ated
concerning the descent of Jesus into Limbo, where he went in order to
present to the souls there detained the grace of the Redemption which
he had merited for them by his death and by his sufferings; and I saw
all these things in a very short space of time; in fact, time passed so
quickly that it seemed to me but a moment. Our Lord, however, displayed
before me, at the same time, another picture, in which I beheld the
immense mercies which he bestows in the present day on the poor souls
in Purgatory; for on every anniversary of this great day, when his
Church is celebrating the glorious mystery of his death, he casts a
look of compassion on the souls in Purgatory, and frees some of those
who sinned against him before his crucifixion. I this day saw Jesus
deliver many souls; some I was acquainted with, and others were
strangers to me, but I cannot name any of them.

Our Lord, by descending into Hell, planted (if I may thus express
myself), in the spiritual garden of the Church, a mysterious tree, the
fruits of which--namely, his merits--are destined for the constant relief of
the poor souls in Purgatory. The Church militant must cultivate the
tree, and gather its fruit, in order to present them to that suffering
portion of the Church which can do nothing for itself. Thus it is with
all the merits of Christ; we must labour with him if we wish to obtain
our share of them; we must gain our bread by the sweat of our brow.
Everything which our Lord has done for us in time must produce fruit
for eternity; but we must gather these fruits in time, without which we
cannot possess them in eternity. The Church is the most prudent and
thoughtful of mothers; the ecclesiastical year is an immense and
magnificent garden, in which all those fruits for eternity are gathered
together, that we may make use of them in time. Each year contains
sufficient to supply the wants of all; but woe be to that careless or
dishonest gardener who allows any of the fruit committed to his care to
perish; if he fails to turn to a proper account those graces which
would restore health to the sick; strength to the weak, or furnish food
to the hungry! When the Day of Judgment arrives, the Master of the
garden will demand a strict account, not only of every tree, but also
of all the fruit produced in the garden.

CHAPTER LX.

The Eve of the Resurrection.

Towards the close of the Sabbath-day, John came to see the holy
women. He endeavoured to