Son,
loaded with his heavy Cross; she stopped at every place where our
Saviour had suffered particularly, or had received any fresh outrage
from his barbarous enemies. Her appearance, as she walked slowly along,
was that of a person seeking something; she often bent down to the
ground, touched the stones with her hands, and then inundated them with
kisses, if the precious blood of her beloved Son was upon them. God
granted her at this time particular lights and graces, and she was able
without the slightest degree of difficulty to distinguish every place
sanctified by his sufferings. I accompanied her through the whole of
her pious pilgrimage, and I endeavoured to imitate her to the best of
my power, as far as my weakness would permit.
Mary then went to Calvary; but when she had almost reached it, she
stopped suddenly, and I saw the sacred body and soul of our Saviour
standing before her. An angel walked in front; the two angels whom I
had seen in the tomb were by his side, and the souls whom he had
redeemed followed him by hundreds. The body of Jesus was brilliant and
beautiful, but its appearance was not that of a living body, although a
voice issued from it; and I heard him describe to the Blessed Virgin
all he had done in Limbo, and then assure her that he should rise again
with his glorified body; that he would then show himself to her, and
that she must wait near the rock of Mount Calvary, and that part where
she saw him fall down, until he appeared. Our Saviour then went towards
Jerusalem, and the Blessed Virgin, having again wrapped her veil about
her, prostrated on the spot which he had pointed out. It was then, I
think, past midnight, for the pilgrimage of Mary over the Way of the
Cross had taken up at least an hour; and I next saw the holy souls who
had been redeemed by our Saviour traverse in their turn the sorrowful
Way of the Cross, and contemplate the different places where he had
endured such fearful sufferings for their sakes. The angels who
accompanied them gathered sacred flesh which had been torn off by the
frequent blows he received, as also the blood with which the ground was
sprinkled on those spots where he had fallen.
I once more saw the sacred body of our Lord stretched out as I first
beheld it in the sepulchre; the angels were occupied in replacing the
garments they had gathered up of his flesh, and they received
supernatural assistance in doing this. When next I contemplated him it
was i
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