| Devotion to Our Lady |
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THE LIFE OF MARY ~ CONTENTS & LINKS
Scroll down for Part Four, or click on any other section that you wish to read.
(the links to later parts and chapters will be activated once they are posted)
Scroll down for Part Four, or click on any other section that you wish to read.
(the links to later parts and chapters will be activated once they are posted)
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PART ONE : THE EVENTS UP TO THE BIRTH OF MARY (click here)
► Chapter 1 : The Ancestors of Mary ► Chapter 2 : The Parents of the Mary—Joachim and Anne ► Chapter 3 : The Immaculate Conception of Our Mary ► Chapter 4 : The Birth of Our Mary PART TWO : MARY'S LIFE BEFORE THE ANNUNCIATION (click here) ► Chapter 5 : The Infancy of Mary in Nazareth ► Chapter 6 : The Years Mary spent in the Temple ► Chapter 7 : Mary's Betrothal to Joseph ► Chapter 8 : Mary's Life in Nazareth PART THREE : FROM THE CONCEPTION TO THE BIRTH OF JESUS ► Chapter 9 : The Time of the Annunciation ► Chapter 10 : Mary's Visitation to Elizabeth ► Chapter 11 : Temptations, Trials & Tribulations ► Chapter 12 : Mary and Joseph's Journey to Bethlehem PART FOUR : THE BIRTH OF JESUS & EXILE IN EGYPT ► Chapter 13 : The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem ► Chapter 14 : From Shepherds to Kings ► Chapter 15 : Jesus' Presentation in the Temple ► Chapter 16 : The Flight into Egypt ► Chapter 17 : The Years of Exile |
PART FIVE : THE HIDDEN YEARS UP TO JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY
► Chapter 18 : The Return to Nazareth ► Chapter 19 : The Hidden Life in Nazareth ► Chapter 20 : The Losing and Finding of Jesus ► Chapter 21 : Mary the Widow PART SIX : MARY IN THE PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS ► Chapter 22 : Cana—Mary Provokes Jesus' First Public Miracle ► Chapter 23 : Mary's Silent Support of Jesus ► Chapter 24 : Mary's Hidden Work ► Chapter 25 : Mary Prepares Her Sacrifice PART SEVEN : MARY AND THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS ► Chapter 26 : Mary's Own Agony ► Chapter 27 : Mary's Spiritual Martyrdom ► Chapter 28 : Mary the Co-Redemptrix ► Chapter 29 : Mary's Sacrificial Example PART EIGHT : MARY AFTER THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS ► Chapter 30 : The Joy of Victory ► Chapter 31 : Mary Sacrifices Heaven to Help the Church ► Chapter 32 : Mary's Last Years ► Chapter 33 : Mary's Death and Glory |
PART FOUR : THE BIRTH OF JESUS & EXILE IN EGYPT
CHAPTER 13 : THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN BETHLEHEM
After reciting some prayers together with Mary, St. Joseph filled the manger with straw and moss and placed a cloth over it. Then he withdrew to the entrance of the cave. Looking back, he saw the holy Mother of God praying on her knees, surrounded by flames of dazzling supernatural light. Filled with reverent fear, he threw himself down on the ground and was soon rapt in an ecstatic sleep.
Mary was kneeling, with her eyes raised to Heaven and her hands joined on her breast. Her countenance emitted rays of light, like the sun incarnadined, and shone in indescribable earnestness and majesty, all inflamed with burning love of God. Her body became so spiritualized with the beauty of Heaven that she seemed no more a human and earthly creature.
Toward midnight a channel of brilliant light came down from the highest heaven and terminated in sparkling fire at the Blessed Virgin. In it was an extraordinary movement of celestial glories which took on the forms of choirs of angels.
Then, in the twinkling of an eye, the infant God was born, glorious and transfigured as on Mount Thabor.
There the God-Man lay, naked, utterly clean and pure. And from Him radiated such marvelous light and splendor that the sun could not be compared to it. The angels could be heard gently singing canticles of wonderful sweetness.
When the holy Mother of God perceived that she had been delivered—for her child came forth without any pain or injury to her—shc immediately bowed her head, placed a cloth over His tiny body, and adored Him with the greatest respect and reverence, saying: “Welcome, my God, and my Lord, and my Son!”
Then the divine Child suspended the effects of His transfiguration and assumed the appearance of one capable of suffering. The Babe now moved, shivered with cold, and stretching forth His little arms, cried out.
Bending down, Mary tenderly clasped Him to her heart and, with great joy, warmed Him against her cheek and breast, while thousands of angels knelt and adored their incarnate Creator.
Nearly an hour after the birth, Mary called St. Joseph. Awakening and coming near, he perceived his Saviour in her arms and at once prostrated himself on the ground with the deepest devotion and humility. Only at her bidding did he rise. And with touching joy and gratitude he kissed the Babes feet, and held the little Jesus in his arms, pressing Him to his heart, while tears of happiness moistened his checks.
Then, sitting on the ground, Mary laid her Son in her lap, and while St. Joseph handed her the linens, she began carefully and lovingly to wrap the divine Child in swaddling clothes, drawing them tight on His small body.
Next she and Joseph gently placed the Infant in the manger.
At this point an ox from the neighboring fields entered the cave with the ass. They both approached the crib, knelt down before it, and breathed over it, as if to warm the Baby.
Mary and Joseph were so affected by this act that they could not restrain their tears. For a long time they remained on their knees beside the crib, adoring the Christ Child and praising and thanking God. Later St. Joseph took some blankets and made a resting place for Marv beside the manger.
CHAPTER 14 : FROM SHEPHERDS TO KINGS
At the holy hour of the Nativity of the Saviour, an extraordinary wave of rejoicing was manifest in Nature in many parts of the world. Many animals leaped with exultation. Flowers raised their faded stems. Plants and trees took on new life and gave forth sweet scents. A number of new springs flowed abundantly.
The thrilling and consoling news of the birth of the Messias was immediately announced by the holy angels to a small number of chosen souls. The Archangel Michael brought it to the patriarchs and prophets in Limbo, as well as to St. Anne and St. Joachim, and they all rejoiced together. Another angel informed St. Elizabeth and her baby St. John, who clearly expressed his joy by waving his little arms. His mother at once sent one of her servants to Bethlehem with some money and linen for Mary The mystery of the Saviour's birth was revealed to the holy old priest Simeon and to Anna, Mary's former teacher, in the Temple in Jerusalem. In the Orient each of the three Magi was enlightened by angels concerning the Incarnation of the Redeemer of mankind, which they had long expected, and perceiving the mystic star, they set out on their pilgrimage to the Crib of the newborn King of kings. All good men everywhere felt a new supernatural joy at this time, and many of them believed that the Saviour had at last come into the world.
But of all the human race those who merited to be the first to see the Christ Child were the poor, humble, and devout shepherds of Bethlehem. During this holy night, three of their leaders, while watching over their flocks in the fields about a mile from the grotto of the Nativity, noticed with amazement a strangc, luminous cloud hovering above the hill in which the cave and manger were located. And as they were staring up at the sky, all of a sudden a bright light came down toward them, bathing them in its celestial radiance. Then within the light they perceived the splendid Archangel Gabriel in human form, and at first these simple men were filled with intense fear, until Gabriel said to them reassuringly:
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. For there has been born to you today in the town of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
While he was speaking, the radiance around him became still brighter, revealing seven other great angels of extraor. dinary beauty and then a whole multitude of the heavenly host, all praising God and chanting in sweet harmony, to a soft and joyful melody:
“Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth Peace to Men of Good Will!”
After singing this lovely canticle, the angels went to two other groups of shepherds at some distance and brought them the same wonderful news. And these good men said to one another eagerly:
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us!” But first they thoughtfully set about collecting suitable presents.
Only toward dawn did they find the grotto-stable and knock timidly at its entrance. St. Joseph very obligingly opened the door and welcomed them. They told him what the angels had announced to them during the night, and thev said that they had come to offer their gifts and veneration to the divine Child. At the same time they gave St. Joseph a number of young goats and chickens, which he accepted with humble gratitude and placed in a side-room off the stable.
Then he led the shepherds into the grotto, where the Blessed Mother of God was sitting on the ground beside the crib in which the beautiful Babe of Bethlehem was lying. And as they gazed down at the tiny Jesus, He looked up at them, and from His radiant little face and eyes a mystical current of divine love streamed forth and touched the sincere hearts of those poor but fortunate men, changing and renewing them spiritually and filling them with a new grace and understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation and of the Redemption. 'And when they had seen, they understood what had been told them concerning this Child.” Still holding their shepherd's staffs in their hands, they very humbly knelt down before the Infant Jesus and prostrated themselves on the ground, weeping tears of joy as they adored their God. For a long time they were so deeply moved with supernatural happiness that they could not say a word. Finally they began to sing together the words and melody which the angel had taught them.
Meanwhile the lovely Mother of God modestly observed all that they did and felt, for she also saw into their inmost hearts. And when they had finished singing their beautiful hymn, she spoke to them, urging them to persevere in the love and service of the Lord. They stayed in the cave from dawn until noon, when Mary graciously gave them something to eat. As they were about to leave, she allowed each of them in turn to hold the divine Babe for a moment, and each one, as he reverently gave the Child back to her, wept tears of sweet joy and gratitude. Then they left, filled with heavenly consolation and understanding, 'glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them.”
“But Mary kept in mind all these words, pondering them in her heart.”
“And all who heard marveled at the things, told them by the shepherds.” The following day the latter returned with their wives and children, bringing gifts of eggs and honey and cloth. The men helped St. Joseph to make the grotto somewhat more habitable, and some devout women who had known him as a boy in Bethlehem brought firewood and did some cooking and washing for the Holy Family.
Once during these happy days after the Nativity, while Mary and Joseph were alone, absorbed in contemplating the Christ Child, their donkey came into the stable and suddenly knelt down on its forelegs and bowed its head to the ground before the Babe in the crib.
Most of the time the loving Mother of God held her divine Son in her arms. Whenever she took Him up, she first made three genuflections and humbly kissed the ground before kneeling at the crib and touching the tiny Jesus. And when she thought that she should nurse Him, she first asked His permission. All her angels remained present and visible to her until the Flight into Egypt, and on rare occasions she gave her Baby into the hands of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. She would not sleep except when the Lord Himself commanded her to do so. With her angels and with St. Joseph, she often composed and sang beautiful hymns in honor of the holy Child. And she often gave her good husband the intense pleasure of hearing her refer to Jesus as “our Son.”
Many times in caressing her beloved Son, she humbly kissed His feet, and she always asked His consent before kissing His sacred face. And often He returned her affection by putting His little arms around her neck.
At such times Mary said to Him: 'O my Love, sweet Life of my soul, who art Thou, and who am I? What return shall I make for the great things which Thou hast done to me?'
SPEAKING OF THE NATIVITY, THE MOTHER OF GOD SAID TO ST BRIDGET OF SWEDEN:
'And when I gave birth to Him, I brought Him forth without pain, just as I had also conceived Him with such great joy of soul and body that in my rapture my ftet did not feel the around on which they were standing. And as He hadfilled my soul with happiness on entering my body, so did He again come forth in such a way that my whole body and soul exulted with indescribable joy and in such a way that my virginity was not impaired.
“How overwhelmed I was when I perceived and gazed at His beauty, and when I realized that I was not worthy of such a Son. And then, too, when I looked at the places where the nails would be driven into His hands and ftet, how my eyes filled with tears and how my heart was torn with grief! And when my Son saw the tears in my eyes, He was sad unto death.
“But then, when I contemplated the Power of His Divinity, I regained conjidence, for I knew that it was His will and that it would be for the good, and I made my whole will conform to His.
“Thus my happiness was ever mixed with sorrow.
AND TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“Who would be so hardened as not to be moved to tenderness at the sight of their God become man, humiliated in povert); despised, unknoum, entering the world in a cave, lying on a manger surrounded by brute animals, protected only by a poverty-stricken Mother, and cast off by the foolish arrogance of the world? Who will dare to love the vanity and pride which was openly scorned and condemned by the Creator of Heaven and earth in His actions? No one should despise the humility, poverty and indigence which the Lord loved and chose for Himself as the very means of teaching the Way of Eternal Life. Few there are who stop to consider this truth and this example, and as a result of this rank ingratitude only the few reap the fruit of these great mysteries.”
The Circumcision
During the first days after the Nativity, whenever Mary thought of the painful ceremonial operation known as Circumcision, which the Law of Israel prescribed for every male child on the eighth day after birth, she suffered intensely. Although she had received no intimation of God's will, in her humility and prudence she refrained from asking either the Lord or her angels whether her divine Son had to submit to this purifying rite. When she spoke of it to St. Joseph, they both wept tears of compassion.
Then one day while Mary was kneeling in prayer, the Lord said to her: “My Daughter, do not let your heart be afflicted because your Son is to be subjected to the pains of circumcision. I have sent Him into the world as an example. Therefore resign yourself to the shedding of His Blood.”
Whereupon the Blessed Virgin prayed: “Supreme Lord and God, I offer to Thee this most meek Lamb. But if His pains may be mitigated at the expense of my suffering, Thou hast power to effect this exchange. . . . ' Rising from prayer, she told St. Joseph that since the time for the Circumcision was near and they had not received any orders to the contrary, it seemed necessary that they should comply with the Law. She also informed him that the rite was to be performed in the usual way, except that she herself would hold the Child. Then with reference to the name to be given to the Infant Saviour during the ceremony, St. Joseph said:
“The holy angel told me that your sacred Son should be called Jesus. “
And Mary answered: “The same name was revealed to me when He assumed flesh in my womb, and we will propose this name to the priest.”
While they were conversing thus, innumerable strikingly beautiful angels in human form, clothed in shining white garments, descended from on high, each holding on his breast a shield on which was engraved the word Jesus. Their two leaders, the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, said to Mary: “This is the Name of your Son, which the Blessed Trinity has given Him as the sign of salvation for the whole human race. But now He is to shed His Blood in receiving it, since it is that of the Saviour. This will be the beginning of His sufferings in obedience to His Father's Will. We have come to accompany Him and to minister to Him until He ascends into Heaven.”
St. Joseph also witnessed this marvelous sight, and both he and Mary were filled with supernatural joy and admiration.
On the eighth day therefore, after having duly prepared everything in the stable, St. Joseph went to Bethlehem and returned with a dignified, elderly priest and his two assistants. At first, the priest was somewhat astonished and shocked at the primitiveness and poverty of the Holy Family's home. But the young Mother of God welcomed him with such modesty and grace that he was soon moved to deep respect and devotion toward such a saintly person. And when he saw the divine Child in her arms, his soul was filled with tender mystic reverence for the adorable Babe of Bethlehem.
