The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics Read online

  But to their astonishment, the guards and other Jews indicated that they knew nothing about the birth of a new King of Israel. Then at the request of the Magi, messengers were sent to arrange an interview with King Herod in his palace. And while they were waiting, the three Wise Men became very discouraged and only recovered some of their confidence after a period of silent prayer.

  Herod having agreed to see the Kings the following morning, the caravan camped for the night in a large courtyard. But the Magi could not sleep. Instead they wandered through the city with guides, and studied the sky as though they were looking for the star. They thought that perhaps Herod wanted to hide the Child King from them.

  Actually Herod too was so deeply troubled that he could not sleep, and during the night he summoned the high priests and doctors of the Law to meet with him. And he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. Unrolling their scriptures and pointing to a passage in the Book of Micheas, they said to him:

  “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet.”

  Becoming still more disturbed and fearful for his throne, Herod thereupon resolved to have the Infant King secretly put to death. Taking some of the priests with him, he went out onto a porch and tried in vain to see the star of the Magi. Meanwhile the scholars urged him to pay no attention to the fantastic stories of the Eastern rulers, for they insisted that, if the Messiah had indeed been born, the fact would already be known both in the Temple and in the Palace. Realizing how unpopular he was among the people, Herod decided to keep the whole matter quiet.

  He therefore received the Magi, in secret, at dawn the following morning in a large hall in which refreshments and bouquets of flowers had been prepared for his guests. After having made them wait a while, he entered, accompanied by several doctors of the Law, and proceeded to question the Wise Men closely concerning the time when the star had first appeared to them and concerning all that they knew about the Infant King. Then Gaspar described the vision which they had had of a Virgin and a royal Child whom the kings of the earth adored, because His kingdom was greater than all the kingdoms in the world. After telling them about the prophecy referring to Bethlehem, Herod hypocritically pretended that he too wished to adore the Infant King, and he said to the Magi:

  “Go and make careful inquiry concerning the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may go and worship Him.”

  Leaving the King very ill at ease, and without taking any of his refreshments, the Magi set out with their caravan for Bethlehem. Soon after they had passed out of the city gate, they again perceived the star and burst into cries of joy and happy songs. Then they camped for a while and said some prayers, and all of a sudden a spring of clear, fresh water gushed out of the ground before their eyes. Taking this as a good omen, they built a small pool and let their animals drink their fill. The three Kings now ate their first meal since leaving Jerusalem. Later in the day they continued on their way over the hills of Judea to Bethlehem.

  When they arrived in the City of David toward evening, the star disappeared again, and they felt somewhat anxious. They were directed to the Valley of the Shepherds as a suitable place for the caravan to camp overnight. After their servants had put up a large tent and had begun to unpack provisions, the three Kings suddenly perceived the star shining with extraordinary brightness over a nearby hill. Then a beam of fiery light descended from the star onto the grotto, and in this ray the Magi saw a vision of the holy Child. Reverently taking off their headdress, they slowly walked over to the hill and found the entrance to the stable. Gaspar pushed the door open and caught sight of the humble Mother of God sitting with the Infant Jesus at the far end of the cave, which was filled with a heavenly light. Both Mother and Child were just as the Kings had seen them in the vision a month before.

  St. Joseph and an old shepherd now came out of the grotto, and the Magi told him very simply and modestly that they had come to worship the newborn King of the Jews and to offer Him their gifts, whereupon Joseph welcomed them with touching friendliness and cordiality. Then, accompanied by the shepherd, they returned to their tent in order to prepare for the solemn ceremony by which they planned to honor the Saviour. And after having assembled their gifts and put on their great, white, silk cloaks, they set out for the grotto in an orderly procession with their relatives and servants.

  When Mary knew that the Magi were approaching, she asked St. Joseph to stay at her side, and she calmly awaited them, standing with her Son in her arms, her head and shoulders covered with her veil, in perfect modesty and beauty, with a celestial light shining in her countenance and shedding over her a majesty that was more than human, even amid the extreme poverty of the stable.

  After taking off their sandals and turbans, the three Kings entered the grotto. At their first sight of the Mother and Child, they were overwhelmed with reverence and admiration, and their pure hearts overflowed with joyful devotion. By a special permission of God they also perceived the multitude of resplendent angels who were attending the King of kings. Then the three Magi simultaneously prostrated themselves very humbly on the ground and fervently worshiped the divine Infant, acknowledging Him as their Lord and Master and as the Saviour of all mankind.

  When they arose, Mary sat down, holding Jesus on her lap. And the Kings approached her, for they wished to kiss her hand, as they customarily did to the queens in their countries. But the Queen of heaven and earth modestly withdrew her hand and said:

  “My spirit rejoices in the Lord, because among all the nations He has called you to behold the Eternal Word Incarnate. Let us therefore praise His Name!”

