaths of the other prophets.12\nThe two sons of the High Priest Simon, surnamed the Just (ancestors of\nthe aged Simeon who prophesied when Jesus was presented in the Temple),\nmade their appearance in the part usually occupied by the doctors of\nthe law; they also spoke in terrific terms of the deaths of the\nprophets, of the sacrifice of the old law which was now about to cease,\nand they exhorted all present to be converted, and to embrace the\ndoctrines which had been preached by him whom they had crucified. The\nprophet Jeremiah likewise appeared; he stood near the altar, and\nproclaimed, in a menacing tone, that the ancient sacrifice was at an\nend, and that a new one had commenced. As these apparitions took place\nin parts where none but priests were allowed to enter, Caiphas and a\nfew others were alone cognisant of them, and they endeavoured, as far\nas possible, either to deny their reality, or to conceal them. These\nprodigies were followed by others still more extraordinary. The doors\nof the sanctuary flew open of themselves, and a voice was heard to\nutter these words: 'Let us leave this place;' and I saw all the angels of\nthe Lord instantly leave the Temple. The thirty-two Pharisees who went\nto Calvary a short time before our Lord expired were almost all\nconverted at the foot of the Cross. They returned to the Temple in the\nmidst of the confusion, and were perfectly thunderstruck at all which\nhad taken place there. They spoke most sternly, both to Annas and to\nCaiphas, and left the Temple. Annas had always been the most bitter of\nthe enemies of Jesus, and had headed every proceeding against him; but\nthe supernatural events which had taken place had completely unnerved\nhim that he knew not where to hide himself. Caiphas was, in realty\nexcessively alarmed, and filled with anxiety, but his pride was so\ngreat that he concealed his feelings as far as possible, and\nendeavoured to reassure Annas. He succeeded for a time; but the sudden\nappearance of a person who had been dead many years marred the effect\nof his words, and Annas became again a prey to the most fearful terror\nand remorse.\n\nWhilst these things were going on in the Temple, the confusion and\npanic were not less in Jerusalem. Dead persons were walking about, and\nmany walls and buildings had been shaken by the earthquake, and parts\nof them fallen down. The superstition of Pilate rendered him even more\naccessible to fear; he was perfectly paralysed and speechless with\nterror; his palace was shaken to the very foundation, and the earth\nquaked beneath his feet. He ran wildly from room to room, and the dead\nconstantly stood before him, reproaching him with the unjust sentence\nhe had passed upon Jesus. He thought that they were the gods of the\nGalilean, and took refuge in an inner room, where he offered incense,\nand made vows to his idols to invoke their assistance in his distress.\nHerod was usually alarmed; but he shut himself up in his palace, out of\nthe sight of everyone.\n\nMore than a hundred persons who had died at different epochs\nre-entered the bodies they had occupied when on earth, made their\nappearance in different parts of Jerusalem, and filled the inhabitants\nwith inexpressible consternation. Those souls which had been released\nby Jesus from Limbo uncovered their faces and wandered to and fro in\nthe streets, and although their bodies were the same as those which\nthey had animated when on earth, yet these bodies did not appear to\ntouch the ground as they walked. They entered the houses of their\ndescendants, proclaimed the innocence of Jesus, and reproved those who\nhad taken part in his death most severely. I saw them passing through\nthe principal streets; they were generally in couples, and appeared to\nme to glide through the airs without moving their feet. The\ncountenances of some were pale; others of a yellow tint; their beards\nwere long, and their voices sounded strange and sepulchral. Their\ngrave-clothes were such as it was customary to use at the period of\ntheir decease. When they reached the place where sentence of death was\nproclaimed on Jesus before the procession started for Calvary, they\npaused for a moment, and exclaimed in a loud voice: 'Glory be to Jesus\nfor ever and ever, and destruction to his enemies!' Towards four o'clock\nall the dead returned to their graves. The sacrifices in the Temple had\nbeen so interrupted, and the confusion caused by the different\nprodigies was so great, that very few persons ate the Paschal lamb on\nthat evening.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVII.\n\nThe Request of Joseph of Arimathea to be allowed to have the Body of\nJesus.\n\n\n\nScarcely had the commotion which the town had been thrown into begun\nto subside in a degree, when the Jews belonging to the Council sent to\nPilate to request that the legs of the criminals might be broken, in\norder to put an end to their lives before the Sabbath-day dawned.\nPilate immediately dispatched executioners to Calvary to carry out\ntheir wishes.\n\nJoseph of Arimathea then demanded an audience; he had heard of the\ndeath of Jesus, and he and Nicodemus had determined to bury him in a\nnew sepulchre which he had made at the end of his garden, not far from\nCalvary. Pilate was still filled with anxiety and solicitude, and was\nmuch astonished at seeing a person holding a high position like Joseph\nso anxious for leave to give honourable burial to a criminal whom he\nhad sentenced to be ignominiously crucified. He sent for the centurion\nAbenadar, who returned to Jerusalem after he had conferred with the\ndisciples who were hidden in the caverns, and asked him whether the\nKing of the Jews was really dead. Abenadar gave Pilate a full account\nof the death of our Lord, of his last words, and of the loud cry he\nuttered immediately before death, and of the earthquake which had rent\nthe great chasm in the rock. The only thing at which Pilate expressed\nsurprise was that the death of Jesus should have taken place so\nquickly, as those who were crucified usually lived much longer; but\nalthough he said so little, every word uttered by Joseph increased his\ndismay and remorse. He instantly gave Joseph an order, by which he was\nauthorised to take down the body of the King of the Jews from the\nCross, and to perform the rites of sepulture at once. Pilate appeared\nto endeavour, by his readiness in granting this request, to wish to\nmake up, in a degree, for his previous cruel and unjust conduct, and he\nwas likewise very glad to do what he was certain would annoy the\npriests extremely, as he knew their wish was to have Jesus buried\nignominiously between the two thieves. He dispatched a messenger to\nCalvary to see his orders executed. I believe the messenger was\nAbenadar, for I saw him assisting in taking Jesus down from the Cross.\n\nWhen Joseph of Arimathea left Pilate's palace, he instantly rejoined\nNicodemus, who was waiting for him at the house of a pious woman, which\nstood opposite to a large street, and was not far from that alley where\nJesus was so shamefully ill-treated when he first commenced carrying\nhis Cross. The woman was a vendor of aromatic herbs, and Nicodemus had\npurchased many perfumes which were necessary for embalming the body of\nJesus from her. She procured the more precious kinds from other places,\nand Joseph went away to procure a fine winding-sheet. His servants then\nfetched ladders, hammers, pegs, jars of water, and sponges, from a\nneighbouring shed, and placed them in a hand-barrow similar to that on\nwhich the disciples of John the Baptist put his body when they carried\nit off from the castle of Macherus.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVIII.\n\nThe Opening of the Side of Jesus.\n\nDeath of the two thieves.\n\n\n\nWhilst these events were taking place in Jerusalem, silence reigned\naround Calvary. The crowd which had been for a time so noisy and\ntumultuous, was dispersed; all were panicstricken; in some that panic\nhad produced sincere repentance, but on others it had had no beneficial\neffects. Mary, John, Magdalen, Mary of Cleophas, and Salome had\nremained, either standing or sitting before the Cross, closely veiled\nand weeping silently. A few soldiers were leaning over the terrace\nwhich enclosed the platform; Cassius rode up and down; the sky was\nlowering, and all nature wore a garb of mourning. Six archers soon\nafter made their appearance, bringing with them ladders, spades, ropes,\nand large iron staves for the purpose of breaking the legs of the\ncriminals, in order to hasten their deaths. When they approached our\nLord's Cross, his friends retired a few paces back, and the Blessed\nVirgin was seized with fear lest they should indulge their hatred of\nJesus by insulting even his dead body. Her fears were not quite\nunfounded, for when they first placed their ladders against the Cross\nthey declared that he was only pretending to be dead; in a few moments,\nhowever, seeing that he was cold and stiff, they left him, and removed\ntheir ladders to the crosses on which the two thieves were still\nhanging alive. They took up their iron staves and broke the arms of the\nthieves above and below the elbow; while another archer at the same\nmoment broke their legs, both above and below the knee. Gesmas uttered\nfrightful cries, therefore the executioner finished him off by three\nheavy blows of a cudgel on his chest. Dismas gave a deep groan, and\nexpired: he was the first among mortals who had the happiness of\nrejoining his Redeemer. The cords were then loosened, the two bodies\nfell to the ground, and the executioners dragged them to a deep morass,\nwhich was between Calvary and the walls of the town, and buried them\nthere.\n\nThe archers still appeared doubtful whether Jesus was really dead,\nand the brutality they had shown in breaking the legs of the thieves\nmade the holy women tremble as to what outrage they might next\nperpetrate on the body of our Lord. But Cassius, the subaltern officer,\na young man of about five-and-twenty, whose weak squinting eyes and\nnervous manner had often excited the derision of his companions, was\nsuddenly illuminated by grace, and being quite overcome at the sight of\nthe cruel conduct of the soldiers, and the deep sorrow of the holy\nwomen, determined to relieve their anxiety by proving beyond dispute\nthat Jesus was really dead. The kindness of his heart prompted him, but\nunconsciously to himself he fulfilled a prophecy. He seized his lance\nand rode quickly up to the mound on which the Cross was planted,\nstopped just between the cross of the good thief and that of our Lord,\nand taking his lance in both hands, thrust it so completely into the\nright side of Jesus that the point went through the heart, and appeared\non the left side. When Cassius drew his lance out of the wound a\nquantity of blood and water rushed from it, and flowed over his face\nand body. This species of washing produced effects somewhat similar to\nthe vivifying waters of Baptism: grace and salvation at once entered\nhis soul. He leaped from his horse, threw himself upon his knees,\nstruck his breast, and confessed loudly before all his firm belief in\nthe divinity of Jesus.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin and her companions were still standing near, with\ntheir eyes fixed upon the Cross, but when Cassius thrust his lance into\nthe side of Jesus they were much startled, and rushed with one accord\nup to it. Mary looked as if the lance had transfixed her heart instead\nof that of her Divine Son, and could scarcely support herself. Cassius\nmeantime remained kneeling and thanking God, not only for the grace he\nhad received but likewise for the cure of the complaint in his eyes,\nwhich had caused the weakness and the squint. This cure had been\neffected at the same moment that the darkness with which his soul was\npreviously filled was removed. Every heart was overcome at the sight of\nthe blood of our Lord, which ran into a hollow in the rock at the foot\nof the Cross. Mary, John, the holy women, and Cassius, gathered up the\nblood and water in flasks, and wiped up the remainder with pieces of\nlinen.13\n\nCassius, whose sight was perfectly restored at the same moment that\nthe eyes of his soul were opened, was deeply moved, and continued his\nhumble prayer of thanksgiving. The soldiers were truck with\nastonishment at the miracle which had taken place, and cast themselves\non their knees by his side, at the same time striking their breasts and\nconfessing Jesus. The water and blood continued to flow from the large\nwound in the side of our Lord; it ran into the hollow in the rock, and\nthe holy women put it in vases, while Mary and Magdalen mingled their\ntears. The archers, who had received a message from Pilate, ordering\nthem not to touch the body of Jesus, did not return at all.\n\nAll these events took place near the Cross, at a little before four\no'clock, during the time that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were\ngathering together the articles necessary for the burial of Jesus. But\nthe servants of Joseph having been sent to clean out the tomb, informed\nthe friends of our Lord that their master intended to take the body of\nJesus and place it in his new sepulchre. John immediately returned to\nthe town with the holy women; in the first place, that Mary might\nrecruit her strength a little, and in the second, to purchase a few\nthings which would be required for the burial. The Blessed Virgin had a\nsmall lodging among the buildings near the Cenaculum. They did not\nre-enter the town through the gate which was the nearest to Calvary,\nbecause it was closed, and guarded by soldiers placed there by the\nPharisees; but they went through that gate which leads to Bethlehem.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIX.\n\nA Description of some Parts of ancient Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nThis chapter will contain some descriptions of places given by\nSister Emmerich on various occasions. They will be followed by a\ndescription of the tomb and garden of Joseph of Arimathea, that so we\nmay have no need to interrupt the account of the burial of our Lord.\n\nThe first gate which stood on the eastern side of Jerusalem, to the\nsouth of the south-east angle of the Temple, was the one leading to the\nsuburb of Ophel. The gate of the sheep was to the north of the\nnorth-east angle of the Temple. Between these two gates there was a\nthird, leading to some streets situated to the east of the Temple, and\ninhabited for the most part by stonemasons and other workmen. The\nhouses in these streets were supported by the foundations of the\nTemple; and almost all belonged to Nicodemus, who had caused them to be\nbuilt, and who employed nearly all the workmen living there. Nicodemus\nhad not long before built a beautiful gate as an entrance to these\nstreets, called the Gate of Moriah. It was but just finished, and\nthrough it Jesus had entered the town on Palm Sunday. Thus he entered\nby the new gate of Nicodemus, through which no one had yet passed, and\nwas buried in the new monument of Joseph of Arimathea, in which no one\nhad yet been laid. This gate was afterwards walled up, and there was a\ntradition that the Christians were once again to enter the town through\nit. Even in the present day, a walled-up gate, called by the Turks the\nGolden Gate, stands on this spot.\n\nThe road leading to the west from the gate of the sheep passed\nalmost exactly between the north-western side of Mount Sion and\nCalvary. From this gate to Golgotha the distance was about two miles\nand a quarter; and from Pilate's palace to Golgotha about two miles. The\nfortress Antonia was situated to the north-west of the mountain of the\nTemple, on a detached rock. A person going towards the west, on leaving\nPilate's palace, would have had this fortress to his left. On one of its\nwalls there was a platform commanding the forum, and from which Pilate\nwas accustomed to make proclamations to the people: he did this, for\ninstance, when he promulgated new laws. When our Divine Lord was\ncarrying his Cross, in the interior of the town, Mount Calvary was\nfrequently on his right hand. This road, which partly ran in a\nsouth-westerly direction, led to a gate made in an inner wall of the\ntown, towards Sion. Beyond this wall, to the left, there was a sort of\nsuburb, containing more gardens than houses; and towards the outer wall\nof the city stood some magnificent sepulchres with stone entrances. On\nthis side was a house belonging to Lazarus, with beautiful gardens,\nextending towards that part where the outer western wall of Jerusalem\nturned to the south. I believe that a little private door, made in the\ncity wall, and through which Jesus and his disciples often passed by\npermission of Lazarus, led to these gardens. The gate standing at the\nnorth-western angle of the town led to Bethsur, which was situated more\ntowards the north than Emmaus and Joppa. The western part of Jerusalem\nwas lower than any other: the land on which it was built first sloped\nin the direction of the surrounding wall, and then rose again when\nclose to it; and on this declivity there stood gardens and vineyards,\nbehind which wound a wide road, with paths leading to the walls and\ntowers. On the other side, without the wall, the land descended towards\nthe valley, so that the walls surrounding the lower part of the town\nlooked as if built on a raised terrace. There are gardens and vineyards\neven in the present day on the outer hill. When Jesus arrived at the\nend of the Way of the Cross, he had on his left hand that part of the\ntown where there were so many gardens; and it was from thence that\nSimon of Cyrene was coming when he met the procession. The gate by\nwhich Jesus left the town was not entirely facing the west, but rather\nthe south-west. The city wall on the left-hand side, after passing\nthrough the gate, ran somewhat in a southerly direction, then turned\ntowards the west, and then again to the south, round Mount Sion. On\nthis side there stood a large tower, like a fortress. The gate by which\nJesus left the town was at no great distance from another gate more\ntowards the south, leading down to the valley, and where a road,\nturning to the left in the direction of Bethlehem, commenced. The road\nturned to the north towards Mount Calvary shortly after that gate by\nwhich Jesus left Jerusalem when bearing his Cross. Mount Calvary was\nvery steep on its eastern side, facing the town, and a gradual descent\non the western; and on this side, from which the road to Emmaus was to\nbe seen, there was a field, in which I saw Luke gather several plants\nwhen he and Cleophas were going to Emmaus, and met Jesus on the way.\nNear the walls, to the east and south of Calvary, there were also\ngardens, sepulchres, and vineyards. The Cross was buried on the\nnorth-east side, at the foot of Mount Calvary.