The ceremony was to take place at the entrance to the grotto, not far from the crib. St. Joseph lighted two candles, and the priests began to recite some prayers. When the old priest asked Mary to give her Son to the two assistants and to withdraw a bit so that she should not have to witness the painful sacrifice, the Mother of God hesitated, torn between her spirit of humble obedience oil the one hand and her love and reverence for Jesus on the other. Finally she meekly requested to be allowed to stay and to hold her Son in her arms, as she did not wish to leave Him at such a moment. She asked only that the operation be performed as delicately as possible on account of the Child's unusual sensitiveness.
The priest consented, and Mary then unwound her Baby's swaddling clothes and drew from her bosom a linen towel which she had placed there in order to warm it, as the weather was very cold that day. After sitting down and spread. ing out this towel on her lap, she placed her Child on it, and the priest then proceeded to perform the ceremony of Circumcision with a small flint knife, while St. Joseph recited the ritual prayer: “Blessed be Jehovah the Saviour. He hath sanctified His well-beloved from the womb of His Mother and hath written the Law in our flesh. He hath signed His Son with the sign of His Covenant, that He may impart to Him the bless ings of Abraham our father.'
To which the assistants responded: 'Blessed be He whom Thou hast chosen for Thy child!”
Now, with infinite love, the divine Son of God offered up to His Father in Heaven the sacrifice of this first shedding of His Precious Blood as a pledge that He would one day give it all for the Redemption of mankind. True to His human nature, the tiny Babe of Bethlehem cried as other children do, though His tears were caused more by supernatural sorrow over the hardheartedness of men than by His physical pain, which was intense.
As usual His holy Mother perceived and felt all that He was doing and suffering, and she too wept. When the rite was over, in mutual love and compassion the Child clung to His Mother while she tenderly caressed and comforted Him as she wrapped Him again in His swaddling clothes.
After some more prayers, the priest asked the parents what name they wished to give the Child. Both Mary and Joseph now said at the same time: 'Jesus is His name!”
Then, while the old priest recited a prayer, a luminous angel appeared before him and showed him the name Jesus written on a piece of wood. Profoundly moved and shedding tears of supernatural joy, the priest inscribed the Holy Name on a parchment register. And under the inspiration of divine grace, he exclaimed: “I am convinced that this Child is to be a Prophet of the Lord! Take great care in raising Him, and let me know how I can relieve your needs.”
The ceremony being completed, Joseph and Mary gratefully offered a light meal to the priests and two shepherds who had also been present. And when the visitors left, Mary gave the old priest some candles as a gift. The three priests were good and devout men, and they later attained salvation.
When the Holy Family was alone again, as the Infant Jesus was crying from pain, Mary withdrew to the end of the grotto with Him, and, sitting down, she lowered her veil and soothed Him by nursing Him, weeping quietly as she did so.
During the day some poor persons came to the stable and St. Joseph generously gave them alms. But among them were some wandering beggars who insulted and cursed him because they were not satisfied with his presents.
That night Jesus' pain was so severe that He could not rest, and He often cried. So Mary and Joseph took turns walking up and down the grotto with Him. In moments when they were not grieving over His suffering, they sang canticles of praise and joy in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus.
A few days later St. Elizabeth came with an old servant to pay the Holy Family a visit. Mary was overjoyed when she affectionately embraced her cousin, whom St. Joseph respectfully welcomed. Elizabeth wept as she reverently and lovingly clasped the Infant Jesus to her breast.
Mary and Elizabeth now had several long, intimate talks together, sitting side by side next to the crib. The Blessed Virgin told her cousin all that she and St. Joseph had experienced, and when she described the trouble they had had in finding a lodging, St. Elizabeth wept a great deal. And after the Mother of God had told her about the miraculous birth of her Son, Elizabeth said to her: “The birth of my John was indeed quite painless, but it certainly was very different..”
After St. Elizabeth left, various visitors came to see the Infant Jesus, bringing gifts. But Mary asked a woman who helped her to distribute most of these presents among the poor families in Bethlehem.
The Adoration of the Magi
The Mother of God knew by supernatural enlightenment that on the night of the Nativity an angel had been sent to announce the birth of the Saviour of mankind to the three Magi Kings of the East, and she also knew that they would soon come to adore the Infant Jesus in the stable, for which she had a real affection. Yet when St. Joseph suggested that they move to a more comfortable dwelling in Bethlehem, Mary simply answered, without revealing the mystery:
'My husband and master, wherever you wish to go, I will follow with great pleasure.”
Just then the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel appeared to them both and said: “Divine Providence has ordained that three kings of this world shall come from the East in search of the King of Heaven, and shall adore the Word Incarnate in this very place. They are already ten days on the way and will shortly arrive.”
Joseph and Mary therefore set about preparing the grotto for the visit of the Kings, and during the following days the Blessed Virgin saw in visions the Magi traveling together across the deserts east of the Holy Land.
The three Kings, whose names (according to tradition) were Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior, ruled over what is now Iraq and Iran. Gaspar of Mesopotamia, the youngest, was light brown in appearance, Balthasar of Parthia was dark brown, while Melchior of Media, the oldest, was rather stout and had an olive-colored complexion. All three were unusually just and honorable men who were also great scholars and students of religion. Through their knowledge of the Old Testament prophecies and of certain traditions of their own peoples, they believed in the coming of the Saviour of mankind. And because they were kind and generous and good men, on the night of the Nativity they earned the privilege of being told by the angels in a dream that the long-awaited King of the Jews had just been born, that He was the Promised Redeemer, and that they were chosen by the Lord to seek Him and to honor Him. Though each one received this revelation separately, each was made aware that it had also been given to the other two. The three Kings awoke at the same hour of the night, filled with extraordinary joy, and prostrating themselves on the ground they humbly thanked and worshipped Almighty God. Then they decided to leave immediately for the Land of Israel in order to adore the divine Child. Without delay they prepared gifts and procured the necessary camels, provisions and servants for their journey.
As each King set out that evening, he suddenly perceived a beautiful mystic star, which was formed by the angels, and in this star he saw a symbolic vision of a Virgin and a Child with a cross, who was the King of a heavenly city and whom all the kings on earth worshipped. The star then guided the three Magi in such a way that within a few days they came together, Melchior having traveled more rapidly than the others from his more distant kingdom. All three, who were already intimate friends, after conferring about their revelations became still more inflamed with devotion for the newborn King, and they now pursued their trip together, always under the guidance of the star, which they could see as clearly during the day as at night. Each King was accompanied by four or five relatives and friends and a large number of servants, all riding on camels, dromedaries or horses, and consequently the caravan consisted of about two hundred persons. The journey across the deserts, mountains, and rivers of Chaldea and Syria took nearly a month, despite the fact that the camels and horses were unusually fleet-footed. The whole caravan traveled in perfect order, and everyone seemed filled with simple joy and devotion. At times, while contemplating the mystic star, the good Kings spontaneously composed and sang lovely canticles, with words such as: “Beyond the mountains we yearn to kneel at the feet of the newborn King!”
At last, after crossing the River Jordan, they arrived before the walls of Jerusalem, which, because it was the capital of Israel, they thought was the logical birthplace of the new King of the Jews. However, they were already disturbed by the fact that, contrary to their expectations, they had observed no signs of rejoicing among the people over the birth of the Messias. Also as they approached the great city, the star almost faded from their sight. At the city gate they questioned some of the guards, saying: “Where is the newly born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
But to their astonishment, the guards and other Jews indicated that they knew nothing about the birth of a new King of Israel. Then at the request of the Magi, messengers were sent to arrange an interview with King Herod in his palace. And while they were waiting, the three Wise Men became very discouraged and only recovered some of their confidence after a period of silent prayer.
Herod having agreed to see the Kings the following morning, the caravan camped for the night in a large courtyard.
But the Magi could not sleep. Instead they wandered through the city with guides, and studied the sky as though they were looking for the star. They thought that perhaps Herod wanted to hide the Child King from them.
Actually Herod too was so deeply troubled that he could not sleep, and during the night he summoned the high priests and doctors of the Law to meet with him. And he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. Unrolling their scriptures and pointing to a passage in the Book of Micheas, they said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet.”
Becoming still more disturbed and fearful for his throne, Herod thereupon resolved to have the Infant King secretly put to death. Taking some of the priests with him, he went out onto a porch and tried in vain to see the star of the Magi. Meanwhile the scholars urged him to pay no attention to the fantastic stories of the Eastern rulers, for they insisted that, if the Messias had indeed been born, the fact would already be known both in the Temple and in the Palace. Realizing how unpopular he was among the people, Herod decided to keep the whole matter quiet.
He therefore received the Magi, in secret, at dawn the following morning in a large hall in which refreshments and bouquets of flowers had been prepared for his guests. After having made them wait a while, he entered, accompanied by several doctors of the Law, and proceeded to question the Wise Men closely concerning the time when the star had first appeared to them and concerning all that they knew about the Infant King. Then Gaspar described the vision which they had had of a Virgin and a royal Child whom the kings of the earth adored, because His kingdom was greater than all the kingdoms of the world. After telling them. about the prophecy referring to Bethlehem, Herod hypocritically pretended that he too wished to adore the Infant King, and he said to the Magi:
“Go and make careful inquiry concerning the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may go and worship Him.”
Leaving the king very ill at ease, and without taking any of his refreshments, the Magi set out with their caravan for Bethlehem. Soon after they had passed out of the city gate, they again perceived the star and burst into cries of joy and happy songs. Then they camped for awhile and said some prayers, and all of a sudden a spring of clear, fresh water gushed out of the ground before their eyes. Taking this as a good omen, they built a small pool and let their animals drink their fill. The three Kings now ate their first meal since leaving Jerusalem. Later in the day they continued on their way over the hills of Judea to Bethlehem.
When they arrived in the City of David toward evening, the star disappeared again, and they felt somewhat anxious. They were directed to the Valley of the Shepherds as a suitable place for the caravan to camp overnight. After their servants had put up a large tent and had begun to unpack provisions, the three Kings suddenly perceived the star shining with extraordinary brightness over a nearby hill. Then a beam of fiery light descended from the star onto the grotto, and in this ray the Magi saw a vision of the holy Child. Reverently taking off their headdress, they slowly walked over to the hill and found the entrance to the stable. Gaspar pushed the door open and caught sight of the humble Mother of God sitting with the Infant Jesus at the far end of the cave, which was filled with a heavenly light. Both Mother and Child were just as the Kings had seen them in the vision a month before.
St. Joseph and an old shepherd now came out of the grotto, and the Magi told him very simply and modestly that they had come to worship the newborn King of the Jews and to offer Him their gifts, whereupon Joseph welcomed them with touching friendliness and cordiality. Then, accompanied by the shepherd, they returned to their tent in order to prepare for the solemn ceremony by which they planned to honor the Saviour. And after having assembled their gifts and put on their great, white, silk cloaks, they set out for the grotto in an orderly procession with their relatives and servants.
When Mary knew that the Magi were approaching, she asked St. Joseph to stay at her side, and she calmly awaited them, standing with her Son in her arms, her head and shoulders covered with her veil, in perfect modesty and beauty, with a celestial light shining in her countenance and shedding over her a majesty that was more than human, even amid the extreme poverty of the stable.
After taking off their sandals and turbans, the three Kings entered the grotto. At their first sight of the Mother and Child, they were overwhelmed with reverence and admiration, and their pure hearts overflowed with joyful devotion. By a special permission of God they also perceived the multitude of resplendent angels who were attending the King of kings. Then the three Magi simultaneously prostrated themselves very humbly on the ground and fervently worshipped the divine Infant, acknowledging Him as their Lord and Master and as the Saviour of all mankind.
When they arose, Mary sat down, holding Jesus on her lap. And the Kings approached her, for they wished to kiss her hand, as they customarily did to the queens in their countries. But the Queen of Heaven and earth modestly withdrew her hand and said: “My spirit rejoices in the Lord, because among all the nations He has called you to behold the Eternal Word Incarnate. Let us therefore praise His Name!”
Then she uncovered the upper part of the Christ Child's body, which was wrapped in red and white swaddling clothes, and with one hand she supported His head, while she put her other arm around Him. The Infant Jesus had His tiny hands crossed on His chest, as if He were praying, and all His features seemed to radiate joy and love.
Seeing the divine Babe of Bethlehem thus, the three Kings fell on their knees before Him and again adored and worshipped Him. Their hearts became inflamed with a burning mystical devotion for Him. And in a fervent silent prayer they offered to the Christ Child their kingdoms, their peoples, their families, all their possessions, and their own selves. They humbly begged Him to rule over their souls and thoughts and all their actions, to enlighten them and to give happiness, peace and charity to the world. Tears of joy and devotion ran down their cheeks, while all they could say was: “We saw His Star-we know that He is to reign over all kings -and we have come to worship Him and to offer Him our gifts.”
Then Gaspar took from a purse hanging at his waist a number of small gold bars and laid them at Mary's feet. Next the copper-skinned Balthasar placed a golden censer with green incense on a table in front of Jesus. Finally Melchior came forward and left on the table a lovely little flowering shrub which gave forth myrrh.
As each gift was presented, the divine Infant smiled and waved His arms in a very lovable way, while Mary nodded with touching humility and spoke a few words of simple heartfelt gratitude to each of the three Kings. Then they congratulated St. Joseph on his good fortune in being chosen as the husband of the Mother of the Messias, and ex. pressed their profound sympathy over the dire poverty in which the Holy Family was living.
After the Magi had been in the stable for three hours, they withdrew, and their servants were allowed to enter in groups of five and to adore the Child Jesus. Meanwhile, outside the grotto, the Magi and their relatives stood around a great old tree and joyfully chanted their evening prayers. Then they went to their tent, where St. Joseph and some of the shepherds had prepared a light supper for them consisting of bread, fruit, vegetables and honey. As he sat there eating with the good Kings, Joseph was so happy that his eyes filled with tears. And when he returned to the grotto, he and Mary were overflowing with a joy that they had never known before, as at last they saw how Almighty God had brought to His Incarnate Son the honors and gifts that were due to Him.
The next day the Magi generously distributed food, clothing and money among the needy families of Bethlehem, and they sent their servants to the grotto with many choice presents, which Mary set aside for charity. The Kings planned to return to Jerusalem the following morning, and so they now went to say farewell to the Holy Family.
First they consulted the Blessed Virgin concerning many mysteries of faith and the practice of religion in their daily lives and duties. Her words were so filled with divine truth that the Wise Men were deeply moved and wished that they did not have to part from her. When they presented some gems of great value to her, Mary respectfully refused them. They also offered to have a comfortable house built for her, but she humbly thanked them without accepting.
