The
following paragraphs are taken from the book The Life of the Blessed Virgin
Mary From the Visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich, translated by Sir
Michael Palairet, First published by Burns and Oates, Limited, London, England
1954.
From
“The Flight Into Egypt”
“.
. .At last I saw the Holy Family . . . pass over a mountain-ridge into a wild
and lonely region. It was dark, and the
way led past a wood. In front of this
wood, at some distance from the path, I saw a poor hut, and not far from it a
light hanging in a tree, which could be seen from a long way off, to attract
travelers. This part of the road was
sinister: trenches had been dug in it
here and there, and there were also trenches all round the hut. Hidden cords were stretched across the good
parts of the road, and when touched by travelers rang bells in the hut and
brought out its thieving inhabitants to plunder them. This robbers’ hut was not always in the same
place, it could be moved about and put up wherever its inhabitants wanted it.
“When
the Holy Family approached the light hanging in the tree, I saw the leader of
the robbers with five of his companions closing round them. At first they were evilly disposed, but I saw
that at the sight of the Infant Jesus a ray, like an arrow, struck the heart of
the leader, who ordered his comrades to do no harm to these people. The Blessed Virgin also saw this ray strike
the robber’s heart, as she later recounted to Anna the prophetess when she
returned.
“The
robber now led the Holy Family through the dangerous places to the road into
his hut. It was night. In the hut was the robber’s wife with some
children. The man told his wife of the
strange sensation that had come over him at the sight of the Child. She received the Holy Family shyly, but was
not unfriendly. The travelers sat on the
ground in a corner, and began to eat some of the provisions which they had with
them. The people in the hut were at
first awkward and shy (quite unlike, it seemed, their usual behaviour), but gradually
drew nearer and nearer to the Holy Family.
Some of the other men, who had in the meantime stabled Joseph’s donkey,
came in and out, and eventually they all became more familiar and began to talk
to the travelers. The woman brought Mary
little loaves of bread with honey and fruit, as well as goblets with
drink. A fire was burning in a hollow in
a corner of the hut. The woman arranged
a separate place for the Blessed Virgin, and brought at her request a trough
with water for washing the Infant Jesus.
She washed the linen for her and dried it at the fire. Mary bathed the Infant Jesus under a
cloth. The man was very much agitated
and said to his wife: ‘This Hebrew child
is no ordinary child, he is a holy child.
Ask his mother to allow us to wash our leprous little boy in his
bath-water, perhaps it will do him good.’ As the woman came up to Mary to ask her this,
Our Lady told her, before she had said a word, to wash her leprous boy in the
bath-water. The woman brought her
three-year-old son lying in her arms. He
was stiff with leprosy and his features could not be seen for scabs. The water in which Jesus had been bathed
seemed clearer than it had been before, and as soon as the leprous child had
been dipped into it, the scales of his leprosy fell off him to the ground and
the child was cleansed. The woman was beside
herself with joy and tried to embrace Mary and the Infant Jesus, but Mary put
out her hand and would not let her touch either herself or Jesus. . . . The people were extremely happy at the
restoration of their child to health, and showed him to their comrades who came
in and out during the night, telling them of the blessing that had befallen
them. The new arrivals, some of them
boys, stood round the Holy Family and gazed at them in wonderment. It was all the more remarkable that these
robbers were so respectful to the Holy Family, because in the very same night,
while they were housing these holy guests, I saw them seizing some other travelers
who had been enticed into their lair by the light and driving them into a great
cave deep in the wood. This cave, whose
entrance was hidden and grown over by wild plants so that it could not be seen,
seemed to be their real dwelling-place.
I saw several boys in this cave, from seven to nine years of age, who
had been stolen from their parents; and there was an old woman who kept house
there. I saw all kinds of booty being
brought in – clothes, carpets, meat, young kids, sheep, and bigger animals
too. The cave was big and contained an abundance
of things.”
