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 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?’”
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
XVIII
The Flight to Egypt
fter 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 near by. 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 ne
ar 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 sand storm 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.”
The Flight into Egypt
XIX
The Holy Family in Egypt
fter 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 friend
ly 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.
The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics Page 14