When at last the Kings had to leave, the Mother of God allowed each of them to hold the Christ Child in his arms, and as each did so, his face became transfigured with joy and he wept tenderly. At the door they very fervently begged Mary and Joseph to pray for them. Then, in order to make them happy, Mary suddenly unwound her long yellow veil and handed it to Gaspar. The three Magi bowed low before her and gratefully accepted this precious relic, and when they looked up, their hearts were thrilled with reverence and love as they contemplated the full heavenly beauty of both Mother and Child.
After chanting their evening prayers, the Kings and their attendants retired for the night-until, about midnight, an angel warned them in a dream to leave at once for the East without passing by Jerusalem.
Within less than an hour the caravan had quietly packed up all its equipment, and after a last, touching farewell to St. Joseph, the Magi silently vanished into the night, guided by an angel.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“My daughter, great were the gifts which the Kings offered to my most holy Son, but greater still was the affection with which they offered them and the mystery concealed beneath them. I wish you also to offer up similar gifts. For I assure you, my dearest, that there is no more acceptable gift to the Most High than voluntary poverty. There are few in the world who use temporal riches well and offer them to their Lord with the generosity and love of those holy Kings. You too can make such an offering of the things necessary for sustenance, giving a part to the poor. Your ceaseless offer, however, must be love, which is the gold; continual prayer, which is the incense,- and the patient acceptance of labors and true mortifications, which is the myrrh. All that you do for the Lord, you should offer up to Him with ardent affection.”
CHAPTER 15 : JESUS' CIRCUMCISION AND PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE
After the departure of the Magi, the Mother of God said to St. Joseph: “My master, dispose of all the offerings of the Kings as belonging to my Son and to yourself; I deserve nothing.” Together they divided the gifts into three parts: one for the Temple (the incense and myrrh and some of the gold), another for the priest who had circumcised the Child, and the rest for the poor.
A devout woman whom Mary had helped urged the Holy Family to move into her modest home, and they humbly accepted her invitation. Sadly they took leave of the holy stable, after cleaning it thoroughly.
During the days that remained before the Purification, when alone with His beloved Mother, the Infant Jesus often murmured to her: “My Dove, My Chosen One, My dearest Mother, make thyself like unto Me!”
When the poor women and children of Bethlehem came to visit Mary, she gave them gifts and tactfully instructed them in the knowledge of God, the mysteries concerning the expected Messias, and the practice of virtues in everyday life. Sometimes their superficial talk about such matters was so full of confusion that it made St. Joseph smile secretly, yet he continuously marveled at Mary's patience, firmness and gentleness in leading these poor people to the truth, as well as at her great humility and reserve.
When the fortieth day after the Nativity drew near, the Immaculate Mother of God did not hesitate to subject herself to the general Hebrew law requiring the purification of mothers and the presentation of first-born sons in the Temple at Jerusalem. For she saw in the soul of her divine Son that He wished to offer Himself as a living victim to the eternal Father in the Temple.
Consequently Mary and Joseph gratefully took leave of the good woman who had sheltered them, and went with Jesus to the cave of the Nativity for a last visit. Having gently placed the Christ Child on the ground at the very spot where He was born, they both knelt and prayed fervently together, and they did the same where He had been circumcised.
Then, as usual before a journey, Mary asked her husband for his blessing, and on this special occasion for his permission to make the trip on foot and with bare feet. But St. Joseph replied kindly yet firmly:
“May the Son of the eternal Father, whom I hold in my arms, give you His blessing! You may travel to Jerusalem on foot, but not barefooted, because of the weather.”
Prostrating herself on the ground for the last time in the grotto of the Nativity, with all her heart Mary thanked the Infant Jesus for the marvelous blessings which He had given to Joseph and herself and to all mankind in the stable of Bethlehem, and she prayed to God that this holy place might always be revered by Christians.
Rising to her feet, she covered herself with her cloak and took her Baby into her arms, pressing Him to her breast to protect Him from the cold winter wind. Then, after the Infant God had visibly given them His blessing, Joseph and Mary set out for Jerusalem, accompanied by a donkey bearing their few belongings and the gifts for the Temple. Some of the good shepherds bade them a sad and touchingly affectionate farewell.
During the five-mile journey, the weather was unusually severe. Cold, sleety winds made the Child Jesus shiver and weep.
Toward evening, having traveled slowly with several resting periods, the Holy Family reached the city gate of Jerusalem and found a welcome lodging in the humble home of a devout old couple without children. Then, at Mary's suggestion, St. Joseph went alone to the Temple and made an anonymous donation of the myrrh, incense and gold, in order to avoid any ostentation of wealth at the ceremony the following day.
The holy Mother of God spent the night before the Purification in fervent prayer. Speaking to the Eternal Father, she said: “My Lord and my God, a festive day for Heaven and earth will be that on which I offer the living Victim to Thee in Thy Temple. In return, this is what I ask of Thee, my Lord: pour forth Thy mercies upon mankind, pardoning sinners, consoling the afflicted, and helping the needy! My soul shall magnify Thee forever. . . . “
That night, the holy man Simeon, a very old and thin priest with a short beard, was kneeling at prayer in a tiny cell of the great Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Ghost, who dwelt in him, had already revealed to him that he was not to die until he had seen the promised Messias. Now while he was praying in ecstasy, an angel appeared to him and told him to observe carefully the first child presented to the priests the next morning, for that child would be the Saviour of the world for whom he longed so much. The angel also informed Simeon that he would die soon afterward. The old man was inflamed with joy.
The holy matron Anna was likewise favored with a vision concerning the Purification, and she rejoiced greatly, because she had been one of Mary's teachers during her stay in the Temple as a girl.
Before dawn the Holy Family left their lodging in Jerusalem and went to the Temple, accompanied by thousands of invisible chanting angels. At the entrance of the Women’s Court, Mary knelt and humbly presented herself to God with His Son in her arms. She was dressed in a light-blue robe, over which she wore a long, yellow mantle and a white veil.
The simple and devout old priest Simeon, who had been waiting for several hours already, could no longer restrain his impatience. Moved by the Holy Spirit, he went to meet his Lord, and in the hallway he caught sight of both Mother and Child surrounded by a wonderful light. After saying a few words to Mary, with the greatest joy he took the divine Child into his arms and pressed Him to his heart. Then he quietly withdrew into another part of the building, while Mary was led by a woman to the Temple Court. St. Joseph had given the basket with the two turtledoves to Anna and then passed through another door to the men’s section.
In the large ceremonial hall everything was prepared. On the walls many lamps hung in pyramid form. Several priests had placed in front of the altar a long table covered with a white cloth on which rested a cradle like container and two baskets.
Simeon came to Mary and led her to the table, where she placed in the cradle the Child Jesus, who was wrapped in a long sky-blue veil. Then she was led back to the grilled-in Women’s section, in which about twenty mothers with their first-born sons were waiting their turn.
The holy Temple now seemed to be filled with a heavenly light. Almighty God was present there. And above the Child the heavens seemed to open before the throne of the Holy Trinity.
Simeon and three other priests, having put on their ceremonial vestments, took their places around the table and prayed over the Babe. Then Anna gave Mary the basket with her offerings of fruit and coins, and Simeon again led her to the table. One of the priests took up the Child, raised Him toward Heaven and turned to Simeon, who placed Him back in the Virgin’s arms and recited over them both some prayers from a rolled manuscript. Then Simeon led Mary back to Anna, who accompanied her to the women’s section.
After these ceremonies were over, Simeon came to Mary and received the Infant Jesus from her hands. Then, raising his eyes to Heaven in an ecstasy of joy, he offered the Child to the eternal Father, glorifying God for having fulfilled the promises, and saying: “Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, in peace: because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: 'A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory for Thy people Israel. “
St. Joseph had come to join Mary, and he listened with deep respect to the inspired words of the old man. Simeon blessed them both. Then addressing himself to Mary, who was luminous like a heavenly rose, he added: “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
At the moment when the priest mentioned the sword and the sign of contradiction, which were prophetical of the Passion and death of the Lord, the Child Jesus bowed His head, thereby ratifying the prophecy and accepting it as the sentence of the eternal Father pronounced by His minister. All this was understood by Mary, and she began to feel sorrow, for as in a mirror her spirit was made to see the mysteries included in this prophecy. All these things remained indelibly impressed on her memory.
Anna the Prophetess was also inspired and proclaimed the Child's Mother blessed.
Mary then humbly kissed the hand of the priest and again asked his blessing, and she did the same to Anna, her former teacher. Then with St. Joseph and her divine Child she returned to her lodging. Not long afterward both Simeon and Anna passed away in peace.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN:
“I did not need Purification, like other women, because my Son who was born of me, made me clean. Nevertheless, that the Law and the prophecies might be fulfilled, I chose to live according to the Law. Nor did I live like worldly parents, but humbly conversed with the humble. Nor did I wish to show anything extraordinary in me, but loved whatever was humble.
“On that day (of the Purification) my pain was increased. For though by divine inspiration I knew that my Son was to suffer, yet this grief pierced my heart more keenly at Simeon’s words. And until I was assumed in body and soul to Heaven, this grief never left my heart, although it was tempered by the consolation of the Spirit of God. Let not, then, this grief leave thy heart, for without tribulation few would reach Heaven. “
AND TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“My daughter, the doctrine and example contained in this Mystery will teach thee to strive after the constancy and expansion of thy heart by which thou mayest prepare thyself to accept blessings and adversity, the sweet and the bitter, with equanimity.
“How persistently the human heart forgets that its Teacher and Master has, first accepted sufferings, and has honored and sanctified them in His own Person. Remember the sorrow that pierced my heart at the prophecies of Simeon, and how I remained in peace and tranquility even though my heart and soul were transfixed by a sword of pain. “Seek ever to preserve inward peace.
'Full of trust in me, whenever tribulation comes over thee fervently exclaim: “'The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?'“
CHAPTER 16 : THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
After the Purification, Mary and Joseph decided to stay in Jerusalem for nine days in order to renew their offering of the Child Jesus and to acknowledge their gratitude for the great blessing which God had given them. Every day therefore, from noon until midnight, they prayed humbly in an obscure corner of the Temple.
On the fifth day the Lord said to Mary: “My Spouse and My Dove, you cannot finish the nine days' devotion. Herod is seeking the life of the Child. In order to save your Son’s life, you must flee with Him and Joseph into the land of Egypt. The journey is long, hard and very tiring. Suffer it all for My sake, for I am and always will be with you.”
The Mother of God answered meekly: “My Lord, dispose of me according to Thy Will. I ask only that Thou permit not my Son to suffer and that Thou turn all pains and hardships upon me.” But as she left the Temple with the Infant Jesus in her arms, Mary's compassionate heart was filled with sorrow for Him, and she wept.
At home in their two rented rooms she prudently kept the disturbing news to herself, since she had not been told to reveal it to her husband. St. Joseph noticed that she was troubled, but he thought that it was due to Simeon’s prophecy.
That night, while Joseph was sleeping, an angel in the radiant form of a young man appeared in his room and said to him: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt, and remain there until I tell thee. For Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him!”
Taking Joseph by the hand, the angel raised him up, and vanished. As St. Joseph dressed hurriedly, he was greatly worried for Mary's sake and for the safety of the Child Jesus. He lit his lamp and after knocking on the door of his wife’s room, humbly asked her whether he could come in. Then, upon entering, he said to her anxiously:
“My Lady, God wills that we should be tried further, for His holy angel has announced to me that we must flee to Egypt with the Child, because Herod is planning to take His life. Prepare yourself, my dear wife, to bear the hardships of the journey, and tell me what I can do to alleviate them.”
“My husband and master,' replied Mary calmly, “if we have received from God such great blessings and graces, it is fitting that we should joyfully accept temporal suffering. Wherever we go, we carry Our Lord with us, and He is our comfort and our country. So let us proceed to fulfill His holy Will.”
Then she went to the crib at the foot of the bed, where the Infant Jesus was sleeping, and falling on her knees she awakened Him and took Him in her arms. At first the divine Babe wept a little, but when Mary and Joseph asked Him for His blessing, He gave it to them visibly.
After St. Joseph had hurriedly packed their few belongings on the donkey that had traveled with them from Nazareth, the Holy Family left Jerusalem shortly before midnight on their long and dangerous trip to Egypt.
Mary held in her arms the Infant Jesus, who was well wrapped in swaddling clothes and supported by a large piece of linen which was tied around His Mother's neck. The Blessed Virgin wore a long cloak that covered her and the Child, and also a wide veil.
Although Mary and Joseph were filled with anxiety for Jesus, they felt greatly encouraged when, as they went through the city gate, all the splendid angel protectors of the Mother of God again appeared in bright human forms and changed the night into day for them.
As the Holy Family journeyed southward in the direction of Bethlehem, Mary longed to visit and again venerate the holy grotto of the Nativity, but her angels informed her that such a delay would be dangerous. Then, with St. Joseph’s permission, she sent one of the angels to warn St. Elizabeth to hide with her son John in the desert around the town of Hebron, where they were then living.
The Holy Family spent their first night in a cave in the hills south of Bethlehem, off the regular caravan route. They were thirsty and exhausted, and Mary was so sorry for her Child that she wept. But at her prayer a spring of clear water suddenly gushed forth, and a wild goat came to them and allowed Joseph to milk it.
Late the next day, as they were crossing the desert near Hebron, they ran out of water, and both Mary and Joseph suffered keenly from thirst.
St. Elizabeth and John were then hiding in a cave on a hill nearby. Suddenly John felt that his Lord was close and was suffering. He fell on his knees and prayed fervently with his arms extended.
St. Elizabeth sent one of her servants with generous gifts of money, food and clothing to the Holy Family, which he overtook near Gaza. There they rested briefly, while Mary shared these gifts with the poor and healed several sick and crippled women.
Then the Holy Family set out on the long and difficult journey across the great desert between Palestine and Egypt.
While it was still dark, they had to pass through a stretch of ground infested with many dangerous snakes which slithered toward them and reared up, hissing menacingly, but did not harm them.
During the first night in the desert the Holy Family rested at the foot of a small sand dune. After they had eaten and after Mary had nursed her Babe, St. Joseph made a sort of tent with his cloak and some sticks in order to protect the Mother and Child from the wind, and he slept near them on the ground, resting his head on the sack that contained their belongings. Mary now perceived that Jesus was offering up to His Father all their hardships, and she did likewise, praying with Him and with her angels most of the night.
Within a few days the poor travelers had exhausted all their small provisions of fruit and bread and water, although they tried to make their supply last longer by not eating several times until nine o’clock at night. And while they were thus suffering from hunger and thirst and fatigue, a strong wind and sandstorm arose. Finally, at Mary's fervent prayer for her Son and her husband, the Lord commanded her angels to serve them some nourishing food and drink.