\n\nThe garden of Joseph of Arimathea was situated near the gate of\nBethlehem, at about a seven minutes' walk from Calvary: it was a very\nfine garden, with tall trees, banks, and thickets in it, which gave\nmuch shade, and was situated on a rising ground extending to the walls\nof the city.14 A person coming from the northern side of the valley,\nand entering the garden, had on his left hand a slight ascent extending\nas far as the city wall; and on his right, at the end of the garden, a\ndetached rock, where the cave of the sepulchre was situated. The grotto\nin which it was made looked to the east; and on the south-western and\nnorth-western sides of the same rock were two other smaller sepulchres,\nwhich were also new, and with depressed fronts. A pathway, beginning on\nthe western side of this rock, ran all round it. The ground in front of\nthe sepulchre was higher than that of the entrance, and a person\nwishing to enter the cavern had to descend several steps. The cave was\nsufficiently large for four men to be able to stand close up to the\nwall on either side without impeding the movements of the bearers of\nthe body. Opposite the door was a cavity in the rock, in which the tomb\nwas made; it was about two feet above the level of the ground, and\nfastened to the rock by one side only, like an altar: two persons could\nstand, one at the head and one at the foot; and there was a place also\nfor a third in front, even if the door of the cavity was closed. This\ndoor was made of some metal, perhaps of brass, and had two folding\ndoors. These doors could be closed by a stone being rolled against\nthem; and the stone used for this purpose was kept outside the cavern.\nImmediately after our Lord was placed in the sepulchre it was rolled in\nfront of the door. It was very large, and could not be removed without\nthe united effort of several men. Opposite the entrance of the cavern\nthere stood a stone bench, and by mounting on this a person could climb\non to the rock, which was covered with grass, and from whence the city\nwalls, the highest parts of Mount Sion, and some towers could be seen,\nas well as the gate of Bethlehem and the fountain of Gihon. The rock\ninside was of a white colour, intersected with red and blue veins.\n\n\nCHAPTER L.\n\nThe Descent from the Cross.\n\n\n\nAt the time when everyone had left the neighbourhood of the Cross,\nand a few guards alone stood around it, I saw five persons, who I think\nwere disciples, and who had come by the valley from Bethania, draw nigh\nto Calvary, gaze for a few moments upon the Cross, and then steal away.\nThree times I met in the vicinity two men who were making examinations\nand anxiously consulting together. These men were Joseph of Arimathea\nand Nicodemus. The first time was during the Crucifixion (perhaps when\nthey caused the clothes of Jesus to be brought back from the soldiers),\nand they were then at no great distance from Calvary. The second was\nwhen, after standing to look whether the crowd was dispersing, they\nwent to the town to make some preparations. The third was on their\nreturn from the tomb to the Cross, when they were looking around in\nevery direction, as if waiting for a favourable moment, and then\nconcerted together as to the manner in which they should take the body\nof our Lord down from the Cross, after which they returned to the town.\n\nTheir next care was to make arrangements for carrying with them the\nnecessary articles for embalming the body, and their servants took some\ntools with which to detach it from the Cross, as well as two ladders\nwhich they found in a barn close to Nicodemus's house. Each of these\nladders consisted of a single pole, crossed at regular intervals by\npieces of wood, which formed the steps. There were hooks which could be\nfastened on any part of the pole, and by means of which the ladder\ncould be steadied, or on which, perhaps, anything required for the work\ncould also be hung.\n\nThe woman from whom they had bought their spices had packed the\nwhole neatly together. Nicodemus had bought a hundred pounds' weight of\nroots, which quantity is equal to about thirty-seven pounds of our\nmeasure, as has been explained to me. They carried these spices in\nlittle barrels make of bark, which were hung round their necks, and\nrested on their breasts. One of these barrels contained some sort of\npowder. They had also some bundles of herbs in bags made of parchment\nor leather, and Joseph carried a box of ointment; but I do not know\nwhat this box was made of. The servants were to carry vases, leathern\nbottles, sponges, and tools, on a species of litter, and they likewise\ntook fire with them in a closed lantern. They left the town before\ntheir master, and by a different gate (perhaps that of Bethania), and\nthen turned their steps towards Mount Calvary. As they walked through\nthe town they passed by the house where the Blessed Virgin; St. John,\nand the holy women had gone to seek different things required for\nembalming the body of Jesus, and John and the holy women followed the\nservants at a certain distance. The women were about five in number,\nand some of them carried large bundles of linen under their mantles. It\nwas the custom for women, when they went out in the evening, or if\nintending to perform some work of piety secretly, to wrap their persons\ncarefully in a long sheet at least a yard wide. They began by one arm,\nand then wound the linen so closely round their body that they could\nnot walk without difficulty. I have seen them wrapped up in this\nmanner, and the sheet not only extended to both arms, but likewise\nveiled the head. On the present occasion, the appearance of this dress\nwas most striking in my eyes, for it was a real mourning garment.\nJoseph and Nicodemus were also in mourning attire, and wore black\nsleeves and wide sashes. Their cloaks, which they had drawn over their\nheads, were both wide and long, of a common grey colour, and served to\nconceal everything that they were carrying. They turned their steps in\nthe direction of the gate leading to Mount Calvary. The streets were\ndeserted and quiet, for terror kept everyone at home. The greatest\nnumber were beginning to repent, and but few were keeping the festival.\nWhen Joseph and Nicodemus reached the gate they found it closed, and\nthe road, streets, and every corner lined with soldiers. These were the\nsoldiers whom the Pharisees had asked for at about two o'clock, and whom\nthey had kept under arms and on guard, as they still feared a tumult\namong the people. Joseph showed an order, signed by Pilate, to let them\npass freely, and the soldiers were most willing that they should do so,\nbut explained to him that they had endeavoured several times to open\nthe gate, without being able to move it; that apparently the gate had\nreceived a shock, and been strained in some part; and that on this\naccount the archers sent to break the legs of the thieves had been\nobliged to return to the city by another gate. But when Joseph and\nNicodemus seized hold of the bolt, the gate opened as if of itself, to\nthe great astonishment of all the bystanders.\n\nIt was still dark and the sky cloudy when they reached Mount\nCalvary, where they found the servants who had been sent on already\narrived, and the holy women sitting weeping in front of the Cross.\nCassius and several soldiers who were converted remained at a certain\ndistance, and their demeanour was respectful and reserved. Joseph and\nNicodemus described to the Blessed Virgin and John all they had done to\nsave Jesus from an ignominious death, and learned from them how they\nhad succeeded in preventing the bones of our Lord from being broken,\nand how the prophecy had been fulfilled. They spoke also of the wound\nwhich Cassius had made with his lance. No sooner was the centurion\nAbenadar arrived than they began, with the deepest recollection of\nspirit, their mournful and sacred labour of taking down from the Cross\nand embalming the adorable body of our Lord.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin and Magdalen were seated at the foot of the\nCross; while, on the right-hand side, between the cross of Dismas and\nthat of Jesus, the other women were engaged in preparing the linen,\nspices, water, sponges, and vases. Cassius also came forward, and\nrelated to Abenadar the miraculous cure of his eyes. All were deeply\naffected, and their hearts overflowing with sorrow and love; but, at\nthe same time, they preserved a solemn silence, and their every\nmovement was full of gravity and reverence. Nothing broke the stillness\nsave an occasional smothered word of lamentation, or a stifled groan,\nwhich escaped from one or other of these holy personages, in spite of\ntheir earnest eagerness and deep attention to their pious labour.\nMagdalen gave way unrestrainedly to her sorrow, and neither the\npresence of so many different persons, nor any other consideration,\nappeared to distract her from it.\n\nNicodemus and Joseph placed the ladders behind the Cross, and\nmounted them, holding in their hands a large sheet, to which three long\nstraps were fastened. They tied the body of Jesus, below the arms and\nknees, to the tree of the Cross, and secured the arms by pieces of\nlinen placed underneath the hands. Then they drew out the nails, by\npushing them from behind with strong pins pressed upon the points. The\nsacred hands of Jesus were thus not much shaken, and the nails fell\neasily out of the wounds; for the latter had been made wider by the\nweight of the body, which, being now supported by the cloths, no longer\nhung on the nails. The lower part of the body, which since our Lord's\ndeath had sunk down on the knees, now rested in a natural position,\nsupported by a sheet fastened above to the arms of the Cross. Whilst\nJoseph was taking out the nail from the left hand, and then allowing\nthe left arm, supported by its cloth, to fall gently down upon the\nbody, Nicodemus was fastening the right arm of Jesus to that of the\nCross, as also the sacred crowned head, which had sunk on the right\nshoulder. Then he took out the right nail, and having surrounded the\narm with its supporting sheet, let it fall gently on to the body. At\nthe same time, the centurion Abenadar, with great difficulty, drew out\nthe large nail which transfixed the feet. Cassius devoutly received the\nnails, and laid them at the feet of the Blessed Virgin.\n\nThen Joseph and Nicodemus, having placed ladders against the front\nof the Cross, in a very upright position, and close to the body, untied\nthe upper strap, and fastened it to one of the hooks on the ladder;\nthey did the same with the two other straps, and passing them all on\nfrom hook to hook, caused the sacred body to descend gently towards the\ncenturion, who having mounted upon a stool received it in his arms,\nholding it below the knees; while Joseph and Nicodemus, supporting the\nupper part of the body, came gently down the ladder, stopping at every\nstep, and taking every imaginable precaution, as would be done by men\nbearing the body of some beloved friend who had been grievously\nwounded. Thus did the bruised body of our Divine Saviour reach the\nground.\n\nIt was a most touching sight. They all took the same precautions,\nthe same care, as if they had feared to cause Jesus some suffering.\nThey seemed to have concentrated on the sacred body all the love and\nveneration which they had felt for their Saviour during his life. The\neyes of each were fixed upon the adorable body, and followed all its\nmovements; and they were continually uplifting their hands towards\nHeaven, shedding tears, and expressing in every possible way the excess\nof their grief and anguish. Yet they all remained perfectly calm, and\neven those who were so busily occupied about the sacred body broke\nsilence but seldom, and, when obliged to make some necessary remark,\ndid so in a low voice. During the time that the nails were being\nforcible removed by blows of the hammer, the Blessed Virgin, Magdalen;\nand all those who had been present at the Crucifixion, felt each blow\ntransfix their hearts. The sound recalled to their minds all the\nsufferings of Jesus, and they could not control their trembling fear,\nlest they should again hear his piercing cry of suffering; although, at\nthe same time they grieved at the silence of his blessed lips, which\nproved, alas too surely, that he was really dead. When the body was\ntaken down it was wrapped in linen from the knees to the waist, and\nthen placed in the arms of the Blessed Virgin, who, overwhelmed with\nsorrow and love, stretched them forth to receive their precious burden.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LI.\n\nThe Embalming of the Body of Jesus.\n\n\n\nThe Blessed Virgin seated herself upon a large cloth spread on the\nground, with her right knee, which was slightly raised, and her back\nresting against some mantles, rolled together so as to from a species\nof cushion. No precaution had been neglected which could in any way\nfacilitate to her--the Mother of Sorrows--in her deep affliction of soul, the\nmournful but most sacred duty which she was about to fulfil in regard\nto the body of her beloved Son. The adorable head of Jesus rested upon\nMary's knee, and his body was stretched upon a sheet. The Blessed Virgin\nwas overwhelmed with sorrow and love. Once more, and for the last time,\ndid she hold in her arms the body of her most beloved Son, to whom she\nhad been unable to give any testimony of love during the long hours of\nhis martyrdom. And she gazed upon his wounds and fondly embraced his\nblood-stained cheeks, while Magdalen pressed her face upon his feet.\n\nThe men withdrew into a little cave, situated on the south-west side\nof Calvary, there to prepare the different things needful for the\nembalming; but Cassius, with a few other soldiers who had been\nconverted, remained at a respectful distance. All ill-disposed persons\nwere gone back to the city, and the soldiers who were present served\nmerely to form a guard to prevent any interruption in the last honours\nwhich were being rendered to the body of Jesus. Some of these soldiers\neven gave assistance when desired. The holy women held the vases,\nsponges, linen, unction, and spices, according as required; but when\nnot thus employed, they remained at a respectful distance, attentively\ngazing upon the Blessed Virgin as she proceeded in her mournful task.\nMagdalen did not leave the body of Jesus; but John gave continual\nassistance to the Blessed Virgin, and went to and fro from the men to\nthe women, lending aid to both parties. The women had with them some\nlarge leathern bottles and a vase filled with water standing upon a\ncoal fire. They gave the Blessed Virgin and Magdalen, according as they\nrequired, vases filled with clear water, and sponges, which they\nafterwards squeezed in the leathern bottles.\n\nThe courage and firmness of Mary remained unshaken even in the midst\nof her inexpressible anguish.15 It was absolutely impossible for her to\nleave the body of her Son in the awful state to which it had been\nreduced by his sufferings, and therefore she began with indefatigable\nearnestness to wash and purify it from the traces of the outrages to\nwhich it had been exposed. With the utmost care she drew off the crown\nof thorns, opening it behind, and then cutting off one by one the\nthorns which had sunk deep into the head of Jesus, in order that she\nmight not widen the wounds. The crown was placed by the side of the\nnails, and then Mary drew out the thorns which had remained in the skin\nwith a species of rounded pincers, and sorrowfully showed them to her\nfriends.16 These thorns were placed with the crown, but still some of\nthem must have been preserved separately.\n\nThe divine face of our Saviour was scarcely recognisable, so\ndisfigured was it by the wounds with which it was covered. The beard\nand hair were matted together with blood. Mary washed the head and\nface, and passed damp sponges over the hair to remove the congealed\nblood. As she proceeded in her pious office, the extent of the awful\ncruelty which had been exercised upon Jesus became more and more\napparent, and caused in her soul emotions of compassion and tenderness\nwhich increased as she passed from one wound to another. She washed the\nwounds of the head, the eyes filled with blood, the nostrils, and the\nears, with a sponge and a small piece of linen spread over the fingers\nof her right hand; and then she purified, in the same manner, the\nhalf-opened mouth, the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. She divided\nwhat remained of our Lord's hair into three parts, a part falling over\neach temple, and the third over the back of his head; and when she had\ndisentangled the front hair and smoothed it, she passed it behind his\nears.17\n\nWhen the head was thoroughly cleansed and purified, the Blessed\nVirgin covered it with a veil, after having kissed the sacred cheeks of\nher dear Son. She then turned her attention to the neck, shoulders,\nchest, back, arms, and pierced hands. All the bones of the breast and\nthe joints were dislocated, and could not be bent. There was a\nfrightful wound on the shoulders which had borne the weight of the\nCross, and all the upper part of the body was covered with bruises and\ndeeply marked with blows of the scourges. On the left breast there was\na small wound where the point of Cassius's lance had come out, and on the\nright side was the large wound made by the same lance, and which had\npierced the heart through and through. Mary washed all these wounds,\nand Magdalen, on her knees, helped her from time to time; but without\nleaving the sacred feet of Jesus, which she bathed with tears and wiped\nwith her hair.\n\nThe head, bosom, and feet of our Lord were now washed, and the\nsacred body, which was covered with brown stains and red marks in those\nplaces where the skin had been torn off, and of a bluish-white colour,\nlike flesh that has been drained of blood, was resting on the knees of\nMary, who covered the parts which she had washed with a veil, and then\nproceeded to embalm all the wounds. The holy women knelt by her side,\nand in turn presented to her a box, out of which she took some precious\nointment, and with it filled and covered the wounds. She also anointed\nthe hair, and then, taking the sacred hands of Jesus in her left hand,\nrespectfully kissed them, and filled the large wounds made by the nails\nwith this ointment or sweet spice. She likewise filled the ears,\nnostrils, and wound in the side with the same precious mixture.\nMeanwhile Magdalen wiped and embalmed our Lord's feet, and then again\nwashed them with her tears, and often pressed her face upon them.\n\nThe water which had been used was not thrown away, but poured into\nthe leathern bottles in which the sponges had been squeezed. I saw\nCassius or some other soldier go several times to fetch fresh water\nfrom the fountain of Gihon, which was at no great distance off. When\nthe Blessed Virgin had filled all the wounds with ointment, she wrapped\nthe head up in linen cloths, but she did not as yet cover the face. She\nclosed the half-open eyes of Jesus, and kept her hand upon them for\nsome time. She also closed the mouth, and then embraced the sacred body\nof her beloved Son, pressing her face fondly and reverently upon his.\nJoseph and Nicodemus had been waiting for some time, when John drew\nnear to the Blessed Virgin, and besought her to permit the body of her\nSon to be taken from her, that the embalming might be completed,\nbecause the Sabbath was close at hand. Once more did Mary embrace the\nsacred body of Jesus, and utter her farewells in the most touching\nlanguage, and then the men lifted it from her arms on the sheet, and\ncarried it to some distance. The deep sorrow of Mary had been for the\ntime assuaged by the feelings of love and reverence with which she had\naccomplished her sacred task; but now it once more overwhelmed her, and\nshe fell, her head covered with her veil, into the arms of the holy\nwomen. Magdalen felt almost as though her Beloved were being forcibly\ncarried away from her, and hastily ran forward a few steps, with her\narms stretched forth; but then, after a moment, returned to the Blessed\nVirgin.