  Then she uncovered the upper part of the Christ Child’s body, which was wrapped in red and white swaddling clothes, and with one hand she supported His head, while she put her other arm around Him. The Infant Jesus had His tiny hands crossed on His chest, as if He were praying, and all His features seemed to radiate joy and love.

  Seeing the divine Babe of Bethlehem thus, the three Kings fell on their knees before Him and again adored and worshiped Him. Their hearts became inflamed with a burning mystical devotion for Him. And in a fervent silent prayer they offered to the Christ Child their kingdoms, their peoples, their families, all their possessions, and their own selves. They humbly begged Him to rule over their souls and thoughts and all their actions, to enlighten them and to give happiness, peace, and charity to the world. Tears of joy and devotion ran down their cheeks, while all they could say was:

  “We saw His Star—we know that He is to reign over all kings—and we have come to worship Him and to offer Him our gifts.”

  Then Gaspar took from a purse hanging at his waist a number of small gold bars and laid them at Mary’s feet. Next the copper-skinned Balthasar placed a golden censer with green incense on a table in front of Jesus. Finally Melchior came forward and left on the table a lovely little flowering shrub which gave forth myrrh.

  As each gift was presented, the divine Infant smiled and waved His arms in a very lovable way, while Mary nodded with touching humility and spoke a few words of simple heartfelt gratitude to each of the three Kings. Then they congratulated St. Joseph on his good fortune in being chosen as the husband of the Mother of the Messiah, and expressed their profound sympathy over the dire poverty in which the Holy Family was living.

  After the Magi had been in the stable for three hours, they withdrew, and their servants were allowed to enter in groups of five and to adore the Child Jesus. Meanwhile, outside the grotto, the Magi and their relatives stood around a great old tree and joyfully chanted their evening prayers. Then they went to their tent, where St. Joseph and some of the shepherds had prepared a light supper for them, consisting of bread, fruit, vegetables, and honey. As he sat there eating with the good Kings, Joseph was so happy that his eyes filled with tears. And when he returned to the grotto, he and Mary were overflowing with a joy that they had never known before, as at last they saw how Almighty God had brought to His Incarnate Son the honors and g
ifts that were due to Him.

  The next day the Magi generously distributed food, clothing, and money among the needy families of Bethlehem, and they sent their servants to the grotto with many choice presents which Mary set aside for charity. The Kings planned to return to Jerusalem the following morning, and so they now went to say farewell to the Holy Family.

  First they consulted the Blessed Virgin concerning many mysteries of faith and the practice of religion in their daily lives and duties. Her words were so filled with divine truth that the Wise Men were deeply moved and wished that they did not have to part from her. When they presented some gems of great value to her, Mary respectfully refused them. They also offered to have a comfortable house built for her, but she humbly thanked them without accepting.

  When at last they had to leave, the Mother of God allowed each of the Kings to hold the Christ Child in his arms, and as each did so, his face became transfigured with joy and he wept tenderly. At the door they very fervently begged Mary and Joseph to pray for them. Then, in order to make them happy, Mary suddenly unwound her long yellow veil and handed it to Gaspar. The three Magi bowed low before her and gratefully accepted this precious relic, and when they looked up, their hearts were thrilled with reverence and love as they contemplated the full heavenly beauty of both Mother and Child.

  After chanting their evening prayers, the Kings and their attendants retired for the night—until, about midnight, an angel warned them in a dream to leave at once for the East without passing by Jerusalem.

  Within less than an hour the caravan had quietly packed up all its equipment, and after a last, touching farewell to St. Joseph, the Magi silently vanished into the night, guided by an angel.

  The Blessed Virgin said to Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda:

  “My daughter, great were the gifts which the Kings offered to my most holy Son, but greater still was the affection with which they offered them and the mystery concealed beneath them. I wish you also to offer up similar gifts. For I assure you, my dearest, that there is no more acceptable gift to the Most High than voluntary poverty. There are few in the world who use temporal riches well and offer them to their Lord with the generosity and love of those holy Kings. You too can make such an offering of the things necessary for sustenance, giving a part to the poor. Your ceaseless offer, however, must be love, which is the gold; continual prayer, which is the incense; and the patient acceptance of labors and true mortifications, which is the myrrh. All that you do for the Lord, you should offer up to Him with ardent affection.”

  The Adoration of the Magi

  XVII

  The Purification

  fter the departure of the Magi, the Mother of God said to St. Joseph:

  “My master, dispose of all the offerings of the Kings as belonging to my Son and to yourself—I deserve nothing.”

  Together they divided the gifts into three parts: one for the Temple (the incense and myrrh and some of the gold), another for the priest who had circumcised the Child, and the rest for the poor.

  A devout woman whom Mary had helped urged the Holy Family to move into her modest home, and they humbly accepted her invitation. Sadly they took leave of the holy stable, after cleaning it thoroughly.