During the long journey, while Mary walked or rode on the donkey, always holding her divine Son in her arms, she often thanked Him for having made her His Mother. Three times a day she nursed Him, and whenever they stopped for a rest she caressed Him tenderly. A few times the Infant Jesus wept tears of love and compassion for mankind, and Mary would weep too. Often Mother and Son conversed mystically.
At other times St. Joseph would talk with Mary, frequently asking her what he could do for her or Jesus. Sometimes he would humbly and devoutly kiss the feet of the divine Child and take Him in his arms and beg Him for His blessing. Thus the Holy Family passed the ten days of their flight across the barren desert, consoling and cheering one another in mutual kindness and love.
Several times, when they were resting, a great number of birds came flying toward Mary and entertained her by perching on her shoulders and hands, chirping affectionately and joyfully. Then she urged them to be thankful to God for their beautiful plumage, their freedom in the air, and their daily food on the ground, and she joined them in singing lovely lullabies for the Infant Jesus. And often she sang hymns of praise to the Lord with her angels.
Once when the travelers were completely lost and did not know which way to go, Mary and Joseph were deeply troubled for a moment. But after they had prayed fervently for help, some wild animals came toward them in a friendly manner and ran off in a certain direction, thus indicating the right way.
One evening the Holy Family arrived at the camp of some highway robbers, who were at first inclined to treat them cruelly. But when the leader looked at the Infant ' Jesus, somehow his hard heart was deeply touched, and he ordered his men not to harm the travelers. Taking them into his hut, he had his wife give them some food and settle them comfortably in a corner.
At Mary's request the woman brought her a large container filled with water, in which the Blessed Virgin gave her Son a bath and washed His swaddling clothes. Meanwhile the chief robber said to his wife:
“That is no ordinary child - He is a holy Baby. Ask His Mother to let you bathe our leprous son in the water she has used. Perhaps it will heal him. . . . “
But before the woman said a word, Mary urged her to wash her sick son in the water. Then the mother brought in her three-year-old boy, whose leprosy was so advanced that it covered all his face and body. Yet as soon as he was placed in the water that Jesus had used, which was now clearer than it had been before, the sick boy's skin became perfectly smooth and healthy.
His mother was almost beside herself with joy and gratitude. She tried to kiss Mary and Jesus, but the Mother of God gently held her off and did not let her touch either of them. The father told all his men about the miracle, and they crowded into the hut and stared at the Holy Family with awe.
Later Mary had a long talk with the mother, who promised that she would stop living from crime as soon as she could.
That night Mary hardly slept at all. She remained sitting on her bed, praying.
The next morning when the Holy Family left with some new provisions, the robber chief gratefully said good-by to them and exclaimed with deep emotion: “Remember me, wherever you are!'
(Thirty-three years later his robber son said to the Man crucified beside him on Calvary: “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom!” And that time -again due to Mary's prayers-Jesus healed his soul).
Within a few days, although nearing the end of their trip, the Holy Family was once more utterly exhausted and suffering intensely from hunger and thirst. While they were resting on a sand dune, Mary prayed again for help, and a spring of water began to flow beside her. After they had quenched their thirst, she bathed the Infant Jesus in the water. Then, as they approached the delta of the Nile, they camped under a tall date tree, which at Mary's prayer bent over so that they could pick and eat its fruit. That night they spent in the shelter of a great hollow sycamore tree.
Finally, after ten days of torture on the endless sands of the desert the Holy Family reached the fertile land of Egypt.
OUR LORD SAID TO ST BRIDGET OF SWEDEN:
“By My flight to Egypt I showed the infirmities of My Humanity and fulfilled the prophecies. I gave, too, an example to My disciples that sometimes persecution is to be avoided for the greater future glory of God. That I was not found by My pursuers, the counsel of My Divinity prevailed over the counsel of man, for it is not easy to fight against God.”
AND THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“I was not alarmed in my exile and prolonged journey. Since I trusted in the Lord, He provided for me in the time of my need. Even when help is somewhat delayed, it will always be at hand at a time when it will do most good. Thus it happened with me and my husband in the time of our destitution and necessity. “
CHAPTER 17 : THE YEARS OF EXILE
After the Holy Family had fled from Palestine, King Herod, “seeing that he had been tricked by the Magi, was exceedingly angry,” and he gave a secret order to his officers in Bethlehem to kill all male children under two years of age. The Slaughter of the Innocents took place in a large courtyard of a palace to which the mothers and children had been summoned. Executioners armed with swords and spears proceeded to cut the throats or pierce the chests of the infants and to throw their bodies onto a pile, before the eyes of the helpless and frantic mothers, who screamed and tore their hair.
While this frightful atrocity was occurring, Mary and Jesus in Egypt were mystically aware of it. With heartbroken anguish Mary joined her divine Son in praying for the souls of the murdered children and for their grieving parents. Jesus asked His Father to reward these first fruits of His own Passion with the crown of martyrdom, and His request was granted.
Although the Blessed Virgin was very anxious to know how young John the Baptist had escaped the massacre, she refrained from asking the Lord to enlighten her. But He soon informed her that St. Elizabeth and John had escaped from Herod's soldiers by hiding in a cave in the desert, where they were now living under the greatest hardships. Mary therefore immediately obtained the permission of Jesus to send them provisions by means of her angels.
A few years later, when John was only four years old, his saintly mother died peacefully, assisted by Mary's angels, who also helped to bury her in the desert. Young John was then supported by a holy hermit who often visited him. The Forerunner of Christ grew up in the wilderness, living a hard and solitary life of ever-increasing prayer and mortification. He received his education, not from men, but directly from the Holy Spirit. His only companions were the wild animals of the desert, with whom he was on friendly terms. The birds especially loved to come and perch on his shoulders or on his staff, while he talked to them familiarly. Often too he conversed with angels, humbly yet with all the innocent frankness of a deeply religious boy.
When the Holy Family entered the pagan land of Egypt, the Infant Jesus in the arms of His Mother raised His eyes and hands to the Eternal Father and asked for the salvation of its inhabitants. And as they arrived at the town of Heliopolis or City of the Sun, He used His divine power to drive the demons from the idols in the temples. Some of the idols then crashed to the ground and broke into many pieces, causing a great commotion among the people.
St. Joseph found a poor and humble three-room house at a small distance from the town. Upon entering this new home, the Mother of God knelt on the ground and kissed it with profound humility, thanking the Lord for giving them this place of rest after their long and hard journey. She dedicated all that she was to do there to the glory of God, and she offered to take upon herself all the trials and labors of their exile. Then she set about cleaning the rooms.
During the next three days the Holy Family was so completely destitute that they had to live on whatever St. Joseph could beg for them. Then he succeeded in obtaining work in his trade as a carpenter. But he was not well treated by the persons who employed him. Looking upon him as a foreigner and a refugee, they paid him whatever they pleased. Sometimes after a whole day's work he was not able to bring any money home. As the house was without any furniture, he soon made a couch for Mary and a cradle for Jesus, as well as some low tables and stools. Of the three rooms, they assigned one to the Mother and Child, and the other two to St. Joseph as his bedroom and workshop.
The Holy Family adjusted themselves to their poverty calmly and even joyfully. However, Mary decided to help in earning their living. She therefore began to do needlework for some good women in the Jewish colony, and soon her reputation for skill and quality work spread, so that she was never in want of employment. But she always re. fused to do any frivolous fashion pieces, although her attitude aroused criticism among some other customers. While she sewed, the Infant Jesus lay quietly in His cradle beside her Due to the many hours which she now spent at this work, she had to devote more of the night hours to prayer and contemplation. Her divine Son was greatly pleased with her zeal and acceptance of poverty, and wishing to lessen her labor, one day He said to her:
“My Mother, I wish to make a rule for your daily life and work. From nightfall you will take some sleep and rest. From midnight until dawn We will praise the Eternal Father together. Then prepare the necessary food for yourself and Joseph, and afterward give Me food and hold Me in your arms until noon, when you will place Me in the arms of your husband, to give him some refreshment in his labors. Then retire and return to your work until it is time to prepare the evening meal. And pray continually to the Eternal Father for sinners.”
Mary and Joseph had the Infant Jesus with them as they took their meals. Whenever St. Joseph wished to caress the divine Child, he humbly asked Mary's permission. And taking the little Jesus in his arms, he was so filled with tender joy and love that he forgot all his hardships or even considered them easy and sweet. Both Mary and Joseph often received such heart-warming consolations from Jesus that they gladly accepted all their trials for love of Him.
While the Holy Family was in Egypt, they joyfully celebrated the first anniversary of the Annunciation, and later of the Nativity. On each occasion Mary prepared for the anniversary by nine days of prayer, and celebrated it by prostrating herself before the Infant Jesus in the form of a cross, begging Him to thank the Eternal Father for all the graces which the gift of His Only-Begotten Son was bringing to her and to the whole human race. Then, inflamed with the love of God, she rose up and sang beautiful hymns alternately with her angels, to honor her Son.
Until this time the Divine Child had spoken only to His Mother and only when alone with her. Now when He reached the age of one year, He decided to break His silence and speak to His foster father. One day, therefore, when Mary and Joseph were talking together with deep reverence about the marvelous goodness of God as manifested in the Incarnation, the Child Jesus, resting in His Mother's arms, said to St. Joseph in a clear voice: 'My father!”
Upon hearing the Infant God call him “father,” Joseph, his heart thrilling with new love, gratitude, and joy, fell on his knees before Jesus and while tears ran down his cheeks, thanked Him for such a grace and begged Him to enlighten him and enable him in all things to fulfill God's holy will.
Then Jesus continued: 'I have come from Heaven upon this earth in order to be the Light of the world and in order to rescue it from the darkness of sin, to seek and to know My sheep, as a good shepherd, to give them the nourishment of eternal life, to teach them the way to Heaven, and to open its gates, which had been closed by their sins. And I desire that you both be children of the Light, which you have so close to you.”
Now Mary placed Jesus in the cradle. and kneeling before Him said: “My Son and sweetest love of my soul, Thou hast been oppressed for a long time by the swaddling clothes. Tell me, my Lord, what shall I do to place Thee freely on Thy feet?”
'My mother,” replied the Child Jesus, “on account of the love which I bear toward men, the swathings of My childhood have not seemed irksome to Me, for when I shall be grown up I shall be bound and delivered to My enemies to be put to death. I wish to possess only one garment during all My life, for I seek nothing more than what is sufficient to cover Me. Clothe Me, My Mother, in a tunic of a lowly and ordinary color. This alone will I wear, and it shall grow with Me. Over this garment they shall cast lots at My death .... Men shall see that I was born and wish to live poor and destitute of visible things which, being earthly, oppress and darken the heart of man. I shall not have anything to do with visible things except to offer them up to the Eternal Father, renouncing them for His love, and making use of only so much as is sufficient to sustain My natural life, which I will afterward yield up for man’s sake. By this example I wish to impress upon the world the doctrine that it must love poverty and not despise it.”
But Mary replied: “My Son and my Lord, Thy Mother has not the heart to allow Thee to go barefoot at this tender age. Permit me, my Love, to provide some kind of covering to protect Thy feet. I also fear that the rough garment which Thou askest of me will wound Thy tender body if Thou”, bearest no linen beneath.”
“My Mother, I will permit a slight and ordinary covering for My feet until the time of My public preaching, for I must do that barefooted. But I do not wish to wear linen.”
Mary therefore set about at once preparing her Sons robe. She obtained some natural and uncolored wool, and spinning it very finely with her own hands, she wove it on a small loom into a one-piece garment without any seam. At her request its color was changed to a unique mixture of brown and silver-gray. She also made a half tunic as undergarment and a pair of strong sandals.
When all was ready, after humbly asking her Divine Son’s permission, Mary carefully and lovingly clothed Him and set Him on His feet. Although she had taken no measurements beforehand, the robe fitted Him perfectly, covering His feet without hindering Him in walking, and the sleeves extended to the middle of His hands. The collar was round in front and somewhat raised around the neck. Our Lord never took off this robe until His executioners tore it off at the Scourging and the Crucifixion, for by divine power it continually grew with Him, adjusting itself to His body. Nor did it ever become worn in appearance or lose its color, and it always remained spotlessly clean.
Then Mary gently placed the Infant God on His feet for the first time, and He took His first steps on this earth. He was by far the most beautiful Child who has ever lived. Upon seeing Him standing there in His plain and humble robe, the angels marveled, while Mary and Joseph were filled with new love and joy.
The Mother of God continued to nurse her Son until He was a year and a half old. Then He began to take frugal meals of broth mixed with oil, and some fruits and fish. He never asked for food, and later He ate all His meals with His Mother and foster father. Then Mary always waited for Him to give the blessing at the beginning and thanks at the end of each meal.
Now that the Child Jesus could walk, He began to retire and spend certain hours in prayer in His Mother's room. As she silently wondered whether she should stay with Him at such times, He said to her:
“My Mother, remain with Me always in order to imitate Me in My actions, for I have chosen you as the vessel and model of all perfection.”
Mary therefore frequently joined Him in praying for mankind. And sometimes when the divine Child meditated on the ingratitude with which men would receive the Redemption, she saw Him weep and even perspire blood, and then she would sorrowfully wipe His little face. At other times she saw Him resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by sweetly chanting angels.
Within a few years a number of children began to gather around the young Jesus, for He soon won their hearts by His kindness and qualities of leadership. They often came to visit Him, and He took them to drink at a fountain behind the house which Mary had discovered. With words full of life and strength He instructed His little friends in the knowledge of God and the virtues, and His informal teaching made such a deep impression that all these boys later became great and saintly men.
One day, as soon as He was strong enough, while Mary was praying in her room, the Child Jesus took a pitcher and filled it with water at the fountain. When she saw Him bringing it to her, she was profoundly moved. And from that day Jesus always thoughtfully carried water for her whenever she needed it, without her having to ask for it. He also helped St. Joseph, handing him his tools or pieces of wood. When He was old enough, the boy Jesus took His Mother's needlework to her customers in town and brought back some bread. Occasionally, after a trip to town, He wept over the suffering and sinning which He had seen in the city. He then began to visit the sick in the hospitals with His Mother, seeking out those who were most afflicted in order to cheer and console them. Attracted by His charity and sanctity, they often gave Him gifts, which He refused or accepted only for distribution among the poor.
The merciful Mother of God did not hesitate to tend to the festering ulcers and sores of the women, and she often changed their bandages with her own hands, while comforting the suffering patients. Frequently she healed them, and St. Joseph was given power to cure some of the men. When a severe pestilence devastated the town, Jesus, Mary and Joseph nursed and healed many of the victims.