\n\nThe sacred body was carried to a spot beneath the level of the top\nof Golgotha, where the smooth surface of a rock afforded a convenient\nplatform on which to embalm the body. I first saw a piece of\nopen-worked linen, looking very much like lace, and which made me think\nof the large embroidered curtain hung between the choir and nave during\nLent.18 It was probably worked in that open stitch for the water to run\nthrough. I also saw another large sheet unfolded. The body of our\nSaviour was placed on the open-worked piece of linen, and some of the\nother men held the other sheet spread above it. Nicodemus and Joseph\nthen knelt down, and underneath this covering took off the linen which\nthey had fastened round the loins of our Saviour, when they took his\nbody down from the Cross. They then passed sponges under this sheet,\nand washed the lower parts of the body; after which they lifted it up\nby the help of pieces of linen crossed beneath the loins and knees, and\nwashed the back without turning it over. They continued washing until\nnothing but clear water came from the sponges when pressed. Next they\npoured water of myrrh over the whole body, and then, handling it with\nrespect, stretched it out full length, for it was still in the position\nin which our Divine Lord had died--the loins and knees bent. They then\nplaced beneath his hips a sheet which was a yard in width and three in\nlength, laid upon his lap bundles of sweet-scented herbs, and shook\nover the whole body a powder which Nicodemus had brought. Next they\nwrapped up the lower part of the body, and fastened the cloth which\nthey had placed underneath round it strongly. After this they anointed\nthe wounds of the thighs, placed bundles of herbs between the legs,\nwhich were stretched out to their full length, and wrapped them up\nentirely in these sweet spices.\n\nThen John conducted the Blessed Virgin and the other holy women once\nmore to the side of the body. Mary knelt down by the head of Jesus, and\nplaced beneath it a piece of very fine linen which had been given her\nby Pilate's wife, and which she had worn round her neck under her cloak;\nnext, assisted by the holy women, she placed from the shoulders to the\ncheeks bundles of herbs, spices, and sweet-scented powder, and then\nstrongly bound this piece of linen round the head and shoulders.\nMagdalen poured besides a small bottle of balm into the wound of the\nside, and the holy women placed some more herbs into those of the hands\nand feet. Then the men put sweet spices around all the remainder of the\nbody, crossed the sacred stiffened arms on the chest, and bound the\nlarge white sheet round the body as high as the chest, in the same\nmanner as if they had been swaddling a child. Then, having fastened the\nend of a large band beneath the armpits, they rolled it round the head\nand the whole body. Finally, they placed our Divine Lord on the large\nsheet, six yards in length, which Joseph of Arimathea had bought, and\nwrapped him in it. He was lying diagonally upon it, and one corner of\nthe sheet was raised from the feet to the chest, the other drawn over\nthe head and shoulders, while the remaining two ends were doubled round\nthe body.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin, the holy women, the men--all were kneeling round\nthe body of Jesus to take their farewell of it, when a most touching\nmiracle took place before them. The sacred body of Jesus, with all its\nwounds, appeared imprinted upon the cloth which covered it, as though\nhe had been pleased to reward their care and their love, and leave them\na portrait of himself through all the veils with which he was\nenwrapped. With tears they embraced the adorable body, and then\nreverently kissed the wonderful impression which it had left. Their\nastonishment increased when, on lifting up the sheet, they saw that all\nthe bands which surrounded the body had remained white as before, and\nthat the upper cloth alone had been marked in this wonderful manner. It\nwas not a mark made by the bleeding wounds, since the whole body was\nwrapped up and covered with sweet spices, but it was a supernatural\nportrait, bearing testimony to the divine creative power ever abiding\nin the body of Jesus. I have seen many things relative to the\nsubsequent history of this piece of linen, but I could not describe\nthem coherently. After the resurrection it remained in the possession\nof the friends of Jesus, but fell twice into the hands of the Jews, and\nlater was honoured in several different places. I have seen it in a\ncity of Asia, in the possession of some Christians, who were not\nCatholics. I have forgotten the name of the town, which is situated in\na province near the country of the Three Kings.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LII.\n\nThe Body of our Lord placed in the Sepulchre.\n\n\n\nThe men placed the sacred body on a species of leathern hand-barrow,\nwhich they covered wit a brown-coloured cloth, and to which they\nfastened two long stakes. This forcibly reminded me of the Ark of the\nCovenant. Nicodemus and Joseph bore on their shoulders the front\nshafts, while Abenadar and John supported those behind. After them came\nthe Blessed Virgin, Mary of Heli, her eldest sister, Magdalen and Mary\nof Cleophas, and then the group of women who had been sitting at some\ndistance--Veronica, Johanna Chusa, Mary Salome, Salome of Jerusalem,\nSusanna, and Anne the niece of St. Joseph. Cassius and the soldiers\nclosed the procession. The other women, such as Marone of Naim, Dina the\nSamaritaness, and Mara the Suphanitess, were at Bethania, with Martha\nand Lazarus. Two soldiers, bearing torches in their hands, walked on\nfirst, that there might be some light in the grotto of the sepulchre;\nand the procession continued to advance in this order for about seven\nminutes, the holy men and women singing psalms in sweet but melancholy\ntones. I saw James the Greater, the brother of John, standing upon a\nhill the other side of the valley, to look at them as they passed, and\nhe returned immediately afterwards, to tell the other disciples what he\nhad seen.\n\nThe procession stopped at the entrance of Joseph's garden, which was\nopened by the removal of some stakes, afterwards used as levers to roll\nthe stone to the door of the sepulchre. When opposite the rock, they\nplaced the Sacred Body on a long board covered with a sheet. The\ngrotto, which had been newly excavated, had been latterly cleaned by\nthe servants of Nicodemus, so that the interior was neat and pleasing\nto the eye. The holy women sat down in front of the grotto, while the\nfour men carried in the body of our Lord, partially filled the hollow\ncouch destined for its reception with aromatic spices, and spread over\nthem a cloth, upon which they reverently deposited the sacred body.\nAfter having once more given expression to their love by tears and fond\nembraces, they left the grotto. Then the Blessed Virgin entered, seated\nherself close to the head of her dear Son, and bent over his body with\nmany tears. When she left the grotto, Magdalen hastily and eagerly came\nforward, and flung on the body some flowers and branches which she had\ngathered in the garden. Then she clasped her hands together, and with\nsobs kissed the feet of Jesus; but the men having informed her that\nthey must close the sepulchre, she returned to the other women. They\ncovered the sacred body with the extremities of the sheet on which it\nwas lying, placed on the top of all the brown coverlet, and closed the\nfolding-doors, which were made of a bronze-coloured metal, and had on\ntheir front two sticks, one straight down and the other across, so as\nto form a perfect cross.\n\nThe large stone with which they intended to close the sepulchre, and\nwhich was still lying in front of the grotto, was in shape very like a\nchest or tomb;19 its length was such that a man might have laid himself\ndown upon it, and it was so heavy that it was only by means of levers\nthat the men could roll it before the door of the sepulchre. The\nentrance of the grotto was closed by a gate made of branches twined\ntogether. Everything that was done within the grotto had to be\naccomplished by torchlight, for daylight never penetrated there.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIII.\n\nThe Return from the Sepulchre.\n\nJoseph of Arimathea is put in Prison.\n\n\n\nThe Sabbath was close at hand, and Nicodemus and Joseph returned to\nJerusalem by a small door not far from the garden, and which Joseph had\nbeen allowed by special favour to have made in the city wall. They told\nthe Blessed Virgin, Magdalen, John, and some of the women, who were\nreturning to Calvary to pray there, that this door, as well as that of\nthe super-room, would be opened to them whenever they knocked. The\nelder sister of the Blessed Virgin, Mary of Heli, returned to the town\nwith Mary the mother of Mark, and some other women. The servants of\nNicodemus and Joseph went to Calvary to fetch several things which had\nbeen left there.\n\nThe soldiers joined those who were guarding the city gate near\nCalvary; and Cassius went to Pilate with the lance, related all that he\nhad seen, and promised to give him an exact account of everything that\nshould happen, if he would put under his command the guards whom the\nJews would not fail to ask to have put round the tomb. Pilate listened\nto his words with secret terror, but only told him in reply that his\nsuperstition amounted to madness.\n\nJoseph and Nicodemus met Peter and the two Jameses in the town. They\nall shed many tears, but Peter was perfectly overwhelmed by the\nviolence of this grief. He embraced them, reproached himself for not\nhaving been present at the death of our Saviour, and thanked them for\nhaving bestowed the rites of sepulture upon his sacred body. It was\nagreed that the door of the supper-room should be opened to them\nwhenever they knocked, and then they went away to seek some other\ndisciples who were dispersed in various directions. Later I saw the\nBlessed Virgin and her companions enter the upper-room; Abenadar next\ncame and was admitted; and by degrees the greatest part of the Apostles\nand disciples assembled there. The holy women retired to that part of\nthe building where the Blessed Virgin was living. They took some food,\nand spent a few minutes more in tears, and in relating to one another\nwhat each had seen. Then men changed their dresses, and I saw them\nstanding under the lamp, and keeping the Sabbath. They ate some lambs\nin the supper-room, but without observing any ceremony, for they had\neaten the Paschal lamb the evening before. They were all perturbed in\nspirit, and filled with grief. The holy women also passed their time in\npraying with the Blessed Virgin under the lamp. Later, when night had\nquite fallen, Lazarus, the widow of Naim, Dina the Samaritan woman, and\nMara of Suphan, came from Bethania, and then, once more, descriptions\nwere given of all that had taken place, and many tears shed.\n\n\n\n [According to the visions of Sister Emmerich, the three women named\nin the text had been living for some time at Bethania, in a sort of\ncommunity established by Martha for the purpose of providing for the\nmaintenance of the disciples when our Lord was moving about, and for\nthe division and distribution of the alms which were collected. The\nwidow of Naim, whose son Martial was raised from the dead by Jesus,\naccording to Sister Emmerich, on the 28th Marcheswan (the 18th of\nNovember), was named Maroni. She was the daughter of an uncle, on the\nfather's side, of St. Peter. Her first husband was the son of a sister of\nElizabeth, who herself was the daughter of a sister of the mother of\nSt. Anne. Maroni's first husband having died without children, she had\nmarried Elind, a relation of St. Anne, and had left Chasaluth, near\nTabor, to take up her abode at Naim, which was not far off, and where she\nsoon lost her second husband.\n\n Dina, the Samaritan woman, was the same who conversed with Jesus by\nJacob's well. She was born near Damascus, of parents who were half Jewish\nand half Pagan. They died while she was yet very young, and she being\nbrought up by a woman of bad character, the seeds of the most evil\npassions were early sown in her heart. She had had several husbands,\nwho supplanted one another in turn, and the last lived at Sichar,\nwhither she had followed him and changed her name from Dina to Salome.\nShe had three grown-up daughters and two sons, who afterwards joined\nthe disciples. Sister Emmerich used to say that the life of this\nSamaritan woman was prophetic--that Jesus had spoken to the entire sect of\nSamaritans in her person, and that they were attached to their errors\nby as many ties as she had committed adulteries.\n\n Mara of Suphan was a Moabitess, came from the neighbourhood of\nSuphan, and was a descendant of Orpha, the widow of Chelion, Noemi's son.\nOrpha had married again in Moab. By Orpha, the sister-in-law of Ruth,\nMara was connected with the family of David, from whom our Lord was\ndescended. Sister Emmerich saw Jesus deliver Mara from four devils and\ngrant her forgiveness of her sins on the 17th Elud (9th September) of\nthe second year of his public life. She was living at Ainon, having\nbeen repudiated by her husband, a rich Jew, who had kept the children\nhe had had by her with him. She had with her tree others, the offspring\nof her adulteries.\n\n 'I saw,' Sister Emmerich would say,--'I saw how the stray branch of the\nstock of David was purified within her by the grace of Jesus, and\nadmitted into the bosom of the Church. I cannot express how many of\nthese roots and offshoots I see become entwined with each other, lost\nto view, and then once more brought to light.']\n\n\n\nJoseph of Arimathea returned home late from the supper-room, and he\nwas sorrowfully walking along the streets of Sion, accompanied by a few\ndisciples and women, when all on a sudden a band of armed men, who were\nlying in ambuscade in the neighbourhood of Caiphas's tribunal, fell upon\nthem, and laid hands upon Joseph, whereupon his companions fled,\nuttering loud cries of terror. He was confined in a tower contiguous to\nthe city wall, not far from the tribunal. These soldiers were pagans,\nand had not to keep the Sabbath, therefore Caiphas had been able to\nsecure their services on this occasion. The intention was to let Joseph\ndie of hunger, and keep his disappearance a secret.\n\nHere conclude the descriptions of all that occurred on the day of\nthe Passion of our Lord; but we will add some supplementary matter\nconcerning Holy Saturday, the Descent into Hell, and the Resurrection.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIV.\n\nOn the Name of Calvary.\n\n\n\nWhilst meditating on the name of Golgotha, Calvary, the place of\nskulls, borne by the rock upon which Jesus was crucified, I became\ndeeply absorbed in contemplation, and beheld in spirit all ages from\nthe time of Adam to that of Christ, and in this vision the origin of\nthe name was made known to me. I here give all that I remember on this\nsubject.\n\nI saw Adam, after his expulsion from Paradise, weeping in the grotto\nwhere Jesus sweated blood and water, on Mount Olivet. I saw how Seth\nwas promised to Eve in the grotto of the manger at Bethlehem, and how\nshe brought him forth in that same grotto. I also saw Eve living in\nsome caverns near Hebron, where the Essenian Monastery of Maspha was\nafterwards established.\n\nI then beheld the country where Jerusalem was built, as it appeared\nafter the Deluge, and the land was all unsettled, black, stony, and\nvery different from what it had been before. At an immense dept below\nthe rock which constitutes Mount Calvary (which was formed in this spot\nby the rolling of the waters), I saw the tomb of Adam and Eve. The head\nand one rib were wanting to one of the skeletons, and the remaining\nhead was placed within the same skeleton, to which it did not belong.\nThe bones of Adam and Eve had not all been left in this grave, for Noah\nhad some of them with him in the ark, and they were transmitted from\ngeneration to generation by the Patriarchs. Noah, and also Abraham,\nwere in the habit, when offering sacrifice, of always laying some of\nAdam's bones upon the altar, to remind the Almighty of his promise. When\nJacob gave Joseph his variegated robe, he at the same time gave him\nsome bones of Adam, to be kept as relics. Joseph always wore them on\nhis bosom, and they were placed with his own bones in the first\nreliquary which the children of Israel brought out of Egypt. I have\nseen similar things, but some I have forgotten, and the others time\nfails me to describe.\n\nAs regards the origin of the name of Calvary, I here give all I\nknow. I beheld the mountain which bears this name as it was in the time\nof the Prophet Eliseus. It was not the same then as at the time of our\nLord's Crucifixion, but was a hill, with many walls and caverns,\nresembling tombs, upon it. I saw the Prophet Eliseus descend into these\ncaverns, I cannot say whether in reality or only in a vision, and I saw\nhim take out a skull from a stone sepulchre in which bones were\nresting. Someone who was by his side--I think an angel--said to him, 'This is\nthe skull of Adam.' The prophet was desirous to take it away, but his\ncompanion forbade him. I saw upon the skull some few hairs of a fair\ncolour.\n\nI learned also that the prophet having related what had happened to\nhim, the spot received the name of Calvary. Finally, I saw that the\nCross of Jesus was placed vertically over the skull of Adam. I was\ninformed that this spot was the exact centre of the earth; and at the\nsame time I was shown the numbers and measures proper to every country,\nbut I have forgotten them, individually as well as in general. Yet I\nhave seen this centre from above, and as it were from a bird's-eye view.\nIn that way a person sees far more clearly than on a map all the\ndifferent countries, mountains, deserts, seas, rivers, towns, and even\nthe smallest places, whether distant or near at hand.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LV.\n\nThe Cross and the Winepress.\n\n\n\nAs I was meditating upon these words or thoughts of Jesus when\nhanging on the Cross: 'I am pressed like wine placed here under the press\nfor the first time; my blood must continue to flow until water comes,\nbut wine shall no more be made here,' an explanation was given me by\nmeans of another vision relating to Calvary.