“I
saw that Mary slept little that night; she sat still on her couch most of the
time. They left early in the morning,
well supplied with provisions. The
people of the place accompanied them a short way, and led them past many
trenches on to the right road. When the
robbers took leave of the Holy Family, the man said with deep emotion: ‘Remember us wherever you go.’ At these words I suddenly saw a picture of
the Crucifixion, and saw the Good Thief saying to Jesus, ‘Remember me when Thou
shalt come into Thy kingdom’, and recognized in him the boy who had been
healed.. . .”
Approximately
thirty-two years later –
The
following paragraphs are taken from the book The Dolorous Passion of Our
Lord Jesus Christ From the Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Translation
published circa 1928 by Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd., London
“.
. .During the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, the two thieves were left lying
on the ground at some distance off; their arms were fastened to the crosses on
which they were to be executed and a few soldiers stood near on guard. The accusation which had been proved against
them was that of having assassinated a Jewish woman who, with her children, was
travelling from Jerusalem to Joppa. They
were arrested, under the disguise of rich merchants, at a castle in which
Pilate resided occasionally, when employed in exercising his troops, and they
had been imprisoned for a long time before being brought to trial. The thief placed on the left-hand side was
much older than the other; a regular miscreant, who had corrupted the
younger. They were commonly called
Dismas and Gesmas, and as I forget their real names I shall distinguish them by
these terms, calling the good one Dismas, and the wicked one Gesmas. Both the one and the other belonged to a band
of robbers who infested the frontiers of Egypt; and it was in a cave inhabited
by these robbers that the Holy Family took refuge when flying into Egypt, at
the time of the massacre of the Innocents.
The poor leprous child, who was instantly cleansed by being dipped in
the water which had been used for washing the infant Jesus, was no other than
this Dismas, and the charity of his mother, in receiving and granting
hospitality to the Holy Family, had been rewarded by the cure of her child;. .
. Dismas knew nothing at all about
Jesus, but as his heart was not hardened, the sight of the extreme patience of
our Lord moved him much. When the
executioners had finished putting up the cross of Jesus, they ordered the thieves
to rise without delay, and they loosened their fetters in order to crucify them
at once, as the sky was becoming very cloudy and bore every appearance of an
approaching storm. After giving them
some myrrh and vinegar, they stripped off their ragged clothing, tied ropes
round their arms, and by the help of small ladders dragged them up to their
places on the cross. The executioners
then bound the arms of the thieves to the cross, with cords made of the bark of
trees, and fastened their wrists, elbows, knees and feet in like manner,
drawing the cords so tight that their joints cracked, and the blood burst
out. They uttered piercing cries, and the
good thief exclaimed as they were drawing him up, ‘This torture is dreadful,
but if they had treated us as they treated the poor Galilean, we should have
been dead long ago.’”
“.
. .The crosses of the two thieves were placed, the one to the right and the other
to the left of Jesus; there was sufficient space left for a horseman to ride
between them. Nothing can be imagined
more distressing than the appearance of the thieves on their crosses; they
suffered terribly, and the one on the left hand side never ceased cursing and
swearing. The cords with which they were
tied were very tight, and caused great pain; their countenances were livid, and
their eyes inflamed and ready to start from the sockets. The height of the crosses of the two thieves
was much less than that of our Lord.”
“.
. .The countenance and whole body of Jesus became even more colourless; he
appeared to be on the point of fainting, and Gesmas (the wicked thief)
exclaimed, ‘The demon by whom he is possessed is about to leave him.’ . . . Jesus raised his head a little, and
said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do.’ And Gesmas
cried out, ‘If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us.’ Dismas (the good thief) was silent, but he was
deeply moved at the prayer of Jesus for his enemies. . . . The prayers of Jesus obtained for the
good thief a most powerful grace; he suddenly remembered that it was Jesus and
Mary who had cured him of leprosy in his childhood, and he exclaimed in a loud
and clear voice, ‘How can you insult him when he prays for you? He has been silent, and suffered all your outrages
with patience; he is truly a Prophet – he is our King – he is the Son of God.’ This unexpected reproof from the lips of a
miserable malefactor who was dying on a cross caused a tremendous commotion
among the spectators; they gathered up stones, and wished to throw them at him;
but the centurion Abenadar would not allow it.”