As a result, the Holy Family became very popular among the people, especially among the poor, and a large number of men and women came to them for advice and instruction. In order to honor His Mother, Jesus told her to teach them the laws of the one true God. Speaking therefore to each individual in a way suited to his or her personality and problems, she urged them to give up their sinful ways of living in order to serve and worship the Lord in purity and in truth. Her gentle and modest manner and her penetrating messages were so moving and inspiring that many of her listeners were converted to a better life and eventually became Christians. St. Joseph also helped in instructing the men in his own plain and sincere way. Thus the Holy Family sowed in Egypt the spiritual seed that was later to develop into many generations of holy Christians, saints, martyrs and hermits.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“My daughter, I came into Egypt, where I knew no relations or friend, in a land of foreign religion, where 1 could offer no home or protection or assistance to my Son, whom I loved so much. It can easily be understood, then, what tribulations and hardships we suffered. Thou canst not understand with what patience and resignation we accepted them. It is true, I grieved much to see my husband in such necessity and want, but at the same time I blessed the Lord to be able to suffer them. In this noble patience and joy of spirit I wish thee to imitate me whenever the Lord offers thee an opportunity. My most holy Son chose poverty and taught it by word and by example. This same doctrine I taught and practiced during all my life. I wish thee to love and diligently to seek after this poverty “
After reciting some prayers together with Mary, St. Joseph filled the manger with straw and moss and placed a cloth over it. Then he withdrew to the entrance of the cave. Looking back, he saw the holy Mother of God praying on her knees, surrounded by flames of dazzling supernatural light. Filled with reverent fear, he threw himself down on the ground and was soon rapt in an ecstatic sleep.
Mary was kneeling, with her eyes raised to Heaven and her hands joined on her breast. Her countenance emitted rays of light, like the sun incarnadined, and shone in indescribable earnestness and majesty, all inflamed with burning love of God. Her body became so spiritualized with the beauty of Heaven that she seemed no more a human and earthly creature.
Toward midnight a channel of brilliant light came down from the highest heaven and terminated in sparkling fire at the Blessed Virgin. In it was an extraordinary movement of celestial glories which took on the forms of choirs of angels.
Then, in the twinkling of an eye, the infant God was born, glorious and transfigured as on Mount Thabor.
There the God-Man lay, naked, utterly clean and pure. And from Him radiated such marvelous light and splendor that the sun could not be compared to it. The angels could be heard gently singing canticles of wonderful sweetness.
When the holy Mother of God perceived that she had been delivered—for her child came forth without any pain or injury to her—shc immediately bowed her head, placed a cloth over His tiny body, and adored Him with the greatest respect and reverence, saying: “Welcome, my God, and my Lord, and my Son!”
Then the divine Child suspended the effects of His transfiguration and assumed the appearance of one capable of suffering. The Babe now moved, shivered with cold, and stretching forth His little arms, cried out.
Bending down, Mary tenderly clasped Him to her heart and, with great joy, warmed Him against her cheek and breast, while thousands of angels knelt and adored their incarnate Creator.
Nearly an hour after the birth, Mary called St. Joseph. Awakening and coming near, he perceived his Saviour in her arms and at once prostrated himself on the ground with the deepest devotion and humility. Only at her bidding did he rise. And with touching joy and gratitude he kissed the Babes feet, and held the little Jesus in his arms, pressing Him to his heart, while tears of happiness moistened his checks.
Then, sitting on the ground, Mary laid her Son in her lap, and while St. Joseph handed her the linens, she began carefully and lovingly to wrap the divine Child in swaddling clothes, drawing them tight on His small body.
Next she and Joseph gently placed the Infant in the manger.
At this point an ox from the neighboring fields entered the cave with the ass. They both approached the crib, knelt down before it, and breathed over it, as if to warm the Baby.
Mary and Joseph were so affected by this act that they could not restrain their tears. For a long time they remained on their knees beside the crib, adoring the Christ Child and praising and thanking God. Later St. Joseph took some blankets and made a resting place for Marv beside the manger.
CHAPTER 14 : FROM SHEPHERDS TO KINGS
At the holy hour of the Nativity of the Saviour, an extraordinary wave of rejoicing was manifest in Nature in many parts of the world. Many animals leaped with exultation. Flowers raised their faded stems. Plants and trees took on new life and gave forth sweet scents. A number of new springs flowed abundantly.
The thrilling and consoling news of the birth of the Messias was immediately announced by the holy angels to a small number of chosen souls. The Archangel Michael brought it to the patriarchs and prophets in Limbo, as well as to St. Anne and St. Joachim, and they all rejoiced together. Another angel informed St. Elizabeth and her baby St. John, who clearly expressed his joy by waving his little arms. His mother at once sent one of her servants to Bethlehem with some money and linen for Mary The mystery of the Saviour's birth was revealed to the holy old priest Simeon and to Anna, Mary's former teacher, in the Temple in Jerusalem. In the Orient each of the three Magi was enlightened by angels concerning the Incarnation of the Redeemer of mankind, which they had long expected, and perceiving the mystic star, they set out on their pilgrimage to the Crib of the newborn King of kings. All good men everywhere felt a new supernatural joy at this time, and many of them believed that the Saviour had at last come into the world.
But of all the human race those who merited to be the first to see the Christ Child were the poor, humble, and devout shepherds of Bethlehem. During this holy night, three of their leaders, while watching over their flocks in the fields about a mile from the grotto of the Nativity, noticed with amazement a strangc, luminous cloud hovering above the hill in which the cave and manger were located. And as they were staring up at the sky, all of a sudden a bright light came down toward them, bathing them in its celestial radiance. Then within the light they perceived the splendid Archangel Gabriel in human form, and at first these simple men were filled with intense fear, until Gabriel said to them reassuringly:
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. For there has been born to you today in the town of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
While he was speaking, the radiance around him became still brighter, revealing seven other great angels of extraor. dinary beauty and then a whole multitude of the heavenly host, all praising God and chanting in sweet harmony, to a soft and joyful melody:
“Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth Peace to Men of Good Will!”
After singing this lovely canticle, the angels went to two other groups of shepherds at some distance and brought them the same wonderful news. And these good men said to one another eagerly:
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us!” But first they thoughtfully set about collecting suitable presents.
Only toward dawn did they find the grotto-stable and knock timidly at its entrance. St. Joseph very obligingly opened the door and welcomed them. They told him what the angels had announced to them during the night, and thev said that they had come to offer their gifts and veneration to the divine Child. At the same time they gave St. Joseph a number of young goats and chickens, which he accepted with humble gratitude and placed in a side-room off the stable.
Then he led the shepherds into the grotto, where the Blessed Mother of God was sitting on the ground beside the crib in which the beautiful Babe of Bethlehem was lying. And as they gazed down at the tiny Jesus, He looked up at them, and from His radiant little face and eyes a mystical current of divine love streamed forth and touched the sincere hearts of those poor but fortunate men, changing and renewing them spiritually and filling them with a new grace and understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation and of the Redemption. 'And when they had seen, they understood what had been told them concerning this Child.” Still holding their shepherd's staffs in their hands, they very humbly knelt down before the Infant Jesus and prostrated themselves on the ground, weeping tears of joy as they adored their God. For a long time they were so deeply moved with supernatural happiness that they could not say a word. Finally they began to sing together the words and melody which the angel had taught them.
Meanwhile the lovely Mother of God modestly observed all that they did and felt, for she also saw into their inmost hearts. And when they had finished singing their beautiful hymn, she spoke to them, urging them to persevere in the love and service of the Lord. They stayed in the cave from dawn until noon, when Mary graciously gave them something to eat. As they were about to leave, she allowed each of them in turn to hold the divine Babe for a moment, and each one, as he reverently gave the Child back to her, wept tears of sweet joy and gratitude. Then they left, filled with heavenly consolation and understanding, 'glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them.”
“But Mary kept in mind all these words, pondering them in her heart.”
“And all who heard marveled at the things, told them by the shepherds.” The following day the latter returned with their wives and children, bringing gifts of eggs and honey and cloth. The men helped St. Joseph to make the grotto somewhat more habitable, and some devout women who had known him as a boy in Bethlehem brought firewood and did some cooking and washing for the Holy Family.
Once during these happy days after the Nativity, while Mary and Joseph were alone, absorbed in contemplating the Christ Child, their donkey came into the stable and suddenly knelt down on its forelegs and bowed its head to the ground before the Babe in the crib.
Most of the time the loving Mother of God held her divine Son in her arms. Whenever she took Him up, she first made three genuflections and humbly kissed the ground before kneeling at the crib and touching the tiny Jesus. And when she thought that she should nurse Him, she first asked His permission. All her angels remained present and visible to her until the Flight into Egypt, and on rare occasions she gave her Baby into the hands of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. She would not sleep except when the Lord Himself commanded her to do so. With her angels and with St. Joseph, she often composed and sang beautiful hymns in honor of the holy Child. And she often gave her good husband the intense pleasure of hearing her refer to Jesus as “our Son.”
Many times in caressing her beloved Son, she humbly kissed His feet, and she always asked His consent before kissing His sacred face. And often He returned her affection by putting His little arms around her neck.
At such times Mary said to Him: 'O my Love, sweet Life of my soul, who art Thou, and who am I? What return shall I make for the great things which Thou hast done to me?'
SPEAKING OF THE NATIVITY, THE MOTHER OF GOD SAID TO ST BRIDGET OF SWEDEN:
'And when I gave birth to Him, I brought Him forth without pain, just as I had also conceived Him with such great joy of soul and body that in my rapture my ftet did not feel the around on which they were standing. And as He hadfilled my soul with happiness on entering my body, so did He again come forth in such a way that my whole body and soul exulted with indescribable joy and in such a way that my virginity was not impaired.
“How overwhelmed I was when I perceived and gazed at His beauty, and when I realized that I was not worthy of such a Son. And then, too, when I looked at the places where the nails would be driven into His hands and ftet, how my eyes filled with tears and how my heart was torn with grief! And when my Son saw the tears in my eyes, He was sad unto death.
“But then, when I contemplated the Power of His Divinity, I regained conjidence, for I knew that it was His will and that it would be for the good, and I made my whole will conform to His.
“Thus my happiness was ever mixed with sorrow.
AND TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“Who would be so hardened as not to be moved to tenderness at the sight of their God become man, humiliated in povert); despised, unknoum, entering the world in a cave, lying on a manger surrounded by brute animals, protected only by a poverty-stricken Mother, and cast off by the foolish arrogance of the world? Who will dare to love the vanity and pride which was openly scorned and condemned by the Creator of Heaven and earth in His actions? No one should despise the humility, poverty and indigence which the Lord loved and chose for Himself as the very means of teaching the Way of Eternal Life. Few there are who stop to consider this truth and this example, and as a result of this rank ingratitude only the few reap the fruit of these great mysteries.”
The Circumcision
During the first days after the Nativity, whenever Mary thought of the painful ceremonial operation known as Circumcision, which the Law of Israel prescribed for every male child on the eighth day after birth, she suffered intensely. Although she had received no intimation of God's will, in her humility and prudence she refrained from asking either the Lord or her angels whether her divine Son had to submit to this purifying rite. When she spoke of it to St. Joseph, they both wept tears of compassion.
Then one day while Mary was kneeling in prayer, the Lord said to her: “My Daughter, do not let your heart be afflicted because your Son is to be subjected to the pains of circumcision. I have sent Him into the world as an example. Therefore resign yourself to the shedding of His Blood.”
Whereupon the Blessed Virgin prayed: “Supreme Lord and God, I offer to Thee this most meek Lamb. But if His pains may be mitigated at the expense of my suffering, Thou hast power to effect this exchange. . . . ' Rising from prayer, she told St. Joseph that since the time for the Circumcision was near and they had not received any orders to the contrary, it seemed necessary that they should comply with the Law. She also informed him that the rite was to be performed in the usual way, except that she herself would hold the Child. Then with reference to the name to be given to the Infant Saviour during the ceremony, St. Joseph said:
“The holy angel told me that your sacred Son should be called Jesus. “
And Mary answered: “The same name was revealed to me when He assumed flesh in my womb, and we will propose this name to the priest.”
While they were conversing thus, innumerable strikingly beautiful angels in human form, clothed in shining white garments, descended from on high, each holding on his breast a shield on which was engraved the word Jesus. Their two leaders, the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, said to Mary: “This is the Name of your Son, which the Blessed Trinity has given Him as the sign of salvation for the whole human race. But now He is to shed His Blood in receiving it, since it is that of the Saviour. This will be the beginning of His sufferings in obedience to His Father's Will. We have come to accompany Him and to minister to Him until He ascends into Heaven.”
St. Joseph also witnessed this marvelous sight, and both he and Mary were filled with supernatural joy and admiration.
On the eighth day therefore, after having duly prepared everything in the stable, St. Joseph went to Bethlehem and returned with a dignified, elderly priest and his two assistants. At first, the priest was somewhat astonished and shocked at the primitiveness and poverty of the Holy Family's home. But the young Mother of God welcomed him with such modesty and grace that he was soon moved to deep respect and devotion toward such a saintly person. And when he saw the divine Child in her arms, his soul was filled with tender mystic reverence for the adorable Babe of Bethlehem.
The ceremony was to take place at the entrance to the grotto, not far from the crib. St. Joseph lighted two candles, and the priests began to recite some prayers. When the old priest asked Mary to give her Son to the two assistants and to withdraw a bit so that she should not have to witness the painful sacrifice, the Mother of God hesitated, torn between her spirit of humble obedience oil the one hand and her love and reverence for Jesus on the other. Finally she meekly requested to be allowed to stay and to hold her Son in her arms, as she did not wish to leave Him at such a moment. She asked only that the operation be performed as delicately as possible on account of the Child's unusual sensitiveness.
The priest consented, and Mary then unwound her Baby's swaddling clothes and drew from her bosom a linen towel which she had placed there in order to warm it, as the weather was very cold that day. After sitting down and spread. ing out this towel on her lap, she placed her Child on it, and the priest then proceeded to perform the ceremony of Circumcision with a small flint knife, while St. Joseph recited the ritual prayer: “Blessed be Jehovah the Saviour. He hath sanctified His well-beloved from the womb of His Mother and hath written the Law in our flesh. He hath signed His Son with the sign of His Covenant, that He may impart to Him the bless ings of Abraham our father.'
To which the assistants responded: 'Blessed be He whom Thou hast chosen for Thy child!”