\n\nI saw this rocky country at a period anterior to the Deluge; it was\nthen less wild and less barren than it afterwards became, and was laid\nout in vineyards and fields. I saw there the Patriarch Japhet, a\nmajestic dark-complexioned old man, surrounded by immense flocks and\nherds and a numerous posterity: his children as well as himself had\ndwellings excavated in the ground, and covered with turf roofs, on\nwhich herbs and flowers were growing. There were vines all around, and\na new method of making wine was being tried on Calvary, in the presence\nof Japhet. I saw also the ancient method of preparing wine, but I can\ngive only the following description of it. At first men were satisfied\nwith only eating the grapes; then they pressed them with pestles in\nhollow stones, and finally in large wooden trenches. Upon this occasion\na new wine-press, resembling the holy Cross in shape, had been devised;\nit consisted of the hollow trunk of a tree placed upright, with a bag\nof grapes suspended over it. Upon this bag there was fastened a pestle,\nsurmounted by a weight; and on both sides of the trunk were arms joined\nto the bag, through openings made for the purpose, and which, when put\nin motion by lowering the ends, crushed the grapes. The juice flowed\nout of the tree by five openings, and fell into a stone vat, from\nwhence it flowed through a channel made of bark and coated with resin,\ninto the species of cistern excavated in the rock where Jesus was\nconfined before his Crucifixion. At the foot of the winepress, in the\nstone vat, there was a sort of sieve to stop the skins, which were put\non one side. When they had made their winepress, they filled the bag\nwith grapes, nailed it to the top of the trunk, placed the pestle, and\nput in motion the side arms, in order to make the wine flow. All this\nvery strongly reminded me of the Crucifixion, on account of the\nresemblance between the winepress and the Cross. They had a long reed,\nat the end of which there were points, so that it looked like an\nenormous thistle, and they ran this through the channel and trunk of\nthe tree when there was any obstruction. I was reminded of the lance\nand sponge. There were also some leathern bottles, and vases made of\nbark and plastered with resin. I saw several young men, with nothing\nbut a cloth wrapped round their loins like Jesus, working at this\nwinepress. Japhet was very old; he wore a long beard, and a dress made\nof the skins of beasts; and he looked at the new winepress with evident\nsatisfaction. It was a festival day, and they sacrificed on a stone\naltar some animals which were running loose in the vineyard, young\nasses, goats, and sheep. It was not in this place that Abraham came to\nsacrifice Isaac; perhaps it was on Mount Moriah. I have forgotten many\nof the instructions regarding the wine, vinegar, and skins, and the\ndifferent ways in which everything was to be distributed to the right\nand to the left; and I regret it, because the veriest trifles in these\nmatters have a profound symbolical meaning. If it should be the will of\nGod for me to make them known, he will show them to me again.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVI.\n\nApparitions on Occasion of the Death of Jesus.\n\n\n\nAmong the dead who rose from their graves, and who were certainly a\nhundred in number, at Jerusalem, there were no relations of Jesus. I\nsaw in various parts of the Holy Land others of the dead appear and\nbear testimony to the divinity of Jesus. Thus I saw Sadoch, a most\npious man, who had given all his property to the poor and to the\nTemple, appear to many persons in the neighbourhood of Hebron. This\nSadoch had lived a century before Jesus, and was the founder of a\ncommunity of Essenians: he had ardently sighed for the coming of the\nMessias, and had had several revelations upon the subject. I saw some\nothers of the dead appear to the hidden disciples of our Lord, and give\nthem different warnings.\n\nTerror and desolation reigned even in the most distant parts of\nPalestine, and it was not in Jerusalem only that frightful prodigies\ntook place. At Thirza, the towers of the prison in which the captives\ndelivered by Jesus had been confined fell down. In Galilee, where Jesus\nhad travelled so much, I saw many buildings, and in particular the\nhouses of those Pharisees who had been the foremost in persecuting our\nSaviour, and who were then all at the festival, shaken to the ground,\ncrushing their wives and children. Numerous accidents happened in the\nneighbourhood of the Lake of Genazareth. Many buildings fell down at\nCapharnaum; and the wall of rocks which was in front of the beautiful\ngarden of the centurion Zorobabel cracked across. The lake overflowed\ninto the valley, and its waters descended as far as Capharnaum, which\nwas a mile and a half distant. Peter's house, and the dwelling of the\nBlessed Virgin in front of the town, remained standing. The lake was\nstrongly convulsed; its shores crumbled in several places, and its\nshape was very much altered, and became more like what it is at the\npresent day. Great changes took place, particularly at the\nsouth-eastern extremity, near Tarichea, because in this part there was\na long causeway made of stones, between the lake and a sort of marsh,\nwhich gave a constant direction to the course of the Jordan when it\nleft the lake. The whole of this causeway was destroyed by the\nearthquake. Many accidents happened on the eastern side of the lake, on\nthe spot where the swine belonging to the inhabitants of Gergesa cast\nthemselves in, and also at Gergesa, Gerasa, and in the entire district\nof Chorazin. The mountain where the second multiplication of the loaves\ntook place was shaken, and the stone upon which the miracle had been\nworked split in two. In Decapolis, whole towns crumbled to the earth;\nand in Asia, in several localities, the earthquake was severely felt,\nparticularly to the east and north-east of Paneas. In Upper Galilee,\nmany Pharisees found their houses in ruins when they returned from\nkeeping the feast. A number of them, while yet at Jerusalem, received\nthe news of what had happened, and it was on that account that the\nenemies of Jesus made such very slight efforts against the Christian\ncommunity at Pentecost.\n\nA part of the Temple of Garizim crumbled down. An idol stood there\nabove a fountain, in a small temple, the roof of which fell into the\nfountain with the idol. Half of the synagogue of Nazareth, out of which\nJesus had been drive, fell down, as well as that part of the mountain\nfrom which his enemies had endeavoured to precipitate him. The bed of\nthe Jordan was much changed by all these shocks, and its course altered\nin many places. At Macherus, and at the other towns belonging to Herod,\neverything remained quiet, for that country was out of the sphere of\nrepentance and of threats, like those men who did not fall to the\nground in the Garden of Olives, and, consequently, did not rise again.\n\nIn many other parts where there were evil spirits, I saw the latter\ndisappear in large bodies amid the falling mountains and buildings. The\nearthquakes reminded me of the convulsions of the possessed, when the\nenemy feels that he must take to flight. At Gergesa, a part of the\nmountain from which the devils had cast themselves with the swine into\na marsh, fell into this same marsh; and I then saw a band of evil\nspirits cast themselves into the abyss, like a dark cloud.\n\nIt was at Nice, unless I am mistaken, that I saw a singular\noccurrence, of which I have only an imperfect remembrance. There was a\nport there with many vessels in it; and near this port stood a house\nwith a high tower, in which I saw a pagan whose office was to watch\nthese vessels. He had often to ascend this tower, and see what was\ngoing on at sea. Having heard a great noise over the vessels in the\nport, he hurriedly ascended the tower to discover what was taking\nplace, and he saw several dark figures hovering over the port, and who\nexclaimed to him in plaintive accents: 'If thou desirest to preserve the\nvessels, cause them to be sailed out of this port, for we must return\nto the abyss: the great Pan is dead.' They told him several other things;\nlaid injunctions upon him to make known what they were then telling him\nupon his return from a certain voyage which he was soon to make, and to\ngive a good reception to the messengers who would come to announce the\ndoctrine of him who had just died. The evil spirits were forced in this\nmanner by the power of God to inform this good man of their defeat, and\nannounce it to the world. He had the vessels put in safety, and then an\nawful storm arose: the devils cast themselves howling into the sea, and\nhalf the city fell down. His house remained standing. Soon afterwards\nhe went on a great journey, and announced the death of the great Pan,\nif that is the name by which our Saviour had been called. Later he came\nto Rome, where much amazement was caused by what he related. His name\nwas something like Thamus or Thramus.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVII.\n\nGuards are placed around the Tomb of Jesus.\n\n\n\nLate on Friday night, I saw Caiphas and some of the chief men among\nthe Jews holding a consultation concerning the best course to pursue\nwith regard to the prodigies which had taken place, and the effect they\nhad had upon the people. They continued their deliberations quite into\nthe morning, and then hurried to Pilate's house, to tell him that, as\nthat seducer said, while he was yet alive, 'After three days I will rise\nagain,' it would be right to command the sepulchre to be guarded until\nthe third day, as otherwise his disciples might come and steal him\naway, and say to the people, 'He is risen from the dead,' and the last\nerror would be worse that the first. Pilate was determined to have\nnothing more to do with the business, and he only answered: 'You have a\nguard; go, guard it as you know.' However, he appointed Cassius to keep a\nwatch over all that took place, and give him an exact account of every\ncircumstance. I saw these men, twelve in number, leave the town before\nsunrise, accompanied by some soldiers who did not wear the Roman\nuniform, being attached to the Temple. They carried lanterns fastened\nto the end of long poles, in order that they might be able to see every\nsurrounding object, in spite of the darkness of the night, and also\nthat they might have some light in the dark cave of the sepulchre.\n\nNo sooner had they reached the sepulchre than, having first seen\nwith their own eyes that the body of Jesus was really there, they\nfastened one rope across the door of the tomb, and a second across the\ngreat stone which was placed in front, sealing the whole with a seal of\nhalf-circular shape. They then returned to the city, and the guards\nstationed themselves opposite the outer door. They were five or six in\nnumber, and watched three and three alternately. Cassius never left his\npost, and usually remained sitting or standing in front of the entrance\nto the cave, so as to see that side of the tomb where the feet of our\nLord rested. He had received many interior graces, and been given to\nunderstand many mysteries. Being wholly unaccustomed to this state of\nspiritual enlightenment, he was perfectly transported out of himself,\nand remained nearly all the time unconscious of the presence of\nexterior things. He was entirely changed, had become a new man, and\nspent the whole day in penance, in making fervent acts of gratitude,\nand in humbly adoring God.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVIII.\n\nA Glance at the Disciples of Jesus on Holy Saturday.\n\n\n\nThe faithful disciples of our Lord assembled together in the\nCenaculum, to keep the eve of the Sabbath. They were about twenty in\nnumber, clothed in long white dresses, and with their waists girded.\nThe room was lighted up by a lamp; and after their repast they\nseparated, and for the most part returned home. They again assembled on\nthe following morning, and sat together reading and praying by turns;\nand if a friend entered the room, they arose and saluted him cordially.\n\nIn that part of the house inhabited by the Blessed Virgin there was\na large room, divided into small compartments like cells, which were\nused by the holy women for sleeping in at night. When they returned\nfrom the sepulchre, one of their number lighted a lamp which was\nhanging in the middle of the room, and they all assembled around the\nBlessed Virgin, and commenced praying in a mournful but recollected\nmanner. A short time afterwards, Martha, Maroni, Dina, and Mara, who\nwere just come with Lazarus from Bethania, where they had passed the\nSabbath, entered the room. The Blessed Virgin and her companions gave\nthem a detailed account of the death and burial of our Lord,\naccompanying each relation with many tears. The evening was advancing,\nand Joseph of Arimathea came in with a few other disciples, to ask\nwhether any of the women wished to return to their homes, as they were\nready to escort them. A few accepted the proposition, and set off\nimmediately; but before they reached the tribunal of Caiphas, some\narmed men stopped Joseph of Arimathea, arrested, and shut him up in an\nold deserted turret.\n\nThose among the holy women who did not leave the Cenaculum retired\nto take their rest in the cell-like compartments spoken of above: they\nfastened long veils over their heads, seated themselves sorrowfully on\nthe floor, and leaned upon the couches which were placed against the\nwall. After a time they stood up, spread out the bedclothes which were\nrolled up on the couches, took off their sandals, girdles, and a part\nof their clothing, and reclined for a time in order to endeavour to get\na little sleep. At midnight, they arose, clothed themselves, put up\ntheir beds, and reassembled around the lamp to continue their prayer\nwith the Blessed Virgin.\n\nWhen the Mother of Jesus and her pious companions had finished their\nnocturnal prayer (that holy duty which has been practised by all\nfaithful children of God and holy souls, who have either felt\nthemselves called to it by a special grace, or who follow a rule given\nby God and his Church), they heard a knock at the door, which was\ninstantly opened, and John and some of the disciples who had promised\nto conduct them to the Temple, entered, upon which the women wrapped\ntheir cloaks about them, and started instantly. It was then about three\nin the morning, and they went straight to the Temple, it being\ncustomary among many Jews to get there before day dawned, on the day\nafter they had eaten the Paschal lamb; and for this reason the Temple\nwas open from midnight, as the sacrifices commenced very early. They\nstarted at about the same hour as that at which the priests had put\ntheir seal upon the sepulchre. The aspect of things in the Temple was,\nhowever, very different from what was usually the case at such times,\nfor the sacrifices were stopped, and the place was empty and desolate,\nas everyone had left on account of the events on the previous day which\nhad rendered it impure. The Blessed Virgin appeared to me to visit it\nfor the sole purpose of taking leave of the place where she had passed\nher youth.\n\nThe Temple was, however, open; the lamps lighted, and the people at\nliberty to enter the vestibule of the priests, which was the customary\nprivilege of this day, as well as of that which followed the Paschal\nsupper. The Temple was, as I said before, quite empty, with the\nexception of a chance priest or server who might be seen wandering\nabout; and every part bore the marks of the confusion into which all\nwas thrown on the previous day by the extraordinary and frightful\nevents that had taken place; besides which it had been defiled by the\npresence of the dead, and I reflected and wondered in my own mind\nwhether it would be possible ever to purify if again.\n\nThe sons of Simeon, and the nephew of Joseph of Arimathea, were much\ngrieved when they heard of the arrest of their uncle, but they welcomed\nthe Blessed Virgin and her companions, and conducted them all over the\nTemple, which they did without difficulty, as they held the offices of\ninspectors of the Temple. The holy women stood in silence and\ncontemplated all the terrible and visible marks of the anger of God\nwith feelings of deep awe, and then listened with interest to the many\nstupendous details recounted by their guides. The effects of the\nearthquake were still visible, as little had been done towards\nrepairing the numerous rents and cracks in the floor, and in the walls.\nIn that part of the Temple where the vestibule joined the sanctuary,\nthe wall was so tremendously shaken by the shock of the earthquake, as\nto produce a fissure wide enough for a person to walk through, and the\nrest of the wall looked unsteady, as if it might fall down at any\nmoment. The curtain which hung in the sanctuary was rent in two and\nhung in shreds at the sides; nothing was to be seen around but crumbled\nwalls, crushed flagstones, and columns either partly or quite shaken\ndown.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin visited all those parts which Jesus had rendered\nsacred in her eyes; she prostrated, kissed them, and with tears in her\neyes explained to the others her reasons for venerating each particular\nspot, whereupon they instantly followed her example. The greatest\nveneration was always shown by the Jews for all places which had been\nrendered sacred by manifestations of the Divine power, and it was\ncustomary to place the hands reverently on such places, to kiss them,\nand to prostrate to the very earth before them. I do not think there\nwas anything in the least surprising in such a custom, for they both\nknew, saw, end felt that the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,\nwas a living God, and that his dwelling among his people was in the\nTemple at Jerusalem; consequently it would have been infinitely more\nastonishing if they had not venerated those holy parts where his power\nhad been particularly demonstrated, for the Temple and the holy places\nwere to them what the Blessed Sacrament is to Christians.\n\nDeeply penetrated with these feelings of respect, the Blessed Virgin\nwalked trough the Temple with her companions, and pointed out to them\nthe spot where she was presented when still a child, the parts where\nshe passed her childhood, the place where she was affianced to St.\nJoseph, and the spot where she stood when she presented Jesus and heard\nthe prophecy of Simeon: the remembrance of his words made her weep\nbitterly, for the prophecy was indeed fulfilled, and the sword of grief\nhad indeed transfixed her heart; she again stopped her companions when\nshe reached the part of the Temple where she found Jesus teaching when\nshe lost him at the age of twelve, and she respectfully kissed the\nground on which he then stood. When the holy women had looked at every\nplace sanctified by the presence of Jesus, when they had wept and\nprayed over them, they returned to Sion.\n\nThe Blessed Virgin did not leave the Temple without shedding many\ntears, as she contemplated the state of desolation to which it was\nreduced, an aspect of desolation which was rendered still more\ndepressing by the marked contrast it bore to the usual state of the\nTemple on the festival day. Instead of songs and hymns of jubilee, a\nmournful silence reigned throughout the vast edifice, and in place of\ngroups of joyful and devout worshippers, the eye wandered over a vast\nand dreary solitude. Too truly, alas, did this change betoken the\nfearful crime which had been perpetrated by the people of God, and she\nremembered how Jesus had wept over the Temple, and said, 'Destroy the\nTemple and in three days I will build it up again.' She thought over the\ndestruction of the Temple of the Body of Jesus which had been brought\nabout by his enemies, and she sighed with a longing desire for the\ndawning of that third day when the words of eternal truth were to be\naccomplished.