“.
. .Dismas said to Gesmas, who was still blaspheming Jesus, ‘Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou are under the same
condemnation. And we indeed justly, for
we receive the due reqard of our deeds; but this man hath done no evil. Remember thou art now at the point of death,
and repent.” He was enlightened and
touched: he confessed his sins to Jesus,
and said: ‘Lord, if thou condemnest me
it will be with justice.’ And Jesus
replied, ‘Thou shalt experience my mercy.”
Dismas, filled with the most perfect contrition, began instantly to
thank God for the great graces he had received, and to reflect over the
manifold sins of his past life.”
“.
. . Towards the sixth hour, according to the manner of counting of the Jews,
the sun was suddenly darkened. . . . The
sky grew darker and the stars appeared to cast a red and lurid light. Both men and beasts were struck with terror;
the enemies of Jesus ceased reviling him, while the Pharisees endeavoured to
give philosophical reasons for what was taking place, but they failed in their
attempt, and were reduced to silence. .
. .Dismas then raised his head, and in a tone of humility and hope said to
Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when thou shalt
come into thy kingdom.” And Jesus
made answer, ‘Amen, I say to thee, This
day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.’”
The
thing is, because Jesus was a human being – one head, two arms, two legs and
worked the same as every other human being – He had a soul.
“.
. .The hour of our Lord was at last come; his death-struggle had commenced; a
cold sweat overspread every limb. John stood
at the foot of the Cross, and wiped the feet of Jesus with his scapular. Magdalen was crouched to the ground in a
perfect frenzy of grief behind the Cross.
The Blessed Virgin stood between Jesus and the good thief, supported by
Salome and Mary of Cleophas, with her eyes riveted on the countenance of her
dying Son. Jesus then said: ‘It is
consummated;’ and, raising his head, cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ These words, which he uttered in a clear and thrilling
tone, resounded through heaven and earth; and a moment after, he bowed down his
head and gave up the ghost. I saw his soul,
under the appearance of a bright meteor, penetrate the earth at the foot of the
Cross.”
“.
. .Limbo, the place where the souls were waiting for the Redemption, was
divided into different compartments, and encompassed by a thick foggy
atmosphere. Our Lord appeared radiant
with light and surrounded by angels, who conducted him triumphantly between two
of these compartments; the one on the left containing the patriarchs who lived
before the time of Abraham, and that on the right those who lived between the
days of Abraham and St. John Baptist. .
. . The soul of our Lord then wended its way to the right, towards that part
which really constituted Limbo; and there he met the soul of the good thief. .
.as also that of the bad thief.”
“.
. .I next saw innumerable bands of redeemed souls liberated from Purgatory and
from Limbo, who followed our Lord to a delightful spot situated above the
celestial Jerusalem. . . . The soul of the
good thief was likewise taken there, and the promise of our Lord, ‘This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise,’
was fulfilled.”
And
so like Dismas, the Good Thief, we must speak to Jesus while the soul is with
the human being on the earth so that the human being can “settle his accounts”
with Jesus before the soul goes back home to His Heaven for the very last time.
Consider: What is sin?
Sin is an offense against God.
And how do we offend God? By
breaking His Ten Commandments.
Therefore, a sinner is one who has broken God’s Ten Commandments.
And
if a human being creates a rule or law that is contrary to God’s Commandments,
then the human being’s law may not be followed.
For example, abortion and the death penalty are laws both contrary to
God’s Commandments – Thou shalt not kill.
And
how do we keep the Ten Commandments? We ask
Jesus, God’s Son, to help us.
All
Souls Home to Heaven!!!
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