e dead, and I reflected and wondered in my own mind
whether it would be possible ever to purify if again.

The sons of Simeon, and the nephew of Joseph of Arimathea, were much
grieved when they heard of the arrest of their uncle, but they welcomed
the Blessed Virgin and her companions, and conducted them all over the
Temple, which they did without difficulty, as they held the offices of
inspectors of the Temple. The holy women stood in silence and
contemplated all the terrible and visible marks of the anger of God
with feelings of deep awe, and then listened with interest to the many
stupendous details recounted by their guides. The effects of the
earthquake were still visible, as little had been done towards
repairing the numerous rents and cracks in the floor, and in the walls.
In that part of the Temple where the vestibule joined the sanctuary,
the wall was so tremendously shaken by the shock of the earthquake, as
to produce a fissure wide enough for a person to walk through, and the
rest of the wall looked unsteady, as if it might fall down at any
moment. The curtain which hung in the sanctuary was rent in two and
hung in shreds at the sides; nothing was to be seen around but crumbled
walls, crushed flagstones, and columns either partly or quite shaken
down.

The Blessed Virgin visited all those parts which Jesus had rendered
sacred in her eyes; she prostrated, kissed them, and with tears in her
eyes explained to the others her reasons for venerating each particular
spot, whereupon they instantly followed her example. The greatest
veneration was always shown by the Jews for all places which had been
rendered sacred by manifestations of the Divine power, and it was
customary to place the hands reverently on such places, to kiss them,
and to prostrate to the very earth before them. I do not think there
was anything in the least surprising in such a custom, for they both
knew, saw, end felt that the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,
was a living God, and that his dwelling among his people was in the
Temple at Jerusalem; consequently it would have been infinitely more
astonishing if they had not venerated those holy parts where his power
had been particularly demonstrated, for the Temple and the holy places
were to them what the Blessed Sacrament is to Christians.

Deeply penetrated with these feelings of respect, the Blessed Virgin
walked trough the Temple with her companions, and pointed out to them
the spot