\n\nIt was about daybreak when Mary and her companions reached the\nCenaculum, and they retired into the building which stood on its\nright-hand side, while John and some of the disciples re-entered the\nCenaculum, where about twenty men, assembled around a lamp, were\noccupied in prayer. Every now and then new-comers drew nigh to the\ndoor, came in timidity, approached the group round the lamp, and\naddressed them in a few mournful words, which they accompanied with\ntears. Everyone appeared to regard John with feelings of respect;\nbecause he had remained with Jesus until he expired; but with these\nsentiments of respect was mingled a deep feeling of shame and\nconfusion, when they reflected on their own cowardly conduct in\nabandoning their Lord and Master in the hour of need. John spoke to\neveryone with the greatest charity and kindness; his manner was modest\nand unassuming as that of a child, and he seemed to fear receiving\npraise. I saw the assembled group take one meal during that day, but\nits members were, for the most part, silent; not a sound was to be\nheard throughout the house, and the doors were tightly closed,\nalthough, in fact, there was no likelihood of anyone disturbing them,\nas the house belonged to Nicodemus, and he had let it to them for the\ntime of the festival.\n\nThe holy women remained in this room until nightfall; it was lighted\nup by a single lamp; the doors were closed, and curtains drawn over the\nwindows. Sometimes they gathered round the Blessed Virgin and prayed\nunder the lamp; at other times they retired to the side of the room,\ncovered their heads with black veils, and either sat on ashes (the sign\nof mourning), or prayed with their faces turned towards the wall; those\nwhose health was delicate took a little food, but the others fasted.\n\nI looked at them again and again, and I saw them ever occupied in\nthe same manner, that is to say, either in prayer or in mourning over\nthe sufferings of their beloved Master. When my thoughts wandered from\nthe contemplation of the Blessed Virgin to that of her Divine Son, I\nbeheld the holy sepulchre with six or seven sentinels at the\nentrance--Cassius standing against the door of the cave, apparently in\ndeep meditation, the exterior door closed, and the stone rolled close\nto it. Notwithstanding the thick door which intervened between the body\nof our Saviour and myself I could see it plainly; it was quite\ntransparent with a divine light, and two angels were adoring at the\nside. But my thoughts then turned to the contemplation of the blessed\nsoul of my Redeemer, and such an extensive and complicated picture of\nhis descent into hell was shown to me, that I can only remember a small\nportion of it, which I will describe to the best of my power.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIX.\n\nA Detached Account of the Descent into Hell.\n\n\n\nWhen Jesus, after uttering a loud cry, expired, I saw his heavenly\nsoul under the form of a bright meteor pierce the earth at the foot of\nthe Cross, accompanied by the angel Gabriel and many other angels. His\nDivine nature continued united to his soul as well as to his body,\nwhich still remained hanging upon the Cross, but I cannot explain how\nthis was, although I saw it plainly in my own mind. The place into\nwhich the soul of Jesus entered was divided into three parts, which\nappeared to me like three worlds; and I felt that they were round, and\nthat each division was separated from the other by a hemisphere.\n\nI beheld a bright and beautiful space opposite to Limbo; it was\nenamelled with flowers, delicious breezes wafted through it; and many\nsouls were placed there before being admitted into Heaven after their\ndeliverance from Purgatory. Limbo, the place where the souls were\nwaiting for the Redemption, was divided into different compartments,\nand encompassed by a thick foggy atmosphere. Our Lord appeared radiant\nwith light and surrounded by angels, who conducted him triumphantly\nbetween two of these compartments; the one on the left containing the\npatriarchs who lived before the time of Abraham, and that on the right\nthose who lived between the days of Abraham and St. John the Baptist.\nThese souls did not at first recognise Jesus, but were filled\nnevertheless with sensations of joy and hope. There was not a spot in\nthose narrow confines which did not, as it were, dilate with feelings\nof happiness. The passage of Jesus might be compared to the wafting of\na breath of air, to a sudden flash of light, or to a shower of\nvivifying dew, but it was swift as a whirlwind. After passing through\nthe two compartments, he reached a dark spot in which Adam and Eve were\nstanding; he spoke to them, they prostrated and adored him in a perfect\necstasy of joy, and they immediately joined the band of angels, and\naccompanied our Lord to the compartment on the left, which contained\nthe patriarchs who lived before Abraham. This compartment was a species\nof Purgatory, and a few evil spirits were wandering about among the\nsouls and endeavouring to fill them with anxiety and alarm. The\nentrance through a species of door was closed, but the angels rapped,\nand I thought I heard them say, 'Open these doors.' When Jesus entered in\ntriumph the demons dispersed, crying out at the same time, 'What is there\nbetween thee and us? What art thou come to do here? Wilt thou crucify\nus likewise?' The angels hunted them away, having first chained them. The\npoor souls confined in this place had only a slight presentiment and\nvague idea of the presence of Jesus; but the moment he told them that\nit was he himself, they burst out into acclamations of joy, and\nwelcomed him with hymns of rapture and delight. The soul of our Lord\nthen wended its way to the right, towards that part which really\nconstituted Limbo; and there he met the soul of the good thief which\nangels were carrying to Abraham's bosom, as also that of the bad thief\nbeing dragged by demons into Hell. Our Lord addressed a few words to\nboth, and then entered Abraham's bosom, accompanied by numerous angels\nand holy souls, and also by those demons who had been chained and\nexpelled from the compartment.\n\nThis locality appeared to me more elevated than the surrounding\nparts; and I can only describe my sensations on entering it, by\ncomparing them to those of a person coming suddenly into the interior\nof a church, after having been for some time in the burial vaults. The\ndemons, who were strongly chained, were extremely loth to enter, and\nresisted to the utmost of their power, but the angels compelled them to\ngo forwards. All the just who had lived before the time of Christ were\nassembled there; the patriarchs, Moses, the judges, and the kings on\nthe left-hand side; and on the right side, the prophets, and the\nancestors of our Lord, as also his near relations, such as Joachim,\nAnna, Joseph, Zacharias, Elizabeth, and John. There were no demons in\nthis place, and the only discomfort that had been felt by those placed\nthere was a longing desire for the accomplishment of the promise; and\nwhen our Lord entered they saluted him with joyful hymns of gratitude\nand thanksgiving for its fulfilment, they prostrated and adored him,\nand the evil spirits who had been dragged into Abraham's bosom when our\nLord entered were compelled to confess with shame that they were\nvanquished. Many of these holy souls were ordered by our Lord to return\nto the earth, re-enter their own bodies, and thus render a solemn and\nimpressive testimony to the truth. It was at this moment that so many\ndead persons left their tombs in Jerusalem; I regarded them less in the\nlight of dead persons risen again than as corpses put in motion by a\ndivine power, and which, after having fulfilled the mission entrusted\nto them, were laid aside in the same manner as the insignia of office\nare taken off by a clerk when he has executed the orders of his\nsuperiors.\n\nI next saw our Lord, with his triumphant procession, enter into a\nspecies of Purgatory which was filled with those good pagans who,\nhaving had a faint glimmering of the truth, had longed for its\nfulfilment: this Purgatory was very deep, and contained a few demons\ncompelled to confess the deception they had practised with regard to\nthese idols, and the souls of the poor pagans cast themselves at the\nfeet of Jesus, and adored him with inexpressible joy: here, likewise,\nthe demons were bound with chains and dragged away. I saw our Saviour\nperform many other actions; but I suffered so intensely at the same\ntime, that I cannot recount them as I should have wished.\n\nFinally, I beheld him approach to the centre of the great abyss,\nthat is to say, to Hell itself; and the expression of his countenance\nwas most severe.\n\nThe exterior of Hell was appalling and frightful; it was an immense,\nheavy-looking building, and the granite of which it was formed,\nalthough black, was of metallic brightness; and the dark and ponderous\ndoors were secured with such terrible bolts that no one could behold\nthem without trembling. Deep groans and cries of despair might be\nplainly distinguished even while the doors were tightly closed; but, O,\nwho can describe the dreadful yells and shrieks which burst upon the\near when the bolts were unfastened and the doors flung open; and, O,\nwho can depict the melancholy appearance of the inhabitants of this\nwretched place!\n\nThe form under which the Heavenly Jerusalem is generally represented\nin my visions is that of a beautiful and well-regulated city, and the\ndifferent degrees of glory to which the elect are raised are\ndemonstrated by the magnificence of their palaces, or the wonderful\nfruit and flowers with which the gardens are embellished. Hell is shown\nto me under the same form, but all within it is, on the contrary,\nclose, confused, and crowded; every object tends to fill the mind with\nsensations of pain and grief; the marks of the wreath and vengeance of\nGod are visible everywhere; despair, like a vulture, gnaws every heart,\nand discord and misery reign around. In the Heavenly Jerusalem all is\npeace and eternal harmony, the beginning, fulfilment, and end of\neverything being pure and perfect happiness; the city is filled with\nsplendid buildings, decorated in such a manner as to charm every eye\nand enrapture every sense; the inhabitants of this delightful abode are\noverflowing with rapture and exultation, the gardens gay with lovely\nflowers, and the trees covered with delicious fruits which give eternal\nlife. In the city of Hell nothing is to be seen but dismal dungeons,\ndark caverns, frightful deserts, fetid swamps filled with every\nimaginable species of poisonous and disgusting reptile. In Heaven you\nbehold the happiness and peaceful union of the saints; in Hell,\nperpetual scenes of wretched discord, and every species of sin and\ncorruption, either under the most horrible forms imaginable, or\nrepresented by different kinds of dreadful torments. All in this dreary\nabode tends to fill the mind with horror; not a word of comfort is\nheard or a consoling idea admitted; the one tremendous thought, that\nthe justice of an all-powerful God inflicts on the damned nothing but\nwhat they have fully deserved is the absorbing tremendous conviction\nwhich weighs down each heart. Vice appears in its own grim disgusting\ncolours, being stripped of the mask under which it is hidden in this\nworld, and the infernal viper is seen devouring those who have\ncherished or fostered it here below. In a word, Hell is the temple of\nanguish and despair, while the kingdom of God is the temple of peace\nand happiness. This is easy to understand when seen; but it is almost\nimpossible to describe clearly.\n\nThe tremendous explosion of oaths, curses, cries of despair, and\nfrightful exclamations which, like a clap of thunder, burst forth when\nthe gates of Hell were thrown open by the angels, would be difficult\neven to imagine; our Lord spoke first to the soul of Judas, and the\nangels then compelled all the demons to acknowledge and adore Jesus.\nThey would have infinitely preferred the most frightful torments to\nsuch a humiliation; but all were obliged to submit. Many were chained\ndown in a circle which was placed round other circles. In the centre of\nHell I saw a dark and horrible-looking abyss, and into this Lucifer was\ncast, after being first strongly secured with chains; thick clouds of\nsulphureous black smoke arose from its fearful depths, and enveloped\nhis frightful form in the dismal folds, thus effectually concealing him\nfrom every beholder. God himself had decreed this; and I was likewise\ntold, if I remember right, that he will be unchained for a time fifty\nor sixty years before the year of Christ 2000. The dates of many other\nevents were pointed out to me which I do not now remember; but a\ncertain number of demons are to be let loose much earlier than Lucifer,\nin order to tempt men, and to serve as instruments of the divine\nvengeance. I should think that some must be loosened even in the\npresent day, and others will be set free in a short time.\n\nIt would be utterly impossible for me to describe all the things\nwhich were shown to me; their number was so great that I could not\nreduce them sufficiently to order to define and render them\nintelligible. Besides which my sufferings are very great, and when I\nspeak on the subject of my visions I behold them in my mind's eye\nportrayed in such vivid colours, that the sight is almost sufficient to\ncause a weak mortal like myself to expire.\n\nI next saw innumerable bands of redeemed souls liberated from\nPurgatory and from Limbo, who followed our Lord to a delightful spot\nsituated above the celestial Jerusalem, in which place I, a very short\ntime ago, saw the soul of a person who was very dear to me. The soul of\nthe good thief was likewise taken there, and the promise of our Lord,\n'This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise,' was fulfilled.\n\nIt is not in my power to explain the exact time that each of these\nevents occurred, nor can I relate one-half of the things which I saw\nand heard; for some were incomprehensible even to myself, and others\nwould be misunderstood if I attempted to relate them. I have seen our\nLord in many different places. Even in the sea he appeared to me to\nsanctify and deliver everything in the creation. Evil spirits fled at\nhis approach, and cast themselves into the dark abyss. I likewise\nbeheld his soul in different parts of the earth, first inside the tomb\nof Adam, under Golgotha; and when he was there the souls of Adam and\nEve came up to him, and he spoke to them for some time. He then visited\nthe tombs of the prophets, who were buried at an immense depth below\nthe surface; but he passed through the soil in the twinkling of an eye.\nTheir souls immediately re-entered their bodies, and he spoke to them,\nand explained the most wonderful mysteries. Next I saw him, accompanied\nby a chosen band of prophets, among whom I particularly remarked David,\nvisit those parts of the earth which had been sanctified by his\nmiracles and by his sufferings. He pointed out to them, with the\ngreatest love and goodness, the different symbols in the old law\nexpressive of the future; and he showed them how he himself had\nfulfilled every prophecy. The sight of the soul of our Lord, surrounded\nby these happy souls, and radiant with light, was inexpressibly grand\nas he glided triumphantly through the air, sometimes passing, with the\nvelocity of lightning, over rivers, then penetrating though the hardest\nrocks to the very centre of the earth, or moving noiselessly over its\nsurface.\n\nI can remember nothing beyond the facts which I have just related\nconcerning the descent of Jesus into Limbo, where he went in order to\npresent to the souls there detained the grace of the Redemption which\nhe had merited for them by his death and by his sufferings; and I saw\nall these things in a very short space of time; in fact, time passed so\nquickly that it seemed to me but a moment. Our Lord, however, displayed\nbefore me, at the same time, another picture, in which I beheld the\nimmense mercies which he bestows in the present day on the poor souls\nin Purgatory; for on every anniversary of this great day, when his\nChurch is celebrating the glorious mystery of his death, he casts a\nlook of compassion on the souls in Purgatory, and frees some of those\nwho sinned against him before his crucifixion. I this day saw Jesus\ndeliver many souls; some I was acquainted with, and others were\nstrangers to me, but I cannot name any of them.\n\nOur Lord, by descending into Hell, planted (if I may thus express\nmyself), in the spiritual garden of the Church, a mysterious tree, the\nfruits of which--namely, his merits--are destined for the constant relief of\nthe poor souls in Purgatory. The Church militant must cultivate the\ntree, and gather its fruit, in order to present them to that suffering\nportion of the Church which can do nothing for itself. Thus it is with\nall the merits of Christ; we must labour with him if we wish to obtain\nour share of them; we must gain our bread by the sweat of our brow.\nEverything which our Lord has done for us in time must produce fruit\nfor eternity; but we must gather these fruits in time, without which we\ncannot possess them in eternity. The Church is the most prudent and\nthoughtful of mothers; the ecclesiastical year is an immense and\nmagnificent garden, in which all those fruits for eternity are gathered\ntogether, that we may make use of them in time. Each year contains\nsufficient to supply the wants of all; but woe be to that careless or\ndishonest gardener who allows any of the fruit committed to his care to\nperish; if he fails to turn to a proper account those graces which\nwould restore health to the sick; strength to the weak, or furnish food\nto the hungry! When the Day of Judgment arrives, the Master of the\ngarden will demand a strict account, not only of every tree, but also\nof all the fruit produced in the garden.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LX.\n\nThe Eve of the Resurrection.\n\n\n\nTowards the close of the Sabbath-day, John came to see the holy\nwomen. He endeavoured to give some consolation, but could not restrain\nhis own tears, and only remained a short time with them. They had\nlikewise a short visit from Peter and James the Greater, after which\nthey retired to their cells, and gave free vent to grief, sitting upon\nashes, and veiling themselves even more closely.\n\nThe prayer of the Blessed Virgin was unceasing. She ever kept her\neyes fixed interiorly on Jesus, and was perfectly consumed by her\nardent desire of once more beholding him whom she loved with such\ninexpressible love. Suddenly an angel stood by her side, and bade her\narise and go to the door of the dwelling of Nicodemus, for that the\nLord was very near. The heart of the Blessed Virgin leaped for joy. She\nhastily wrapped her cloak about her, and left the holy women, without\ninforming them where she was going. I saw her walk quickly to a small\nentrance which was cut in the town wall, the identical one through\nwhich she had entered when returning with her companions from the\nsepulchre.\n\nIt was about nine o'clock at night, and the Blessed Virgin had almost\nreached the entrance, when I saw her stop suddenly in a very solitary\nspot, and look upwards in an ecstasy of delight, for on the top of the\ntown wall she beheld the soul of our Lord, resplendent with light,\nwithout the appearance of a wound, and surrounded by patriarchs. He\ndescended towards her, turned to his companions, and presenting her to\nthem, said, 'Behold Mary, behold my Mother.' He appeared to me to salute\nher with a kiss, and he then disappeared. The Blessed Virgin knelt\ndown, and most reverently kissed the ground on which he had stood, and\nthe impression of her hands and knees remained imprinted upon the\nstones. The sight filled her with inexpressible joy, and she\nimmediately rejoined the holy women, who were busily employed in\npreparing the perfumes and spices. She did not tell them what she had\nseen, but her firmness and strength of mind was restored. She was\nperfectly renovated, and therefore comforted all the rest, and\nendeavoured to strengthen their faith.