Now, with infinite love, the divine Son of God offered up to His Father in Heaven the sacrifice of this first shedding of His Precious Blood as a pledge that He would one day give it all for the Redemption of mankind. True to His human nature, the tiny Babe of Bethlehem cried as other children do, though His tears were caused more by supernatural sorrow over the hardheartedness of men than by His physical pain, which was intense.
As usual His holy Mother perceived and felt all that He was doing and suffering, and she too wept. When the rite was over, in mutual love and compassion the Child clung to His Mother while she tenderly caressed and comforted Him as she wrapped Him again in His swaddling clothes.
After some more prayers, the priest asked the parents what name they wished to give the Child. Both Mary and Joseph now said at the same time: 'Jesus is His name!”
Then, while the old priest recited a prayer, a luminous angel appeared before him and showed him the name Jesus written on a piece of wood. Profoundly moved and shedding tears of supernatural joy, the priest inscribed the Holy Name on a parchment register. And under the inspiration of divine grace, he exclaimed: “I am convinced that this Child is to be a Prophet of the Lord! Take great care in raising Him, and let me know how I can relieve your needs.”
The ceremony being completed, Joseph and Mary gratefully offered a light meal to the priests and two shepherds who had also been present. And when the visitors left, Mary gave the old priest some candles as a gift. The three priests were good and devout men, and they later attained salvation.
When the Holy Family was alone again, as the Infant Jesus was crying from pain, Mary withdrew to the end of the grotto with Him, and, sitting down, she lowered her veil and soothed Him by nursing Him, weeping quietly as she did so.
During the day some poor persons came to the stable and St. Joseph generously gave them alms. But among them were some wandering beggars who insulted and cursed him because they were not satisfied with his presents.
That night Jesus' pain was so severe that He could not rest, and He often cried. So Mary and Joseph took turns walking up and down the grotto with Him. In moments when they were not grieving over His suffering, they sang canticles of praise and joy in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus.
A few days later St. Elizabeth came with an old servant to pay the Holy Family a visit. Mary was overjoyed when she affectionately embraced her cousin, whom St. Joseph respectfully welcomed. Elizabeth wept as she reverently and lovingly clasped the Infant Jesus to her breast.
Mary and Elizabeth now had several long, intimate talks together, sitting side by side next to the crib. The Blessed Virgin told her cousin all that she and St. Joseph had experienced, and when she described the trouble they had had in finding a lodging, St. Elizabeth wept a great deal. And after the Mother of God had told her about the miraculous birth of her Son, Elizabeth said to her: “The birth of my John was indeed quite painless, but it certainly was very different..”
After St. Elizabeth left, various visitors came to see the Infant Jesus, bringing gifts. But Mary asked a woman who helped her to distribute most of these presents among the poor families in Bethlehem.
The Adoration of the Magi
The Mother of God knew by supernatural enlightenment that on the night of the Nativity an angel had been sent to announce the birth of the Saviour of mankind to the three Magi Kings of the East, and she also knew that they would soon come to adore the Infant Jesus in the stable, for which she had a real affection. Yet when St. Joseph suggested that they move to a more comfortable dwelling in Bethlehem, Mary simply answered, without revealing the mystery:
'My husband and master, wherever you wish to go, I will follow with great pleasure.”
Just then the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel appeared to them both and said: “Divine Providence has ordained that three kings of this world shall come from the East in search of the King of Heaven, and shall adore the Word Incarnate in this very place. They are already ten days on the way and will shortly arrive.”
Joseph and Mary therefore set about preparing the grotto for the visit of the Kings, and during the following days the Blessed Virgin saw in visions the Magi traveling together across the deserts east of the Holy Land.
The three Kings, whose names (according to tradition) were Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior, ruled over what is now Iraq and Iran. Gaspar of Mesopotamia, the youngest, was light brown in appearance, Balthasar of Parthia was dark brown, while Melchior of Media, the oldest, was rather stout and had an olive-colored complexion. All three were unusually just and honorable men who were also great scholars and students of religion. Through their knowledge of the Old Testament prophecies and of certain traditions of their own peoples, they believed in the coming of the Saviour of mankind. And because they were kind and generous and good men, on the night of the Nativity they earned the privilege of being told by the angels in a dream that the long-awaited King of the Jews had just been born, that He was the Promised Redeemer, and that they were chosen by the Lord to seek Him and to honor Him. Though each one received this revelation separately, each was made aware that it had also been given to the other two. The three Kings awoke at the same hour of the night, filled with extraordinary joy, and prostrating themselves on the ground they humbly thanked and worshipped Almighty God. Then they decided to leave immediately for the Land of Israel in order to adore the divine Child. Without delay they prepared gifts and procured the necessary camels, provisions and servants for their journey.
As each King set out that evening, he suddenly perceived a beautiful mystic star, which was formed by the angels, and in this star he saw a symbolic vision of a Virgin and a Child with a cross, who was the King of a heavenly city and whom all the kings on earth worshipped. The star then guided the three Magi in such a way that within a few days they came together, Melchior having traveled more rapidly than the others from his more distant kingdom. All three, who were already intimate friends, after conferring about their revelations became still more inflamed with devotion for the newborn King, and they now pursued their trip together, always under the guidance of the star, which they could see as clearly during the day as at night. Each King was accompanied by four or five relatives and friends and a large number of servants, all riding on camels, dromedaries or horses, and consequently the caravan consisted of about two hundred persons. The journey across the deserts, mountains, and rivers of Chaldea and Syria took nearly a month, despite the fact that the camels and horses were unusually fleet-footed. The whole caravan traveled in perfect order, and everyone seemed filled with simple joy and devotion. At times, while contemplating the mystic star, the good Kings spontaneously composed and sang lovely canticles, with words such as: “Beyond the mountains we yearn to kneel at the feet of the newborn King!”
At last, after crossing the River Jordan, they arrived before the walls of Jerusalem, which, because it was the capital of Israel, they thought was the logical birthplace of the new King of the Jews. However, they were already disturbed by the fact that, contrary to their expectations, they had observed no signs of rejoicing among the people over the birth of the Messias. Also as they approached the great city, the star almost faded from their sight. At the city gate they questioned some of the guards, saying: “Where is the newly born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
But to their astonishment, the guards and other Jews indicated that they knew nothing about the birth of a new King of Israel. Then at the request of the Magi, messengers were sent to arrange an interview with King Herod in his palace. And while they were waiting, the three Wise Men became very discouraged and only recovered some of their confidence after a period of silent prayer.
Herod having agreed to see the Kings the following morning, the caravan camped for the night in a large courtyard.
But the Magi could not sleep. Instead they wandered through the city with guides, and studied the sky as though they were looking for the star. They thought that perhaps Herod wanted to hide the Child King from them.
Actually Herod too was so deeply troubled that he could not sleep, and during the night he summoned the high priests and doctors of the Law to meet with him. And he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. Unrolling their scriptures and pointing to a passage in the Book of Micheas, they said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet.”
Becoming still more disturbed and fearful for his throne, Herod thereupon resolved to have the Infant King secretly put to death. Taking some of the priests with him, he went out onto a porch and tried in vain to see the star of the Magi. Meanwhile the scholars urged him to pay no attention to the fantastic stories of the Eastern rulers, for they insisted that, if the Messias had indeed been born, the fact would already be known both in the Temple and in the Palace. Realizing how unpopular he was among the people, Herod decided to keep the whole matter quiet.
He therefore received the Magi, in secret, at dawn the following morning in a large hall in which refreshments and bouquets of flowers had been prepared for his guests. After having made them wait a while, he entered, accompanied by several doctors of the Law, and proceeded to question the Wise Men closely concerning the time when the star had first appeared to them and concerning all that they knew about the Infant King. Then Gaspar described the vision which they had had of a Virgin and a royal Child whom the kings of the earth adored, because His kingdom was greater than all the kingdoms of the world. After telling them. about the prophecy referring to Bethlehem, Herod hypocritically pretended that he too wished to adore the Infant King, and he said to the Magi:
“Go and make careful inquiry concerning the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may go and worship Him.”
Leaving the king very ill at ease, and without taking any of his refreshments, the Magi set out with their caravan for Bethlehem. Soon after they had passed out of the city gate, they again perceived the star and burst into cries of joy and happy songs. Then they camped for awhile and said some prayers, and all of a sudden a spring of clear, fresh water gushed out of the ground before their eyes. Taking this as a good omen, they built a small pool and let their animals drink their fill. The three Kings now ate their first meal since leaving Jerusalem. Later in the day they continued on their way over the hills of Judea to Bethlehem.
When they arrived in the City of David toward evening, the star disappeared again, and they felt somewhat anxious. They were directed to the Valley of the Shepherds as a suitable place for the caravan to camp overnight. After their servants had put up a large tent and had begun to unpack provisions, the three Kings suddenly perceived the star shining with extraordinary brightness over a nearby hill. Then a beam of fiery light descended from the star onto the grotto, and in this ray the Magi saw a vision of the holy Child. Reverently taking off their headdress, they slowly walked over to the hill and found the entrance to the stable. Gaspar pushed the door open and caught sight of the humble Mother of God sitting with the Infant Jesus at the far end of the cave, which was filled with a heavenly light. Both Mother and Child were just as the Kings had seen them in the vision a month before.
St. Joseph and an old shepherd now came out of the grotto, and the Magi told him very simply and modestly that they had come to worship the newborn King of the Jews and to offer Him their gifts, whereupon Joseph welcomed them with touching friendliness and cordiality. Then, accompanied by the shepherd, they returned to their tent in order to prepare for the solemn ceremony by which they planned to honor the Saviour. And after having assembled their gifts and put on their great, white, silk cloaks, they set out for the grotto in an orderly procession with their relatives and servants.
When Mary knew that the Magi were approaching, she asked St. Joseph to stay at her side, and she calmly awaited them, standing with her Son in her arms, her head and shoulders covered with her veil, in perfect modesty and beauty, with a celestial light shining in her countenance and shedding over her a majesty that was more than human, even amid the extreme poverty of the stable.
After taking off their sandals and turbans, the three Kings entered the grotto. At their first sight of the Mother and Child, they were overwhelmed with reverence and admiration, and their pure hearts overflowed with joyful devotion. By a special permission of God they also perceived the multitude of resplendent angels who were attending the King of kings. Then the three Magi simultaneously prostrated themselves very humbly on the ground and fervently worshipped the divine Infant, acknowledging Him as their Lord and Master and as the Saviour of all mankind.
When they arose, Mary sat down, holding Jesus on her lap. And the Kings approached her, for they wished to kiss her hand, as they customarily did to the queens in their countries. But the Queen of Heaven and earth modestly withdrew her hand and said: “My spirit rejoices in the Lord, because among all the nations He has called you to behold the Eternal Word Incarnate. Let us therefore praise His Name!”
Then she uncovered the upper part of the Christ Child's body, which was wrapped in red and white swaddling clothes, and with one hand she supported His head, while she put her other arm around Him. The Infant Jesus had His tiny hands crossed on His chest, as if He were praying, and all His features seemed to radiate joy and love.
Seeing the divine Babe of Bethlehem thus, the three Kings fell on their knees before Him and again adored and worshipped Him. Their hearts became inflamed with a burning mystical devotion for Him. And in a fervent silent prayer they offered to the Christ Child their kingdoms, their peoples, their families, all their possessions, and their own selves. They humbly begged Him to rule over their souls and thoughts and all their actions, to enlighten them and to give happiness, peace and charity to the world. Tears of joy and devotion ran down their cheeks, while all they could say was: “We saw His Star-we know that He is to reign over all kings -and we have come to worship Him and to offer Him our gifts.”
Then Gaspar took from a purse hanging at his waist a number of small gold bars and laid them at Mary's feet. Next the copper-skinned Balthasar placed a golden censer with green incense on a table in front of Jesus. Finally Melchior came forward and left on the table a lovely little flowering shrub which gave forth myrrh.
As each gift was presented, the divine Infant smiled and waved His arms in a very lovable way, while Mary nodded with touching humility and spoke a few words of simple heartfelt gratitude to each of the three Kings. Then they congratulated St. Joseph on his good fortune in being chosen as the husband of the Mother of the Messias, and ex. pressed their profound sympathy over the dire poverty in which the Holy Family was living.
After the Magi had been in the stable for three hours, they withdrew, and their servants were allowed to enter in groups of five and to adore the Child Jesus. Meanwhile, outside the grotto, the Magi and their relatives stood around a great old tree and joyfully chanted their evening prayers. Then they went to their tent, where St. Joseph and some of the shepherds had prepared a light supper for them consisting of bread, fruit, vegetables and honey. As he sat there eating with the good Kings, Joseph was so happy that his eyes filled with tears. And when he returned to the grotto, he and Mary were overflowing with a joy that they had never known before, as at last they saw how Almighty God had brought to His Incarnate Son the honors and gifts that were due to Him.
The next day the Magi generously distributed food, clothing and money among the needy families of Bethlehem, and they sent their servants to the grotto with many choice presents, which Mary set aside for charity. The Kings planned to return to Jerusalem the following morning, and so they now went to say farewell to the Holy Family.
First they consulted the Blessed Virgin concerning many mysteries of faith and the practice of religion in their daily lives and duties. Her words were so filled with divine truth that the Wise Men were deeply moved and wished that they did not have to part from her. When they presented some gems of great value to her, Mary respectfully refused them. They also offered to have a comfortable house built for her, but she humbly thanked them without accepting.
When at last the Kings had to leave, the Mother of God allowed each of them to hold the Christ Child in his arms, and as each did so, his face became transfigured with joy and he wept tenderly. At the door they very fervently begged Mary and Joseph to pray for them. Then, in order to make them happy, Mary suddenly unwound her long yellow veil and handed it to Gaspar. The three Magi bowed low before her and gratefully accepted this precious relic, and when they looked up, their hearts were thrilled with reverence and love as they contemplated the full heavenly beauty of both Mother and Child.
After chanting their evening prayers, the Kings and their attendants retired for the night-until, about midnight, an angel warned them in a dream to leave at once for the East without passing by Jerusalem.
Within less than an hour the caravan had quietly packed up all its equipment, and after a last, touching farewell to St. Joseph, the Magi silently vanished into the night, guided by an angel.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“My daughter, great were the gifts which the Kings offered to my most holy Son, but greater still was the affection with which they offered them and the mystery concealed beneath them. I wish you also to offer up similar gifts. For I assure you, my dearest, that there is no more acceptable gift to the Most High than voluntary poverty. There are few in the world who use temporal riches well and offer them to their Lord with the generosity and love of those holy Kings. You too can make such an offering of the things necessary for sustenance, giving a part to the poor. Your ceaseless offer, however, must be love, which is the gold; continual prayer, which is the incense,- and the patient acceptance of labors and true mortifications, which is the myrrh. All that you do for the Lord, you should offer up to Him with ardent affection.”