\n\nAll the holy women were sitting by a long table, the cover of which\nhung down to the floor, when Mary returned; bundles of herbs were\nheaped around them, and these they mixed together and arranged; small\nflasks, containing sweet unctions and water of spikenard, were standing\nnear, as also bunches of natural flowers, among which I remarked one in\nparticular, which was like a streaked iris or a lily. Magdalen, Mary\nthe daughter of Cleophas, Salome, Johanna, and Mary Salome, had bought\nall these things in the town during the absence of Mary. Their\nintention was to go to the sepulchre before sunrise on the following\nday, in order to strew these flowers and perfumes over the body of\ntheir beloved Master.\n\nCHAPTER LVI.\n\nJoseph of Arimathea miraculously set at large.\n\n\n\nA short time after the return of the Blessed Virgin to the holy\nwomen, I was shown the interior of the prison in which the enemies of\nJoseph of Arimathea had confined him. He was praying fervently, when\nsuddenly a brilliant light illuminated the whole place, and I heard a\nvoice calling him by name, while at the same moment the roof opened,\nand a bright form appeared, holding out a sheet resembling that in\nwhich he had wrapped the body of Jesus. Joseph grasped it with both\nhands, and was drawn up to the opening, which closed again as soon as\nhe had passed through; and the apparition disappeared the instant he\nwas in safety at the tope of the tower. I know not whether it was our\nLord himself or an angel who thus set Joseph free.\n\nHe walked on the summit of the wall until he reached the\nneighbourhood of the Cenaculum, which was near to the south wall of\nSion, and then climbed down and knocked at the door of that edifice, as\nthe doors were fastened. The disciples assembled there had been much\ngrieved when they first missed Joseph, who they thought had been thrown\ninto a sink, a report to that effect having become current. Great,\ntherefore, was their joy when they opened the door and found that it\nwas he himself; indeed, they were almost as much delighted as when\nPeter was miraculously delivered from prison some years after. When\nJoseph had related what had taken place, they were filled with\nastonishment and delight; and after thanking God fervently gave him\nsome refreshment, which he greatly needed. He left Jerusalem that same\nnight, and fled to Arimathea, his native place, where he remained until\nhe thought he could return safely to Jerusalem.\n\nI likewise saw Caiphas towards the close of the Sabbath-day, at the\nhouse of Nicodemus. He was conversing with him and asking many\nquestions with pretended kindness. Nicodemus answered firmly, and\ncontinued to affirm the innocence of Jesus. They did not remain long\ntogether.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXII.\n\nThe Night of Resurrection.\n\n\n\nI soon after beheld the tomb of our Lord. All was calm and silent\naround it. There were six soldiers on guard, who were either seated or\nstanding before the door, and Cassius was among them. His appearance\nwas that of a person immersed in meditation and in the expectation of\nsome great event. The sacred body of our Blessed Redeemer was wrapped\nin the winding-sheet, and surrounded with light, while two angels sat\nin an attitude of adoration, the one at the head, and the other at the\nfeet. I had seen them in the same posture ever since he was first put\ninto the tomb. These angels were clothed as priests. Their position,\nand the manner in which they crossed their arms over their breasts,\nreminded me of the cherubim who surrounded the Ark of the covenant,\nonly they were without wings; at least I did not see any. The whole of\nthe sepulchre reminded me of the Ark of the Covenant at different\nperiods of its history. It is possible that Cassius was sensible of the\npresence of the angels, and of the bright light which filled the\nsepulchre, for his attitude was like that of a person in deep\ncontemplation before the Blessed Sacrament.\n\nI next saw the soul of our Lord accompanied by those among the\npatriarchs whom he had liberated enter into the tomb through the rock.\nHe showed them the wounds with which his sacred body was covered; and\nit seemed to me that the winding-sheet which previously enveloped it\nwas removed, and that Jesus wished to show the souls the excess of\nsuffering he had endured to redeem them. The body appeared to me to be\nquite transparent, so that the whole depth of the wounds could be seen;\nand this sight filled the holy souls with admiration, although deep\nfeelings of compassion likewise drew tears from their eyes.\n\nMy next vision was so mysterious that I cannot explain or even\nrelate it in a clear manner. It appeared to me that the soul and body\nof Jesus were taken together out of the sepulchre, without, however,\nthe former being completely reunited to the latter, which still\nremained inanimate. I thought I saw two angels who were kneeling and\nadoring at the head and feet of the sacred body, raise it--keeping it in\nthe exact position in which it was lying in the tomb--and carry it\nuncovered and disfigured with wounds across the rock, which trembled as\nthey passed. It then appeared to me that Jesus presented his body,\nmarked with the stigmas of the Passion, to his Heavenly Father, who,\nseated on a throne, was surrounded by innumerable choirs of angels,\nblissfully occupied in pouring forth hymns of adoration and jubilee.\nThe case was probably the same when at the death of our Lord, so many\nholy souls re-entered their bodies, and appeared in the Temple and in\ndifferent parts of Jerusalem; for it is not likely that the bodies\nwhich they animated were really alive, as in that case they would have\nbeen obliged to die a second time, whereas they returned to their\noriginal state without apparent difficulty; but it is to be supposed\nthat their appearance in human form was similar to that of our Lord,\nwhen he (if we may thus express it) accompanied his body to the throne\nof his Heavenly Father.\n\nAt this moment the rock was so violently shaken, from the very\nsummit to the base, that three of the guards fell down and became\nalmost insensible. The other four were away at the time, being gone to\nthe town to fetch something. The guards who were thus thrown prostrate\nattributed the sudden shock to an earthquake; but Cassius, who,\nalthough uncertain as to what all this might portend, yet felt an\ninward presentiment that it was the prelude to some stupendous event,\nstood transfixed in anxious expectation, waiting to see what would\nfollow next. The soldiers who were gone to Jerusalem soon returned.\n\nI again beheld the holy women: they had finished preparing the\nspices, and were resting in their private cells; not stretched out on\nthe couches, but leaning against the bedclothes, which were rolled up.\nThey wished to go to the sepulchre before the break of day, because\nthey feared meeting the enemies of Jesus; but the Blessed Virgin, who\nwas perfectly renovated and filled with fresh courage since she had\nseen her Son, consoled and recommended them to sleep for a time, and\nthen go fearlessly to the tomb, as no harm would come to them;\nwhereupon they immediately followed her advice, and endeavoured to\nsleep.\n\nIt was towards eleven o'clock at night when the Blessed Virgin,\nincited by irrepressible feelings of love, arose, wrapped a grey cloak\naround her, and left the house quite alone. When I saw her do this, I\ncould not help feeling anxious, and saying to myself, 'How is it possible\nfor this holy Mother, who is so exhausted from anguish and terror, to\nventure to walk all alone through the streets at such an hour?' I saw her\ngo first to the house of Caiphas, and then to the palace of Pilate,\nwhich was at a great distance off; I watched her through the whole of\nher solitary journey along that part which had been trodden by her Son,\nloaded with his heavy Cross; she stopped at every place where our\nSaviour had suffered particularly, or had received any fresh outrage\nfrom his barbarous enemies. Her appearance, as she walked slowly along,\nwas that of a person seeking something; she often bent down to the\nground, touched the stones with her hands, and then inundated them with\nkisses, if the precious blood of her beloved Son was upon them. God\ngranted her at this time particular lights and graces, and she was able\nwithout the slightest degree of difficulty to distinguish every place\nsanctified by his sufferings. I accompanied her through the whole of\nher pious pilgrimage, and I endeavoured to imitate her to the best of\nmy power, as far as my weakness would permit.\n\nMary then went to Calvary; but when she had almost reached it, she\nstopped suddenly, and I saw the sacred body and soul of our Saviour\nstanding before her. An angel walked in front; the two angels whom I\nhad seen in the tomb were by his side, and the souls whom he had\nredeemed followed him by hundreds. The body of Jesus was brilliant and\nbeautiful, but its appearance was not that of a living body, although a\nvoice issued from it; and I heard him describe to the Blessed Virgin\nall he had done in Limbo, and then assure her that he should rise again\nwith his glorified body; that he would then show himself to her, and\nthat she must wait near the rock of Mount Calvary, and that part where\nshe saw him fall down, until he appeared. Our Saviour then went towards\nJerusalem, and the Blessed Virgin, having again wrapped her veil about\nher, prostrated on the spot which he had pointed out. It was then, I\nthink, past midnight, for the pilgrimage of Mary over the Way of the\nCross had taken up at least an hour; and I next saw the holy souls who\nhad been redeemed by our Saviour traverse in their turn the sorrowful\nWay of the Cross, and contemplate the different places where he had\nendured such fearful sufferings for their sakes. The angels who\naccompanied them gathered sacred flesh which had been torn off by the\nfrequent blows he received, as also the blood with which the ground was\nsprinkled on those spots where he had fallen.\n\nI once more saw the sacred body of our Lord stretched out as I first\nbeheld it in the sepulchre; the angels were occupied in replacing the\ngarments they had gathered up of his flesh, and they received\nsupernatural assistance in doing this. When next I contemplated him it\nwas in his winding-sheet, surrounded with a bright light and with two\nadoring angels by his side. I cannot explain how all these things came\nto pass, for they are far beyond our human comprehension; and even if I\nunderstand them perfectly myself when I see them, they appear dark and\nmysterious when I endeavour to explain them to others.\n\nAs soon as a faint glimmering of dawn appeared in the east, I saw\nMagdalen, Mary the daughter of Cleophas, Johanna Chusa, and Salome,\nleave the Cenaculum, closely wrapped up in their mantles. They carried\nbundles of spices; and one of their number had a lighted candle in her\nhand, which she endeavoured to conceal under her cloak. I saw them\ndirect their trembling steps towards the small door at the house of\nNicodemus.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXIII.\n\nThe Resurrection of our Lord.\n\n\n\nI beheld the soul of our Lord between two angels, who were in the\nattire of warriors: it was bright, luminous, and resplendent as the sun\nat mid-day; it penetrated the rock, touched the sacred body, passed\ninto it, and the two were instantaneously united, and became as one. I\nthen saw the limbs move, and the body of our Lord, being reunited to\nhis soul and to his divinity, rise and shake off the winding-sheet: the\nwhole of the cave was illuminated and lightsome.\n\nAt the same moment I saw a frightful monster burst from the earth\nunderneath the sepulchre. It had the tail of a serpent, and it raised\nits dragon head proudly as if desirous of attacking Jesus; and had\nlikewise, if I remember correctly, a human head. But our Lord held in\nhis hand a white staff, to which was appended a large banner; and he\nplaced his foot on the head of the dragon, and struck its tail three\ntimes with his staff, after which the monster disappeared. I had had\nthis same vision many times before the Resurrection, and I saw just\nsuch a monster, appearing to endeavour to hide itself, at the time of\nthe conception of our Lord: it greatly resembled the serpent which\ntempted our first parents in Paradise, only it was more horrible. I\nthought that this vision had reference to the prophetic words, that 'by\nthe seed of the woman the head of the serpent should be crushed,' and\nthat the whole was intended to demonstrate the victory of our Lord over\ndeath, for at the same moment that I saw him crush the head of the\nmonster, the tomb likewise vanished from my sight.\n\nI then saw the glorified body of our Lord rise up, and it passed\nthrough the hard rock as easily as if the latter had been formed of\nsome ductile substance. The earth shook, and an angel in the garb of a\nwarrior descended from Heaven with the speed of lightning, entered the\ntomb, lifted the stone, placed it on the right side, and seated himself\nupon it. At this tremendous sight the soldiers fell to the ground, and\nremained there apparently lifeless. When Cassius saw the bright light\nwhich illuminated the tomb, he approached the place where the sacred\nbody had been placed, looked at and touched the linen clothes in which\nit had been wrapped, and left the sepulchre, intending to go and inform\nPilate of all that had happened. However, he tarried a short time to\nwatch the progress of events; for although he had felt the earthquake,\nseen the angel move the stone, and looked at the empty tomb, yet he had\nnot seen Jesus.\n\nAt the very moment in which the angel entered the sepulchre and the\nearth quaked, I saw our Lord appear to his holy Mother on Calvary. His\nbody was beautiful and lightsome, and its beauty was that of a\ncelestial being. He was clothed in a large mantle, which at one moment\nlooked dazzlingly white, as it floated through the air, waving to and\nfro with every breath of wind, and the next reflected a thousand\nbrilliant colours as the sunbeams passed over it. His large open wounds\nshone brightly, and could be seen from a great distance: the wounds in\nhis hands were so large that a finger might be put into them without\ndifficulty; and rays of light proceeded from them, diverging in the\ndirection of his fingers. The souls of the patriarchs bowed down before\nthe Mother of our Saviour, and Jesus spoke to her concerning his\nResurrection, telling her many things which I have forgotten. He showed\nher his wounds; and Mary prostrated to kiss his sacred feet; but he\ntook her hand, raised her, and disappeared.\n\nWhen I was at some distance from the sepulchre I saw fresh lights\nburning there, and I likewise beheld a large luminous spot in the sky\nimmediately over Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXIV.\n\nThe holy Women at the Sepulchre.\n\n\n\nThe holy women were very near the door of Nicodemus's house at the\nmoment of our Lord's Resurrection; but they did not see anything of the\nprodigies which were taking place at the sepulchre. They were not aware\nthat guards had been placed around the tomb, for they had not visited\nit on the previous day, on account of its being the Sabbath. They\nquestioned one another anxiously concerning what would have to be done\nabout the large stone at the door, as to who would be the best person\nto ask about removing it, for they had been so engrossed by grief that\nthey had not thought about it before. Their intention was to pour\nprecious ointments upon the body of Jesus, and then to strew over it\nflowers of the most rare and aromatic kinds, thus rendering all the\nhonour possible to their Divine Master in his sepulchre. Salome, who\nhad brought more things than anyone else, was a rich lady, who lived in\nJerusalem, a relation of St. Joseph, but not the mother of John. The\nholy women came to the determination of putting down their spices on\nthe stone which closed the door of the monument, and waiting until\nsomeone came to roll it back.\n\nThe guards were still lying on the ground, and the strong\nconvulsions which even then shook them clearly demonstrated how great\nhad been their terror, and the large stone was cast on one side, so\nthat the door could be opened without difficulty. I could see the linen\ncloth in which the body of Jesus had been wrapped scattered about in\nthe tomb, and the large winding-sheet lying in the same place as when\nthey left it, but doubled together in such a manner that you saw at\nonce that it no longer contained anything but the spices which had been\nplaced round the body, and the bandages were on the outside of the\ntomb. The linen cloth in which Mary had enveloped the sacred head of\nher Son was still there.\n\nI saw the holy women coming into the garden; but when they perceived\nthe light given by the lamps of the sentinels, and the prostrate forms\nof the soldiers round the tomb, they for the most part became much\nalarmed, and retreated towards Golgotha. Mary Magdalen was, however,\nmore courageous, and, followed by Salome, entered the garden while the\nother women remained timidly on the outside.\n\nMagdalen started, and appeared for a moment terrified when she drew\nnear the sentinels. She retreated a few steps and rejoined Salome, but\nboth quickly recovered their presence of mind, and walked on together\nthrough the midst of the prostrate guards, and entered into the cave\nwhich contained the sepulchre. They immediately perceived that the\nstone was removed, but the doors were closed, which had been done in\nall probability by Cassius. Magdalen opened them quickly, looked\nanxiously into the sepulchre, and was much surprised at seeing that the\ncloths in which they had enveloped our Lord were lying on one side, and\nthat the place where they had deposited the sacred remains was empty. A\ncelestial light filled the cave, and an angel was seated on the right\nside. Magdalen became almost beside herself from disappointment and\nalarm. I do not know whether she heard the words which the angel\naddressed to her, but she left the garden as quickly as possible, and\nran to the town to inform the Apostles who were assembled there of what\nhad taken place. I do not know whether the angel spoke to Mary Salome,\nas she did not enter the sepulchre; but I saw her leaving the garden\ndirectly after Magdalen, in order to relate all that had happened to\nthe rest of the holy women, who were both frightened and delighted at\nthe news, but could not make up their minds as to whether they would go\nto the garden or not.\n\nIn the mean time Cassius had remained near the sepulchre in hopes of\nseeing Jesus, as he thought he would be certain to appear to the holy\nwomen; but seeing nothing, he directed his steps towards Pilate's palace\nto relate to him all that had happened, stopping, however, first at the\nplace where the rest of the holy women were assembled, to tell them\nwhat he had seen, and to exhort them to go immediately to the garden.\nThey followed his advice, and went there at once. No sooner had they\nreached the door of the sepulchre than they beheld two angels clothed\nin sacerdotal vestments of the most dazzling white. The women were very\nmuch alarmed, covered their faces with their hands, and prostrated\nalmost to the ground; but one of the angels addressed them, bade them\nnot fear, and told them that they must not seek for their crucified\nLord there, for that he was alive, had risen, and was no longer an\ninhabitant of the tomb. He pointed out to them at the same moment the\nempty sepulchre, and ordered them to go and relate to the disciples all\nthat they had seen and heard. He likewise told them that Jesus would go\nbefore them into Galilee, and recalled to their minds the words which\nour Saviour had addressed to them on a former occasion: 'The Son of Man\nwill be delivered into the hands of sinners, he will be crucified, and\nthe third day rise again.' The angels then disappeared, and left the holy\nwomen filled with joy, although of course greatly agitated; they wept,\nlooked at the empty tomb and linen clothes, and immediately started to\nreturn to the town. But they were so much overcome by the many\nastounding events which had taken place, that they walked very slowly,\nand stopped and looked back often, in hopes of seeing our Lord, or at\nleast Magdalen.\n\nIn the mean time Magdalen reached the Cenaculum. She was so excited\nas to appear like a person beside herself, and knocked hastily at the\ndoor. Some of the disciples were still sleeping, and those who were\nrisen were conversing together. Peter and John opened the door, but she\nonly exclaimed, without entering the house, 'They have taken away the\nbody of my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him,' and\nimmediately returned to the garden. Peter and John went back into the\nhouse, and after saying a few words to the other disciples followed her\nas speedily as possible, but John far outstripped Peter. I then saw\nMagdalen reenter the garden, and direct her steps towards the\nsepulchre; she appeared greatly agitated partly from grief, and partly\nfrom having walked so fast. Her garments were quite moist with dew, and\nher veil hanging on one side, while the luxuriant hair in which she had\nformerly taken so much pride fell in dishevelled masses over her\nshoulders, forming a species of mantle. Being alone, she was afraid of\nentering the cave, but stopped for a moment on the outside, and knelt\ndown in order to see better into the tomb. She was endeavouring to push\nback her long hair, which fell over her face and obscured her vision,\nwhen she perceived the two angels who were seated in the tomb, and I\nheard one of them address her thus: 'Woman, why weepest thou?' She replied,\nin a voice choked with tears (for she was perfectly overwhelmed with\ngrief at finding that the body of Jesus was really gone), 'Because they\nhave taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.' She\nsaid no more, but seeing the empty winding-sheet, went out of the\nsepulchre and began to look about in other parts. She felt a secret\npresentiment that not only should she find Jesus, but that he was even\nthen near to her; and the presence of the angels seemed not to disturb\nher in the least; she did not appear even to be aware that they were\nangels, every faculty was engrossed with the one thought, 'Jesus is not\nhere! Where is Jesus?' I watched her wandering about like an insane\nperson, with her hair floating loosely in the wind: her hair appeared\nto annoy her much, for she again endeavoured to push it from off her\nface, and having divided it into two parts, threw it over her shoulders.\n\nShe then raised her head, looked around, and perceived a tall\nfigure, clothed in white, standing at about ten paces from the\nsepulchre on the east side of the garden, where there was a slight rise\nin the direction of the town; the figure was partly hidden from her\nsight by a palm-tree, but she was somewhat startled when it addressed\nher in these words: 'Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?' She\nthought it was the gardener; and, in fact, he had a spade in his hand,\nand a large hat (apparently made of the bark of trees) on his head. His\ndress was similar to that worn by the gardener described in the parable\nwhich Jesus had related to the holy women at Bethania a short time\nbefore his Passion. His body was not luminous, his hole appearance was\nrather that of a man dressed in white and seen by twilight. At the\nwords, 'Whom seekest thou?' she looked at him, and answered quickly, 'Sir, if\nthou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him; and I will\ntake him away.' And she looked anxiously around. Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'\nShe then instantly recognised his beloved voice, and turning quickly,\nreplied, 'Rabboni (Master)!' She threw herself on her knees before him, and\nstretched out her hands to touch his feet; but he motioned her to be\nstill, and said, 'Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my\nFather; but go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend to my Father\nand to your Father, to my God and your God.' He then disappeared.\n\nThe reason of the words of Jesus, 'Do not touch me,' was afterwards\nexplained to me, but I have only an indistinct remembrance of that\nexplanation. I think he made use of those words because of the\nimpetuosity of Magdalen's feelings, which made her in a certain degree\nforget the stupendous mystery which had been accomplished, and feel as\nif what she then beheld was still mortal instead of a glorified body.\nAs for the words of Jesus, 'I am not yet ascended to my Father,' I was told\nthat their meaning was that he had not presented himself to his Father\nsince his Resurrection, to return him thanks for his victory over\ndeath, and for the work of the redemption which he had accomplished. He\nwished her to infer from these words, that the first-fruits of joy\nbelong to God, and that she ought to reflect and return thanks to him\nfor the accomplishment of the glorious mystery of the redemption, and\nfor the victory which he had gained over death; and if she had kissed\nhis feet as she used before the Passion, she would have thought of\nnothing but her Divine Master, and in her raptures of love have totally\nforgotten the wonderful events which were causing such astonishment and\njoy in Heaven. I saw Magdalen arise quickly, as soon as our Lord\ndisappeared, and run to look again in the sepulchre, as if she believed\nherself under the influence of a dream. She saw the two angels still\nseated there, and they spoke to her concerning the resurrection of our\nLord in the same words as they had addressed the two other women. She\nlikewise saw the empty winding-sheet, and then, feeling certain that\nshe was not in a state of delusion, but that the apparition of our Lord\nwas real, she walked quickly back towards Golgotha to seek her\ncompanions, who were wandering about to and fro, anxiously looking out\nfor her return, and indulging a kind of vague hope that they should see\nor hear something of Jesus.\n\nThe whole of this scene occupied a little more than two or three\nminutes. It was about half-past three when our Lord appeared to\nMagdalen, and John and Peter entered the garden just as she was leaving\nit. John, who was a little in advance of Peter, stopped at the entrance\nof the cave and looked in. He saw the linen clothes lying on one side,\nand waited until Peter came up, when they entered the sepulchre\ntogether, and saw the winding-sheet empty as has been before described.\nJohn instantly believed in the Resurrection, and they both understood\nclearly the words addressed to them by Jesus before his Passion, as\nwell as the different passages in Scripture relating to that event,\nwhich had until then been incomprehensible to them. Peter put the linen\nclothes under his cloak, and they returned hastily into the town\nthrough the small entrance belonging to Nicodemus.\n\nThe appearance of the holy sepulchre was the same when the two\nApostles entered as when Magdalen first saw it. The two adoring angels\nwere seated, one at the head, and the other at the extremity of the\ntomb, in precisely the same attitude as when his adorable body was\nlying there. I do not think Peter was conscious of their presence. I\nafterwards heard John tell the disciples of Emmaus, that when he looked\ninto the sepulchre he saw an angel. Perhaps he was startled by this\nsight, and therefore drew back and let Peter enter the sepulchre first;\nbut it is likewise very possible that the reason of his not mentioning\nthe circumstance in his gospel was because humility made him anxious to\nconceal the fact of his having been more highly favoured than Peter.\n\nThe guards at this moment began to revive, and rising, gathered up\ntheir lances, and took down the lamps, which were on the door, from\nwhence they cast a glimmering weak light on surrounding objects. I then\nsaw them walk hastily out of the garden in evident fear and\ntrepidation, in the direction of the town.\n\nIn the mean time Magdalen had rejoined the holy women, and given\nthem the account of her seeing the Lord in the garden, and of the words\nof the angels afterwards, whereupon they immediately related what had\nbeen seen by themselves, and Magdalen wended her way quickly to\nJerusalem, while the women returned to that side of the garden where\nthey expected to find the two Apostles. Just before they reached it,\nJesus appeared to them. He was clothed in a long white robe, which\nconcealed even his hands, and said to them, 'All hail.' They started with\nastonishment, and cast themselves at his feet; he spoke a few words,\nheld forth his hand as if to point out something to them, and\ndisappeared. The holy women went instantly to the Cenaculum, and told\nthe disciples who were assembled there that they had seen the Lord; the\ndisciples were incredulous, and would not give credence either to their\naccount or to that of Magdalen. They treated both the one and the other\nas the effects of their excited imaginations; but when Peter and John\nentered the room and related what they likewise had seen, they knew not\nwhat to answer, and were filled with astonishment.\n\nPeter and John soon left the Cenaculum, as the wonderful events\nwhich had taken place rendered them extremely silent and thoughtful,\nand before long they met James the Less and Thaddeus, who had wished to\naccompany them to the sepulchre. Both James and Thaddeus were greatly\novercome, for the Lord had appeared to them a short time before they\nmet Peter and John. I also saw Jesus pass quite close to Peter and\nJohn. I think the former recognised him, for the started suddenly, but\nI do not think the latter saw him.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXV.\n\nThe Relation which was given by the Sentinels who were placed around\nthe Sepulchre.\n\n\n\nCassius hastened to the house of Pilate about an hour after the\nResurrection, in order to give him an account of the stupendous events\nwhich had taken place. He was not yet risen, but Cassius was allowed to\nenter his bedroom. He related all that had happened, and expressed his\nfeelings in the most forcible language. He described how the rock had\nbeen rent, and how an angel had descended from Heaven and pushed aside\nthe stone; he also spoke of the empty winding-sheet, and added that\nmost certainly Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, and that he was\ntruly risen. Pilate listened to this account; he trembled and quivered\nwith terror, but concealed his agitation to the best of his power, and\nanswered Cassius in these words: 'Thou art exceedingly superstitious; it\nwas very foolish to go to the Galilean's tomb; his gods took advantage of\nthy weakness, and displayed all these ridiculous visions to alarm thee.\nI recommend thee to keep silence, and not recount such silly tales to\nthe priests, for thou wouldst get the worst of it from them.' He\npretended to believe that the body of Jesus had been carried away by\nhis disciples, and that the sentinels, who had been bribed, and had\nfallen asleep, or perhaps been deceived by witchcraft, had fabricated\nthese accounts in order to justify their conduct. When Pilate had said\nall he could on the subject, Cassius left him, and he went to offer\nsacrifice to his gods.\n\nThe four soldiers who had guarded the tomb arrived shortly after at\nPilate's palace, and began to tell him all that he had already heard from\nCassius; but he would listen to nothing more, and sent them to Caiphas.\nThe rest of the guards were assembled in a large court near the Temple\nwhich was filled with aged Jews, who, after some previous consultation,\ntook the soldiers on one side, and by dint of bribes and threats\nendeavoured to persuade them to say that they fell asleep, and that\nwhile they were asleep the disciples came and carried away the body of\nour Lord. The soldiers, however, demurred, because the statement which\ntheir comrades were gone to make to Pilate would contradict any account\nwhich they could now fabricate, but the Pharisees promised to arrange\neverything with the governor. Whilst they were still disputing, the\nfour guards returned from their interview with Pilate, and the\nPharisees endeavoured to persuade them to conceal the truth; but this\nthey refused to do, and declared firmly that they would not vary their\nfirst statement in the smallest degree. The miraculous deliverance of\nJoseph of Arimathea from prison was become public, and when the\nPharisees accused the soldiers of having allowed the Apostles to carry\noff the body of Jesus, and threatened them with the infliction of the\nmost severe punishment if they did not produce the body, they replied,\nthat it would be as utterly impossible for them to produce the body of\nJesus, as it was for the soldiers who had charge of Joseph of Arimathea\nto bring him back into his prison again. They spoke with the greatest\nfirmness and courage; promises and menaces were equally ineffectual.\nThey declared that they would speak the truth and nothing but the\ntruth; that the sentence of death which had been passed upon Jesus was\nboth unjust and iniquitous; and that the crime which was perpetrated in\nputting him to death was the sole cause of the interruption in the\nPaschal solemnity. The Pharisees, being perfectly furious, caused the\nfour soldiers to be arrested and thrown into prison, and the others,\nwho had accepted the bribes they offered, then affirmed that the body\nof Jesus had been carried off by the disciples while they slept; and\nthe Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians endeavoured to disseminate this\nlie to the utmost of their power, not only in the synagogue but also\namong the people; and they accompanied this false statement by the most\nslanderous lies concerning Jesus.\n\nAll these precautions, however, availed but little, for, after the\nResurrection, many persons who had been long dead arose from their\ngraves, and appeared to those among their descendants who were not\nsufficiently hardened to be impervious to grace, and exhorted them to\nbe converted. These dead persons were likewise seen by many of the\ndisciples, who, overcome with terror, and shaken in faith, had fled\ninto the country. They both exhorted and encouraged them to return, and\nrestored their drooping courage. The resurrection of these dead persons\ndid not in the slightest degree resemble the Resurrection of Jesus. He\narose with a glorified body, which was no longer susceptible of either\ncorruption or death, and ascended into heaven with this glorified body\nin the sight of all his disciples; but the dead bodies of which we\nspoke above were motionless corpses, and the souls which once inhabited\nthem were only allowed to enter and reanimate them for a time, and\nafter performing the mission given them, the souls again quitted these\nbodies, which returned to their original state in the bowels of the\nearth, where they will remain until the resurrection at the day of\njudgment. Neither could their return to life be compared to the raising\nof Lazarus from the dead; for he really returned to a new life, and\ndied a second time.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXVI.\n\nThe End of the Lenten Meditations.\n\n\n\nOn the following Sunday, if I remember right, I saw the Jews washing\nand purifying the Temple.20 They offered up expiatory sacrifices,\ncleared away the rubbish, and endeavoured to conceal the effects of the\nearthquake by placing planks and carpets over the chasms and fissures\nmade by it in the walls and on the pavement; and they recommenced the\nPaschal solemnities, which had been interrupted in the midst, declared\nthat the disturbance had been caused by the presence of impure persons,\nand endeavoured to explain away the apparition of the dead. They\nreferred to a vision of Ezechiel, but how I can no longer remember.\nThey threatened all who dared to say a syllable concerning the events\nwhich had taken place, or who presumed to murmur, with excommunication\nand other severe punishments. They succeeded in silencing some few\nhardened persons who, conscious of their own guilt, wished to banish\nthe subject from their minds, but they made no impression on those\nwhose hearts still retained some remains of virtue; they remained\nsilent for a time, concealing their inward belief, but later, regaining\ncourage, proclaimed their faith in Jesus loudly to the world. The High\nPriests were much disconcerted, when they perceived how rapidly the\ndoctrines of Christ spread over the country. When Stephen was deacon,\nthe whole of Ophel and the eastern side of Sion was too small to\ncontain the numerous Christian communities, and a portion were obliged\nto take up their residence in the country between Jerusalem and\nBethania.\n\nI saw Annas in such a state of frenzy as to act like one possessed;\nhe was at last obliged to be confined, and never again to make his\nappearance in public. Caiphas was outwardly less demonstrative, but he\nwas inwardly devoured with such rage and extreme jealousy that his\nreason was affected.\n\nI saw Pilate on Easter Thursday; he was instituting a search for his\nwife in every part of the city, but his efforts for her recovery were\nfruitless; she was concealed in the house of Lazarus, in Jerusalem. No\none thought of looking there, as the house contained no other female;\nbut Stephen carried food to her there, and let her know all that was\ngoing on in the city. Stephen was first-cousin to St. Paul. They were\nthe sons of two brothers. On the day after the Sabbath, Simon of Cyrene\nwent to the Apostles and begged to be instructed and to receive baptism.\n\nThe visions of Sister Emmerich, which had continued from the 18th of\nFebruary to the 6th of April 1823, here came to a conclusion.\n\n\n\n\nAPPENDIX.\n\nDetached Account of Longinus.\n\n\n\nOn the 15th of March 1821, Sister Emmerich gave the following\ndetached account of parts of a vision which she had had the previous\nnight concerning St. Longinus, whose festival happened to fall upon\nthat very day, although she did not know it.