CHAPTER 15 : JESUS' CIRCUMCISION AND PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE
After the departure of the Magi, the Mother of God said to St. Joseph: “My master, dispose of all the offerings of the Kings as belonging to my Son and to yourself; I deserve nothing.” Together they divided the gifts into three parts: one for the Temple (the incense and myrrh and some of the gold), another for the priest who had circumcised the Child, and the rest for the poor.
A devout woman whom Mary had helped urged the Holy Family to move into her modest home, and they humbly accepted her invitation. Sadly they took leave of the holy stable, after cleaning it thoroughly.
During the days that remained before the Purification, when alone with His beloved Mother, the Infant Jesus often murmured to her: “My Dove, My Chosen One, My dearest Mother, make thyself like unto Me!”
When the poor women and children of Bethlehem came to visit Mary, she gave them gifts and tactfully instructed them in the knowledge of God, the mysteries concerning the expected Messias, and the practice of virtues in everyday life. Sometimes their superficial talk about such matters was so full of confusion that it made St. Joseph smile secretly, yet he continuously marveled at Mary's patience, firmness and gentleness in leading these poor people to the truth, as well as at her great humility and reserve.
When the fortieth day after the Nativity drew near, the Immaculate Mother of God did not hesitate to subject herself to the general Hebrew law requiring the purification of mothers and the presentation of first-born sons in the Temple at Jerusalem. For she saw in the soul of her divine Son that He wished to offer Himself as a living victim to the eternal Father in the Temple.
Consequently Mary and Joseph gratefully took leave of the good woman who had sheltered them, and went with Jesus to the cave of the Nativity for a last visit. Having gently placed the Christ Child on the ground at the very spot where He was born, they both knelt and prayed fervently together, and they did the same where He had been circumcised.
Then, as usual before a journey, Mary asked her husband for his blessing, and on this special occasion for his permission to make the trip on foot and with bare feet. But St. Joseph replied kindly yet firmly:
“May the Son of the eternal Father, whom I hold in my arms, give you His blessing! You may travel to Jerusalem on foot, but not barefooted, because of the weather.”
Prostrating herself on the ground for the last time in the grotto of the Nativity, with all her heart Mary thanked the Infant Jesus for the marvelous blessings which He had given to Joseph and herself and to all mankind in the stable of Bethlehem, and she prayed to God that this holy place might always be revered by Christians.
Rising to her feet, she covered herself with her cloak and took her Baby into her arms, pressing Him to her breast to protect Him from the cold winter wind. Then, after the Infant God had visibly given them His blessing, Joseph and Mary set out for Jerusalem, accompanied by a donkey bearing their few belongings and the gifts for the Temple. Some of the good shepherds bade them a sad and touchingly affectionate farewell.
During the five-mile journey, the weather was unusually severe. Cold, sleety winds made the Child Jesus shiver and weep.
Toward evening, having traveled slowly with several resting periods, the Holy Family reached the city gate of Jerusalem and found a welcome lodging in the humble home of a devout old couple without children. Then, at Mary's suggestion, St. Joseph went alone to the Temple and made an anonymous donation of the myrrh, incense and gold, in order to avoid any ostentation of wealth at the ceremony the following day.
The holy Mother of God spent the night before the Purification in fervent prayer. Speaking to the Eternal Father, she said: “My Lord and my God, a festive day for Heaven and earth will be that on which I offer the living Victim to Thee in Thy Temple. In return, this is what I ask of Thee, my Lord: pour forth Thy mercies upon mankind, pardoning sinners, consoling the afflicted, and helping the needy! My soul shall magnify Thee forever. . . . “
That night, the holy man Simeon, a very old and thin priest with a short beard, was kneeling at prayer in a tiny cell of the great Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Ghost, who dwelt in him, had already revealed to him that he was not to die until he had seen the promised Messias. Now while he was praying in ecstasy, an angel appeared to him and told him to observe carefully the first child presented to the priests the next morning, for that child would be the Saviour of the world for whom he longed so much. The angel also informed Simeon that he would die soon afterward. The old man was inflamed with joy.
The holy matron Anna was likewise favored with a vision concerning the Purification, and she rejoiced greatly, because she had been one of Mary's teachers during her stay in the Temple as a girl.
Before dawn the Holy Family left their lodging in Jerusalem and went to the Temple, accompanied by thousands of invisible chanting angels. At the entrance of the Women’s Court, Mary knelt and humbly presented herself to God with His Son in her arms. She was dressed in a light-blue robe, over which she wore a long, yellow mantle and a white veil.
The simple and devout old priest Simeon, who had been waiting for several hours already, could no longer restrain his impatience. Moved by the Holy Spirit, he went to meet his Lord, and in the hallway he caught sight of both Mother and Child surrounded by a wonderful light. After saying a few words to Mary, with the greatest joy he took the divine Child into his arms and pressed Him to his heart. Then he quietly withdrew into another part of the building, while Mary was led by a woman to the Temple Court. St. Joseph had given the basket with the two turtledoves to Anna and then passed through another door to the men’s section.
In the large ceremonial hall everything was prepared. On the walls many lamps hung in pyramid form. Several priests had placed in front of the altar a long table covered with a white cloth on which rested a cradle like container and two baskets.
Simeon came to Mary and led her to the table, where she placed in the cradle the Child Jesus, who was wrapped in a long sky-blue veil. Then she was led back to the grilled-in Women’s section, in which about twenty mothers with their first-born sons were waiting their turn.
The holy Temple now seemed to be filled with a heavenly light. Almighty God was present there. And above the Child the heavens seemed to open before the throne of the Holy Trinity.
Simeon and three other priests, having put on their ceremonial vestments, took their places around the table and prayed over the Babe. Then Anna gave Mary the basket with her offerings of fruit and coins, and Simeon again led her to the table. One of the priests took up the Child, raised Him toward Heaven and turned to Simeon, who placed Him back in the Virgin’s arms and recited over them both some prayers from a rolled manuscript. Then Simeon led Mary back to Anna, who accompanied her to the women’s section.
After these ceremonies were over, Simeon came to Mary and received the Infant Jesus from her hands. Then, raising his eyes to Heaven in an ecstasy of joy, he offered the Child to the eternal Father, glorifying God for having fulfilled the promises, and saying: “Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, in peace: because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: 'A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory for Thy people Israel. “
St. Joseph had come to join Mary, and he listened with deep respect to the inspired words of the old man. Simeon blessed them both. Then addressing himself to Mary, who was luminous like a heavenly rose, he added: “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
At the moment when the priest mentioned the sword and the sign of contradiction, which were prophetical of the Passion and death of the Lord, the Child Jesus bowed His head, thereby ratifying the prophecy and accepting it as the sentence of the eternal Father pronounced by His minister. All this was understood by Mary, and she began to feel sorrow, for as in a mirror her spirit was made to see the mysteries included in this prophecy. All these things remained indelibly impressed on her memory.
Anna the Prophetess was also inspired and proclaimed the Child's Mother blessed.
Mary then humbly kissed the hand of the priest and again asked his blessing, and she did the same to Anna, her former teacher. Then with St. Joseph and her divine Child she returned to her lodging. Not long afterward both Simeon and Anna passed away in peace.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN:
“I did not need Purification, like other women, because my Son who was born of me, made me clean. Nevertheless, that the Law and the prophecies might be fulfilled, I chose to live according to the Law. Nor did I live like worldly parents, but humbly conversed with the humble. Nor did I wish to show anything extraordinary in me, but loved whatever was humble.
“On that day (of the Purification) my pain was increased. For though by divine inspiration I knew that my Son was to suffer, yet this grief pierced my heart more keenly at Simeon’s words. And until I was assumed in body and soul to Heaven, this grief never left my heart, although it was tempered by the consolation of the Spirit of God. Let not, then, this grief leave thy heart, for without tribulation few would reach Heaven. “
AND TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“My daughter, the doctrine and example contained in this Mystery will teach thee to strive after the constancy and expansion of thy heart by which thou mayest prepare thyself to accept blessings and adversity, the sweet and the bitter, with equanimity.
“How persistently the human heart forgets that its Teacher and Master has, first accepted sufferings, and has honored and sanctified them in His own Person. Remember the sorrow that pierced my heart at the prophecies of Simeon, and how I remained in peace and tranquility even though my heart and soul were transfixed by a sword of pain. “Seek ever to preserve inward peace.
'Full of trust in me, whenever tribulation comes over thee fervently exclaim: “'The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?'“
CHAPTER 16 : THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
After the Purification, Mary and Joseph decided to stay in Jerusalem for nine days in order to renew their offering of the Child Jesus and to acknowledge their gratitude for the great blessing which God had given them. Every day therefore, from noon until midnight, they prayed humbly in an obscure corner of the Temple.
On the fifth day the Lord said to Mary: “My Spouse and My Dove, you cannot finish the nine days' devotion. Herod is seeking the life of the Child. In order to save your Son’s life, you must flee with Him and Joseph into the land of Egypt. The journey is long, hard and very tiring. Suffer it all for My sake, for I am and always will be with you.”
The Mother of God answered meekly: “My Lord, dispose of me according to Thy Will. I ask only that Thou permit not my Son to suffer and that Thou turn all pains and hardships upon me.” But as she left the Temple with the Infant Jesus in her arms, Mary's compassionate heart was filled with sorrow for Him, and she wept.
At home in their two rented rooms she prudently kept the disturbing news to herself, since she had not been told to reveal it to her husband. St. Joseph noticed that she was troubled, but he thought that it was due to Simeon’s prophecy.
That night, while Joseph was sleeping, an angel in the radiant form of a young man appeared in his room and said to him: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt, and remain there until I tell thee. For Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him!”
Taking Joseph by the hand, the angel raised him up, and vanished. As St. Joseph dressed hurriedly, he was greatly worried for Mary's sake and for the safety of the Child Jesus. He lit his lamp and after knocking on the door of his wife’s room, humbly asked her whether he could come in. Then, upon entering, he said to her anxiously:
“My Lady, God wills that we should be tried further, for His holy angel has announced to me that we must flee to Egypt with the Child, because Herod is planning to take His life. Prepare yourself, my dear wife, to bear the hardships of the journey, and tell me what I can do to alleviate them.”
“My husband and master,' replied Mary calmly, “if we have received from God such great blessings and graces, it is fitting that we should joyfully accept temporal suffering. Wherever we go, we carry Our Lord with us, and He is our comfort and our country. So let us proceed to fulfill His holy Will.”
Then she went to the crib at the foot of the bed, where the Infant Jesus was sleeping, and falling on her knees she awakened Him and took Him in her arms. At first the divine Babe wept a little, but when Mary and Joseph asked Him for His blessing, He gave it to them visibly.
After St. Joseph had hurriedly packed their few belongings on the donkey that had traveled with them from Nazareth, the Holy Family left Jerusalem shortly before midnight on their long and dangerous trip to Egypt.
Mary held in her arms the Infant Jesus, who was well wrapped in swaddling clothes and supported by a large piece of linen which was tied around His Mother's neck. The Blessed Virgin wore a long cloak that covered her and the Child, and also a wide veil.
Although Mary and Joseph were filled with anxiety for Jesus, they felt greatly encouraged when, as they went through the city gate, all the splendid angel protectors of the Mother of God again appeared in bright human forms and changed the night into day for them.
As the Holy Family journeyed southward in the direction of Bethlehem, Mary longed to visit and again venerate the holy grotto of the Nativity, but her angels informed her that such a delay would be dangerous. Then, with St. Joseph’s permission, she sent one of the angels to warn St. Elizabeth to hide with her son John in the desert around the town of Hebron, where they were then living.
The Holy Family spent their first night in a cave in the hills south of Bethlehem, off the regular caravan route. They were thirsty and exhausted, and Mary was so sorry for her Child that she wept. But at her prayer a spring of clear water suddenly gushed forth, and a wild goat came to them and allowed Joseph to milk it.
Late the next day, as they were crossing the desert near Hebron, they ran out of water, and both Mary and Joseph suffered keenly from thirst.
St. Elizabeth and John were then hiding in a cave on a hill nearby. Suddenly John felt that his Lord was close and was suffering. He fell on his knees and prayed fervently with his arms extended.
St. Elizabeth sent one of her servants with generous gifts of money, food and clothing to the Holy Family, which he overtook near Gaza. There they rested briefly, while Mary shared these gifts with the poor and healed several sick and crippled women.
Then the Holy Family set out on the long and difficult journey across the great desert between Palestine and Egypt.
While it was still dark, they had to pass through a stretch of ground infested with many dangerous snakes which slithered toward them and reared up, hissing menacingly, but did not harm them.
During the first night in the desert the Holy Family rested at the foot of a small sand dune. After they had eaten and after Mary had nursed her Babe, St. Joseph made a sort of tent with his cloak and some sticks in order to protect the Mother and Child from the wind, and he slept near them on the ground, resting his head on the sack that contained their belongings. Mary now perceived that Jesus was offering up to His Father all their hardships, and she did likewise, praying with Him and with her angels most of the night.
Within a few days the poor travelers had exhausted all their small provisions of fruit and bread and water, although they tried to make their supply last longer by not eating several times until nine o’clock at night. And while they were thus suffering from hunger and thirst and fatigue, a strong wind and sandstorm arose. Finally, at Mary's fervent prayer for her Son and her husband, the Lord commanded her angels to serve them some nourishing food and drink.
During the long journey, while Mary walked or rode on the donkey, always holding her divine Son in her arms, she often thanked Him for having made her His Mother. Three times a day she nursed Him, and whenever they stopped for a rest she caressed Him tenderly. A few times the Infant Jesus wept tears of love and compassion for mankind, and Mary would weep too. Often Mother and Son conversed mystically.
At other times St. Joseph would talk with Mary, frequently asking her what he could do for her or Jesus. Sometimes he would humbly and devoutly kiss the feet of the divine Child and take Him in his arms and beg Him for His blessing. Thus the Holy Family passed the ten days of their flight across the barren desert, consoling and cheering one another in mutual kindness and love.
Several times, when they were resting, a great number of birds came flying toward Mary and entertained her by perching on her shoulders and hands, chirping affectionately and joyfully. Then she urged them to be thankful to God for their beautiful plumage, their freedom in the air, and their daily food on the ground, and she joined them in singing lovely lullabies for the Infant Jesus. And often she sang hymns of praise to the Lord with her angels.
Once when the travelers were completely lost and did not know which way to go, Mary and Joseph were deeply troubled for a moment. But after they had prayed fervently for help, some wild animals came toward them in a friendly manner and ran off in a certain direction, thus indicating the right way.
One evening the Holy Family arrived at the camp of some highway robbers, who were at first inclined to treat them cruelly. But when the leader looked at the Infant ' Jesus, somehow his hard heart was deeply touched, and he ordered his men not to harm the travelers. Taking them into his hut, he had his wife give them some food and settle them comfortably in a corner.
At Mary's request the woman brought her a large container filled with water, in which the Blessed Virgin gave her Son a bath and washed His swaddling clothes. Meanwhile the chief robber said to his wife:
“That is no ordinary child - He is a holy Baby. Ask His Mother to let you bathe our leprous son in the water she has used. Perhaps it will heal him. . . . “
But before the woman said a word, Mary urged her to wash her sick son in the water. Then the mother brought in her three-year-old boy, whose leprosy was so advanced that it covered all his face and body. Yet as soon as he was placed in the water that Jesus had used, which was now clearer than it had been before, the sick boy's skin became perfectly smooth and healthy.
His mother was almost beside herself with joy and gratitude. She tried to kiss Mary and Jesus, but the Mother of God gently held her off and did not let her touch either of them. The father told all his men about the miracle, and they crowded into the hut and stared at the Holy Family with awe.
Later Mary had a long talk with the mother, who promised that she would stop living from crime as soon as she could.
That night Mary hardly slept at all. She remained sitting on her bed, praying.
The next morning when the Holy Family left with some new provisions, the robber chief gratefully said good-by to them and exclaimed with deep emotion: “Remember me, wherever you are!'
(Thirty-three years later his robber son said to the Man crucified beside him on Calvary: “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom!” And that time -again due to Mary's prayers-Jesus healed his soul).
Within a few days, although nearing the end of their trip, the Holy Family was once more utterly exhausted and suffering intensely from hunger and thirst. While they were resting on a sand dune, Mary prayed again for help, and a spring of water began to flow beside her. After they had quenched their thirst, she bathed the Infant Jesus in the water. Then, as they approached the delta of the Nile, they camped under a tall date tree, which at Mary's prayer bent over so that they could pick and eat its fruit. That night they spent in the shelter of a great hollow sycamore tree.
Finally, after ten days of torture on the endless sands of the desert the Holy Family reached the fertile land of Egypt.
OUR LORD SAID TO ST BRIDGET OF SWEDEN:
“By My flight to Egypt I showed the infirmities of My Humanity and fulfilled the prophecies. I gave, too, an example to My disciples that sometimes persecution is to be avoided for the greater future glory of God. That I was not found by My pursuers, the counsel of My Divinity prevailed over the counsel of man, for it is not easy to fight against God.”
AND THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“I was not alarmed in my exile and prolonged journey. Since I trusted in the Lord, He provided for me in the time of my need. Even when help is somewhat delayed, it will always be at hand at a time when it will do most good. Thus it happened with me and my husband in the time of our destitution and necessity. “
CHAPTER 17 : THE YEARS OF EXILE
After the Holy Family had fled from Palestine, King Herod, “seeing that he had been tricked by the Magi, was exceedingly angry,” and he gave a secret order to his officers in Bethlehem to kill all male children under two years of age. The Slaughter of the Innocents took place in a large courtyard of a palace to which the mothers and children had been summoned. Executioners armed with swords and spears proceeded to cut the throats or pierce the chests of the infants and to throw their bodies onto a pile, before the eyes of the helpless and frantic mothers, who screamed and tore their hair.
While this frightful atrocity was occurring, Mary and Jesus in Egypt were mystically aware of it. With heartbroken anguish Mary joined her divine Son in praying for the souls of the murdered children and for their grieving parents. Jesus asked His Father to reward these first fruits of His own Passion with the crown of martyrdom, and His request was granted.
Although the Blessed Virgin was very anxious to know how young John the Baptist had escaped the massacre, she refrained from asking the Lord to enlighten her. But He soon informed her that St. Elizabeth and John had escaped from Herod's soldiers by hiding in a cave in the desert, where they were now living under the greatest hardships. Mary therefore immediately obtained the permission of Jesus to send them provisions by means of her angels.
A few years later, when John was only four years old, his saintly mother died peacefully, assisted by Mary's angels, who also helped to bury her in the desert. Young John was then supported by a holy hermit who often visited him. The Forerunner of Christ grew up in the wilderness, living a hard and solitary life of ever-increasing prayer and mortification. He received his education, not from men, but directly from the Holy Spirit. His only companions were the wild animals of the desert, with whom he was on friendly terms. The birds especially loved to come and perch on his shoulders or on his staff, while he talked to them familiarly. Often too he conversed with angels, humbly yet with all the innocent frankness of a deeply religious boy.
When the Holy Family entered the pagan land of Egypt, the Infant Jesus in the arms of His Mother raised His eyes and hands to the Eternal Father and asked for the salvation of its inhabitants. And as they arrived at the town of Heliopolis or City of the Sun, He used His divine power to drive the demons from the idols in the temples. Some of the idols then crashed to the ground and broke into many pieces, causing a great commotion among the people.
St. Joseph found a poor and humble three-room house at a small distance from the town. Upon entering this new home, the Mother of God knelt on the ground and kissed it with profound humility, thanking the Lord for giving them this place of rest after their long and hard journey. She dedicated all that she was to do there to the glory of God, and she offered to take upon herself all the trials and labors of their exile. Then she set about cleaning the rooms.
During the next three days the Holy Family was so completely destitute that they had to live on whatever St. Joseph could beg for them. Then he succeeded in obtaining work in his trade as a carpenter. But he was not well treated by the persons who employed him. Looking upon him as a foreigner and a refugee, they paid him whatever they pleased. Sometimes after a whole day's work he was not able to bring any money home. As the house was without any furniture, he soon made a couch for Mary and a cradle for Jesus, as well as some low tables and stools. Of the three rooms, they assigned one to the Mother and Child, and the other two to St. Joseph as his bedroom and workshop.
The Holy Family adjusted themselves to their poverty calmly and even joyfully. However, Mary decided to help in earning their living. She therefore began to do needlework for some good women in the Jewish colony, and soon her reputation for skill and quality work spread, so that she was never in want of employment. But she always re. fused to do any frivolous fashion pieces, although her attitude aroused criticism among some other customers. While she sewed, the Infant Jesus lay quietly in His cradle beside her Due to the many hours which she now spent at this work, she had to devote more of the night hours to prayer and contemplation. Her divine Son was greatly pleased with her zeal and acceptance of poverty, and wishing to lessen her labor, one day He said to her:
“My Mother, I wish to make a rule for your daily life and work. From nightfall you will take some sleep and rest. From midnight until dawn We will praise the Eternal Father together. Then prepare the necessary food for yourself and Joseph, and afterward give Me food and hold Me in your arms until noon, when you will place Me in the arms of your husband, to give him some refreshment in his labors. Then retire and return to your work until it is time to prepare the evening meal. And pray continually to the Eternal Father for sinners.”
Mary and Joseph had the Infant Jesus with them as they took their meals. Whenever St. Joseph wished to caress the divine Child, he humbly asked Mary's permission. And taking the little Jesus in his arms, he was so filled with tender joy and love that he forgot all his hardships or even considered them easy and sweet. Both Mary and Joseph often received such heart-warming consolations from Jesus that they gladly accepted all their trials for love of Him.
While the Holy Family was in Egypt, they joyfully celebrated the first anniversary of the Annunciation, and later of the Nativity. On each occasion Mary prepared for the anniversary by nine days of prayer, and celebrated it by prostrating herself before the Infant Jesus in the form of a cross, begging Him to thank the Eternal Father for all the graces which the gift of His Only-Begotten Son was bringing to her and to the whole human race. Then, inflamed with the love of God, she rose up and sang beautiful hymns alternately with her angels, to honor her Son.
Until this time the Divine Child had spoken only to His Mother and only when alone with her. Now when He reached the age of one year, He decided to break His silence and speak to His foster father. One day, therefore, when Mary and Joseph were talking together with deep reverence about the marvelous goodness of God as manifested in the Incarnation, the Child Jesus, resting in His Mother's arms, said to St. Joseph in a clear voice: 'My father!”
Upon hearing the Infant God call him “father,” Joseph, his heart thrilling with new love, gratitude, and joy, fell on his knees before Jesus and while tears ran down his cheeks, thanked Him for such a grace and begged Him to enlighten him and enable him in all things to fulfill God's holy will.
Then Jesus continued: 'I have come from Heaven upon this earth in order to be the Light of the world and in order to rescue it from the darkness of sin, to seek and to know My sheep, as a good shepherd, to give them the nourishment of eternal life, to teach them the way to Heaven, and to open its gates, which had been closed by their sins. And I desire that you both be children of the Light, which you have so close to you.”
Now Mary placed Jesus in the cradle. and kneeling before Him said: “My Son and sweetest love of my soul, Thou hast been oppressed for a long time by the swaddling clothes. Tell me, my Lord, what shall I do to place Thee freely on Thy feet?”
'My mother,” replied the Child Jesus, “on account of the love which I bear toward men, the swathings of My childhood have not seemed irksome to Me, for when I shall be grown up I shall be bound and delivered to My enemies to be put to death. I wish to possess only one garment during all My life, for I seek nothing more than what is sufficient to cover Me. Clothe Me, My Mother, in a tunic of a lowly and ordinary color. This alone will I wear, and it shall grow with Me. Over this garment they shall cast lots at My death .... Men shall see that I was born and wish to live poor and destitute of visible things which, being earthly, oppress and darken the heart of man. I shall not have anything to do with visible things except to offer them up to the Eternal Father, renouncing them for His love, and making use of only so much as is sufficient to sustain My natural life, which I will afterward yield up for man’s sake. By this example I wish to impress upon the world the doctrine that it must love poverty and not despise it.”
But Mary replied: “My Son and my Lord, Thy Mother has not the heart to allow Thee to go barefoot at this tender age. Permit me, my Love, to provide some kind of covering to protect Thy feet. I also fear that the rough garment which Thou askest of me will wound Thy tender body if Thou”, bearest no linen beneath.”
“My Mother, I will permit a slight and ordinary covering for My feet until the time of My public preaching, for I must do that barefooted. But I do not wish to wear linen.”
Mary therefore set about at once preparing her Sons robe. She obtained some natural and uncolored wool, and spinning it very finely with her own hands, she wove it on a small loom into a one-piece garment without any seam. At her request its color was changed to a unique mixture of brown and silver-gray. She also made a half tunic as undergarment and a pair of strong sandals.
When all was ready, after humbly asking her Divine Son’s permission, Mary carefully and lovingly clothed Him and set Him on His feet. Although she had taken no measurements beforehand, the robe fitted Him perfectly, covering His feet without hindering Him in walking, and the sleeves extended to the middle of His hands. The collar was round in front and somewhat raised around the neck. Our Lord never took off this robe until His executioners tore it off at the Scourging and the Crucifixion, for by divine power it continually grew with Him, adjusting itself to His body. Nor did it ever become worn in appearance or lose its color, and it always remained spotlessly clean.
Then Mary gently placed the Infant God on His feet for the first time, and He took His first steps on this earth. He was by far the most beautiful Child who has ever lived. Upon seeing Him standing there in His plain and humble robe, the angels marveled, while Mary and Joseph were filled with new love and joy.
The Mother of God continued to nurse her Son until He was a year and a half old. Then He began to take frugal meals of broth mixed with oil, and some fruits and fish. He never asked for food, and later He ate all His meals with His Mother and foster father. Then Mary always waited for Him to give the blessing at the beginning and thanks at the end of each meal.
Now that the Child Jesus could walk, He began to retire and spend certain hours in prayer in His Mother's room. As she silently wondered whether she should stay with Him at such times, He said to her:
“My Mother, remain with Me always in order to imitate Me in My actions, for I have chosen you as the vessel and model of all perfection.”
Mary therefore frequently joined Him in praying for mankind. And sometimes when the divine Child meditated on the ingratitude with which men would receive the Redemption, she saw Him weep and even perspire blood, and then she would sorrowfully wipe His little face. At other times she saw Him resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by sweetly chanting angels.
Within a few years a number of children began to gather around the young Jesus, for He soon won their hearts by His kindness and qualities of leadership. They often came to visit Him, and He took them to drink at a fountain behind the house which Mary had discovered. With words full of life and strength He instructed His little friends in the knowledge of God and the virtues, and His informal teaching made such a deep impression that all these boys later became great and saintly men.
One day, as soon as He was strong enough, while Mary was praying in her room, the Child Jesus took a pitcher and filled it with water at the fountain. When she saw Him bringing it to her, she was profoundly moved. And from that day Jesus always thoughtfully carried water for her whenever she needed it, without her having to ask for it. He also helped St. Joseph, handing him his tools or pieces of wood. When He was old enough, the boy Jesus took His Mother's needlework to her customers in town and brought back some bread. Occasionally, after a trip to town, He wept over the suffering and sinning which He had seen in the city. He then began to visit the sick in the hospitals with His Mother, seeking out those who were most afflicted in order to cheer and console them. Attracted by His charity and sanctity, they often gave Him gifts, which He refused or accepted only for distribution among the poor.
The merciful Mother of God did not hesitate to tend to the festering ulcers and sores of the women, and she often changed their bandages with her own hands, while comforting the suffering patients. Frequently she healed them, and St. Joseph was given power to cure some of the men. When a severe pestilence devastated the town, Jesus, Mary and Joseph nursed and healed many of the victims.
As a result, the Holy Family became very popular among the people, especially among the poor, and a large number of men and women came to them for advice and instruction. In order to honor His Mother, Jesus told her to teach them the laws of the one true God. Speaking therefore to each individual in a way suited to his or her personality and problems, she urged them to give up their sinful ways of living in order to serve and worship the Lord in purity and in truth. Her gentle and modest manner and her penetrating messages were so moving and inspiring that many of her listeners were converted to a better life and eventually became Christians. St. Joseph also helped in instructing the men in his own plain and sincere way. Thus the Holy Family sowed in Egypt the spiritual seed that was later to develop into many generations of holy Christians, saints, martyrs and hermits.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SAID TO VENERABLE MOTHER MARY OF AGREDA:
“My daughter, I came into Egypt, where I knew no relations or friend, in a land of foreign religion, where 1 could offer no home or protection or assistance to my Son, whom I loved so much. It can easily be understood, then, what tribulations and hardships we suffered. Thou canst not understand with what patience and resignation we accepted them. It is true, I grieved much to see my husband in such necessity and want, but at the same time I blessed the Lord to be able to suffer them. In this noble patience and joy of spirit I wish thee to imitate me whenever the Lord offers thee an opportunity. My most holy Son chose poverty and taught it by word and by example. This same doctrine I taught and practiced during all my life. I wish thee to love and diligently to seek after this poverty “