\n\nLonginus, who had, I think, another name, held on office, partly\ncivil and partly military, in the household of Pilate, who entrusted\nhim with the duty of superintending all that passed, and making a\nreport of it to him. He was trustworthy and ready to do a service, but\nprevious to his conversion was greatly wanting in firmness and strength\nof character. He was excessively impetuous in all that he did, and\nanxious to be thought a person of great importance, and as he squinted\nand had weak eyes, he was often jeered at and made the laughing-stock\nof his companions. I have seen him frequently during the course of this\nnight, and in connection with him I have at the same time seen all the\nPassion, I do not know in what manner; I only remember that it was in\nconnection with him.\n\nLonginus was only in a subordinate position, and had to give an\naccount to Pilate of all that he saw. On the night that Jesus was led\nbefore the tribunal of Caiphas he was in the outer court among the\nsoldiers, and unceasingly going backwards and forwards. When Peter was\nalarmed at the words of the maid-servant standing near the fire, it was\nhe who said once: 'Art thou not also one of this man's disciples?'\n\nWhen Jesus was being led to Calvary, Longinus, by Pilate's orders,\nfollowed him closely, and our Divine Lord gave him a look which touched\nhis heart. Afterwards I saw him on Golgotha with the soldiers. He was\non horseback, and carried a lance; I saw him at Pilate's house, after the\ndeath of our Lord, saying that the legs of Jesus ought not to be\nbroken. He returned at once to Calvary. His lance was made of several\npieces which fitted one into the other, so that by drawing them out,\nthe lance could be made three times its original length. He had just\ndone this when he came to the sudden determination of piercing the side\nof our Saviour. He was converted upon Mount Calvary, and a short time\nafterwards expressed to Pilate his conviction that Jesus was the Son of\nGod. Nicodemus prevailed upon Pilate to let him have Longinus's lance,\nand I have seen many things concerning the subsequent history of this\nlance. Longinus, after his conversion, left the army, and joined the\ndisciples. He and two other soldiers, who were converted at the foot of\nthe cross, were among the first baptised after Pentecost.\n\nI saw Longinus and these two men, clothed in long white garments,\nreturn to their native land. They lived there in the country, in a\nbarren and marshy locality. Here it was that the forty martyrs died.\nLonginus was not a priest, but a deacon, and travelled here and there\nin that capacity, preaching the name of Christ, and giving, as an\neye-witness, a history of his Passion and Resurrection. He converted a\nlarge number of persons, and cured many of the sick, by allowing them\nto touch a piece of the sacred lance which he carried with him. The\nJews were much enraged at him and his two companions because they made\nknown in all parts the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus, and the\ncruelty and deceits of his enemies. At their instigation, some Roman\nsoldiers were dispatched to Longinus's country to take and judge him on\nthe plea of his having left the army without leave, and being a\ndisturber of public peace. He was engaged in cultivating his field when\nthey arrived, and he took them to his house, and offered them\nhospitality. They did not know him, and when they had acquainted him\nwith the object of their journey, he quietly called his two companions\nwho were living in a sort of hermitage at no great distance off, and\ntold the soldiers that they and himself were the men for whom they were\nseeking. The same thing happened to the holy gardener, Phocas. The\nsoldiers were really distressed, for they had conceived a great\nfriendship for him. I saw him led with his two companions to a small\nneighbouring town, where they were questioned. They were not put in\nprison, but permitted to go whither they pleased, as prisoners on their\nword, and only made to wear a distinctive park on the shoulder. Later,\nthey were all three beheaded on a hill, situated between the little\ntown and Longinus's house, and there buried. The soldiers put the head of\nLonginus at the end of a spear, and carried it to Jerusalem, as a proof\nthat they had fulfilled their commission. I think I remember that this\ntook place a very few years after the death of our Lord.\n\nAfterwards I had a vision of things happening at a later period. A\nblind countrywoman of St. Longinus went with her son on a pilgrimage to\nJerusalem, in hopes of recovering her sight in the holy city where the\neyes of Longinus had been cured. She was guided by her child, but he\ndied, and she was left alone and disconsolate. Then St. Longinus\nappeared to her, and told her that she would recover her sight when she\nhad drawn his head out of a sink into which the Jews had thrown it.\nThis sink was a deep well, with the sides bricked, and all the filth\nand refuse of the town flowed into it through several drains. I saw\nsome persons lead the poor woman to the spot; she descended into the\nwell up to her neck, and drew out the sacred head, whereupon she\nrecovered her sight. She returned to her native land, and her\ncompanions preserved the head. I remember no more upon this subject.\n\n\n\nDetached Account of Abenadar.\n\n\n\nOn the 1st of April 1823, Sister Emmerich said that that day was the\nfeast of St. Ctesiphon, the centurion who had assisted at the\nCrucifixion, and that she had seen during the night various particulars\nconcerning his life. But she had also suffered greatly, which, combined\nwith exterior distractions, had caused her to forget the greatest part\nof what she had seen. She related what follows:\n\nAbenadar, afterwards called Ctesiphon, was born in a country\nsituated between Babylon and Egypt in Arabia Felix, to the right of the\nspot where Job dwelt during the latter half of his life. A certain\nnumber of square houses, with flat roofs, were built there on a slight\nascent. There were many small trees growing on this spot, and incense\nand balm were gathered there. I have been in Abenadar's house, which was\nlarge and spacious, as might be expected of a rich man's house, but it\nwas also very low. All these houses were built in this manner, perhaps\non account of the wind, because they were much exposed. Abenadar had\njoined the garrison of the fortress Antonia, at Jerusalem, as a\nvolunteer. He had entered the Roman service for the purpose of enjoying\nmore facilities in his study of the fine arts, for he was a learned\nman. His character was firm, his figure short and thick-set, and his\ncomplexion dark.\n\nAbenadar was early convinced, by the doctrine which he heard Jesus\npreach, and by a miracle which he saw him work; that salvation was to\nbe found among the Jews, and he had submitted to the law of Moses.\nAlthough not yet a disciple of our Lord, he bore him no illwill, and\nheld his person in secret veneration. He was naturally grave and\ncomposed, and when he came to Golgotha to relieve guard, he kept order\non all sides, and forced everybody to behave at least with common\ndecency, down to the moment when truth triumphed over him, and he\nrendered public testimony to the Divinity of Jesus. Being a rich man,\nand a volunteer, he had no difficulty in resigning his post at once. He\nassisted at the descent from the Cross and the burial of our Lord,\nwhich put him into familiar connection with the friends of Jesus, and\nafter the day of Pentecost he was one of the first to receive baptism\nin the Pool of Bethsaida, where he took the name of Ctesiphon. He had a\nbrother living in Arabia, to whom he related the miracles he had\nbeheld, and who was thus called to the path of salvation, came to\nJerusalem, was baptised by the name of Cecilius, and was charged,\ntogether with Ctesiphon, to assist the deacons in the newly-formed\nChristian community.\n\nCtesiphon accompanied the Apostle St. James the Greater into Spain,\nand also returned with him. After a time, he was again sent into Spain\nby the Apostles, and carried there the body of St. James, who had been\nmartyred at Jerusalem. He was made a bishop, and resided chiefly in a\nsort of island or peninsula at no great distance from France, which he\nalso visited, and where he made some disciples. The name of the place\nwhere he lived was rather like Vergui, and it was afterwards laid waste\nby an inundation. I do not remember that Ctesiphon was ever martyred.\nHe wrote several books containing details concerning the Passion of\nChrist; but there have been some books falsely attributed to him, and\nothers, which were really from his pen, ascribed to different writers.\nRome has since rejected these books, the greatest part of which were\napocryphal, but which nevertheless did contain some few things really\nfrom his pen. One of the guards of our Lord's sepulchre, who would not\nlet himself be bribed by the Jews, was his fellow countryman and\nfriend. His name was something like Sulei or Suleii. After being\ndetained some time in prison, he retired into a cavern of Mount Sinai,\nwhere he lived seven years. God bestowed many special graces upon this\nman, and he wrote some very learned books in the style of Denis the\nAreopagite. Another writer made use of his works, and in this manner\nsome extracts from them have come down to us. Everything concerning\nthese facts was made known to me, as well as the name of the book, but\nI have forgotten it. This countryman of Ctesiphon, afterwards followed\nhim into Spain. Among the companions of Ctesiphon in that country were\nthis brother Cecilius, and some other men, whose name were Intalecius,\nHesicius, and Euphrasius. Another Arab, called Sulima, was converted in\nthe very early days of the Church, and a fellow countryman of\nCtesiphon, with a name like Sulensis, became a Christian later, in the\ntime of the deacons.\n\n\n\nTHE END.\n\n\n\n   1 Anne Catherine's visions clearly fall in the category of private\nrevelation. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are infallible;\nprivate revelation is fallible. However, her visions are neither mere\nhuman meditations nor pious fiction. Her account of events in the lives\nof Jesus and Mary were revealed to her by God. Although God cannot err\nin anything He does, errors can be introduced into private revelation\nby a misunderstanding on the part of the person who receives the\nrevelation, or by an error made by the person who writes down or\ntransmits the revelation. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are\nimmune from these types of error; private revelation is not. Anne\nCatherine's visions come from God, but they are fallible because they\ncome to us through fallible human persons.\n\n\n   2 Her name in German, her native language, is Anna Katharina\nEmmerick. With the decree of April 24, 2001, the servant of God Anna\nKatharina Emmerick has been awarded the degree of heroic virtue\n(Decretum super virtutibus), with which she has been awarded by Church\npractice the title \"Venerable.\"\n\n3  In more modern times, holy persons who also had the stigmata\ninclude: Audrey Marie Santo (Worcester, Massachusetts), Venerable Padre\nPio of Pietrelcina, Venerable Anna Maria Taigi, Theresa Neumann, and many\nothers.\n\n   4 In her book, The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations,\nAnne Catherine Emmerich details the events of the 31/2-year Ministry of\nJesus Christ. Although she explicitly states that Christ's Ministry\nlasted 31/2 years (Vol. 1, p. 496), the astute reader of that work will\nnotice a gap of about one year.\n\n\n   5 She here again explained the manner in which the families\nassembled together, and in what numbers. But the writer has forgotten\nher words.\n\n\n   6 She was not certain that the Blessed Sacrament was administered\nin that order, for on another occasion she had seen John the last to\nreceive.\n\n7 It was not without surprise that the editor, some years after these\nthings had been related by Sister Emmerich, read, in the Latin edition\nof the Roman Catechism (Mayence, Muller), in reference to the Sacrament\nof Confirmation, that, according to the tradition of the holy pope\nFabian, Jesus taught his Apostles in what manner they were to prepare\nthe Holy Chrism, after the institution of the Blessed Sacrament. The\nPope says expressly, in the 54th paragraph of his Second Epistle to the\nBishops of the East: 'Our predecessors received from the Apostles and\ndelivered to us that our Saviour Jesus Christ, after having made the\nLast Supper with his Apostles and washed their feet, taught them how to\nprepare the Holy Chrism.'\n\n   8 On the 11th of December 1812, in her visions of the public life\nof Jesus, she saw our Lord permit the devils whom he had expelled from\nthe men of Gergesa to enter into a herd of swine, she also saw, on this\nparticular occasion that the possessed men first overturned a large vat\nfilled with some fermented liquid.\n\n\n   9 Dulmen is a small town in Westphalia, where Sister Emmerich\nlived at this time.\n\n\n   10 Mary of Heli is often spoken of in this relation. According to\nSister Emmerich, she was the daughter of St. Joachim and St. Anne, and\nwas born nearly twenty years before the Blessed Virgin. She was not the\nchild of promise, and is called Mary of Heli, by which she is\ndistinguished from the other of the same name, because she was the\ndaughter of Joachim, or Heliachim. Her husband bore the name of\nCleophas, and her daughter that of Mary of Cleophas. This daughter was,\nhowever, older than her aunt, the Blessed Virgin, and had been married\nfirst to Alpheus, by whom she had three sons, afterwards the Apostles\nSimon, James the Less and Thaddeus. She had one son by her second\nhusband, Sabat, and another called Simon, by her third husband, Jonas.\nSimon was afterwards Bishop of Jerusalem.\n\n\n   11 These meditations on the sufferings of Jesus filled Sister\nEmmerich with such feelings of compassion that she begged of God to\nallow her to suffer as he had done. She instantly became feverish and\nparched with thirst, and, by morning, was speechless from the\ncontraction of her tongue and of her lips. She was in this state when\nher friend came to her in the morning, and she looked like a victim\nwhich had just been sacrificed. Those around succeeded, with some\ndifficulty, in moistening her mouth with a little water, but it was\nlong before she could give any further details concerning her\nmeditations on the Passion.\n\n\n   12 The Zacharias here referred to was the father of John the\nBaptist, who was tortured and afterwards put to death by Herod, because\nhe would not betray John into the hands of the tyrant. He was buried by\nhis friends within the precincts of the Temple.\n\n\n   13 Sister Emmerich added: 'Cassius was baptised by the name of\nLonginus; and was ordained deacon, and preached the faith. He always\nkept some of the blood of Christ,--it dried up, but was found in his\ncoffin in Italy. He was buried in a town at no great distance from the\nlocality where St. Clare passed her life. There is a lake with an\nisland upon it near this town, and the body of Longinus must have been\ntaken there.' Sister Emmerich appears to designate Mantua by this\ndescription, and there is a tradition preserved in that town to the\neffect. I do not know which St. Clare lived in the neighbourhood.\n\n14 We must here remark that, in the four years during which Sister\nEmmerich had her visions, she described everything that had happened to\nthe holy places from the earliest times down to our own. More than once\nshe beheld them profaned and laid waste, but always venerated, either\npublicly or privately. She saw many stones and pieces of rock, which\nhad been silent witnesses of the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord,\nplaced by St. Helena in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre upon occasion\nof the foundation of that sacred building. When Sister Emmerich visited\nit in spirit she was accustomed to venerate the spots where the Cross\nhad stood and the Holy Sepulchre been situated. It must be observed,\nhowever, that she used sometimes to see a greater distance between the\nactual position of the Tomb and the spot where the Cross stood than\nthere is between the chapels which bear their names in the church at\nJerusalem.\n\n   15 On Good Friday, March 30th, 1820, as Sister Emmerich was\ncontemplating the descent from the Cross she suddenly fainted, in the\npresence of the writer of these lines, and appeared to be really dead.\nBut after a time she recovered her senses and gave the following\nexplanation, although still in a state of great suffering: 'As I was\ncontemplating the body of Jesus lying on the knees of the Blessed\nVirgin I said to myself: \"How great is her strength! She has not fainted\neven once!\" My guide reproached me for this thought--in which there was\nmore astonishment than compassion--and said to me, \"Suffer then what she\nhas suffered!\" And at the same moment a sensation of the sharpest anguish\ntransfixed me like a sword, so that I believed I must have died from it.'\nShe had had an illness which reduced her almost to the brink of the\ngrave.\n\n\n   16 Sister Emmerich said that the shape of these pincers reminded\nher of the scissors with which Samson's hair was cut off. In her visions\nof the third year of the public life of Jesus she had seen our Lord\nkeep the Sabbathday at Misael--a town belonging to the Levites, of the\ntribe of Aser--and as a portion of the Book of Judges was read in the\nsynagogue, Sister Emmerich beheld upon that occasion the life of Samson.\n\n   17 Sister Emmerich was accustomed, when speaking of persons of\nhistorical importance, to explain how they divided their hair. 'Eve,' she\nsaid, 'divided her hair in two parts, but Mary into three.' And she\nappeared to attach importance to these words. No opportunity presented\nitself for her to give any explanation upon the subject, which probably\nwould have shown what was done with the hair in sacrifices, funerals,\nconsecrations, or vows, etc. She once said of Samson: 'His fair hair,\nwhich was long and thick, was gathered up on his head in seven tresses,\nlike a helmet, and the ends of these tresses were fastened upon his\nforehead and temples. His hair was not in itself the source of his\nstrength, but only as the witness to the vow which he had made to let\nit grow in God's honour. The powers which depended upon these seven\ntresses were the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. He must have already\nbroken his vows and lost many graces, when he allowed this sign of\nbeing a Nazarene to be cut off. I did not see Dalila cut off all his\nhair, and I think one lock remained on his forehead. He retained the\ngrace to do penance and of that repentance by which he recovered\nstrength sufficient to destroy his enemies. The life of Samson is\nfigurative and prophetic.'\n\n   18 This refers to a custom of the Diocese of Munster. During Lent\nthere was hung up in the churches a curtain, embroidered in open work,\nrepresenting the Five Wounds, the instruments of the Passion, etc.\n\n\n   19 Apparently Sister Emmerich here spoke of the ancient cases in\nwhich her poor countrymen keep their clothes. The lower part of these\ncases is smaller than the upper, and this gives them some likeness to a\ntomb. She had one of these cases, which she called her chest. She often\ndescribed the stone by this comparison, but her descriptions have not,\nnevertheless, given us a very clear idea of its shape.\n\n\n   20 The above relation was given later, and it is impossible to\nsay whether it relates to the day of the Resurrection or to the\nfollowing Sunday.","title":"The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":124706}