  During the days that remained before the Purification, when alone with His beloved Mother, the Infant Jesus often murmured to her:

  “My Dove, My Chosen One, My dearest Mother, make thyself like unto Me!”

  When the poor women and children of Bethlehem came to visit Mary, she gave them gifts and tactfully instructed them in the knowledge of God, the mysteries concerning the expected Messiah, and the practice of virtues in everyday life. Sometimes their superficial talk about such matters was so full of confusion that it made St. Joseph smile secretly, yet he continuously marveled at Mary’s patience, firmness, and gentleness in leading these poor people to the truth, as well as at her great humility and reserve.

  When the fortieth day after the Nativity drew near, the Immaculate Mother of God did not hesitate to subject herself to the general Hebrew law requiring the purification of mothers and the presentation of first-born sons in the Temple at Jerusalem. For she saw in the soul of her divine Son that He wished to offer Himself as a living victim to the eternal Father in the Temple.

  Consequently Mary and Joseph gratefully took leave of the good woman who had sheltered them, and went with Jesus to the cave of the Nativity for a last visit. Having gently placed the Christ Child on the ground at the very spot where He was born, they both knelt and prayed fervently together, and they did the same where He had been circumcised.

  Then, as usual before a journey, Mary asked her husband for his blessing, and on this special occasion for his permission to make the trip on foot and with bare feet. But St. Joseph replied kindly yet firmly:

  “May the Son of the eternal Father, whom I hold in my arms, give you His blessing! You may travel to Jerusalem on foot, but not barefooted, because of the weather.”

  Prostrating herself on the ground for the last time in the grotto of the Nativity, with all her heart Mary thanked the Infant Jesus for the marvelous blessings which He had given to Joseph and herself and to all mankind in the stable of Bethlehem, and she prayed to God that this holy place might always be revered by Christians.

  Rising to her feet, she covered herself with her cloak and took her Baby into her arms, pressing Him to her breast to protect Him from the cold winter wind. Then, after the Infant God had visibly given them His blessing, Joseph and Mary set out for Jerusalem, accompanied by a donkey bearing their few belongings and the gifts for the Temple. Some of the good shepherds bade them a sad and touchingly affectionate farewell.

  During the five-mile journey, the weather was unusually severe. Cold, sleety winds made the Child Jesus shiver and weep.

  Toward evening, having traveled slowly with several resting periods, the Holy Family reached the city gate of Jerusalem and found a welcome lodging in the humble home of a devout old couple without children. Then, at Mary’s suggestion, St. Joseph went alone to the Temple and made an anonymous donation of the myrrh, incense, and gold, in order to avoid any ostentation of wealth at the ceremony the following day.

  The holy Mother of God spent the night before the Purification in fervent prayer. Speaking to the eternal Father, she said:

  “My Lord and my God, a festive day for heaven and earth will be that on which I offer the living Victim to Thee in Thy Temple. In return, this is what I ask of Thee, my Lord: pour forth Thy mercies upon mankind, pardoning sinners, consoling the afflicted, and helping the needy! My soul shall magnify Thee forever. . . .”

  That night, the holy man Simeon, a very old and thin priest with a short beard, was kneeling at prayer in a tiny cell of the great Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Ghost, who dwelt in him, had already revealed to him that he was not to die until he had seen the promised Messiah. Now while he was praying in ecstasy, an angel appeared to him and told him to observe carefully the first child presented to the priests the next morning, for that child would be the Saviour of the world for whom he longed so much. The angel also informed Simeon that he would die soon afterward. The old man was inflamed with joy.

  The holy matron Anna was likewise favored with a vision concerning the Purification, and she rejoiced greatly, because she had been one of Mary’s teachers during her stay in the Temple as a girl.

  Before dawn the Holy Family left their lodging in Jerusalem and went to the Temple, accompanied by thousands of invisible chanting angels. At the entrance of the Women’s Court, Mary knelt and humbly presented herself to God with His Son in her arms. She was dressed in a light-blue robe, over which she wore a long, yellow mantle and a white veil.

  The simple and devout old priest Simeon, who had been waiting for several hours already, could no longer restrain his impatience. Moved by the Holy Spirit, he went to meet his Lord, and in the hallway he caught sight of both Mother and Child surrounded by a wonderful light. After saying a few words to Mary, with the greatest
joy he took the divine Child into his arms and pressed Him to his heart. Then he quietly withdrew into another part of the building, while Mary was led by a woman to the Temple Court. St. Joseph had given the basket with the two turtledoves to Anna and then passed through another door to the men’s section.

  In the large ceremonial hall everything was prepared. On the walls many lamps hung in pyramid form. Several priests had placed in front of the altar a long table covered with a white cloth on which rested a cradle-like container and two baskets.

  Simeon came to Mary and led her to the table, where she placed in the cradle the Child Jesus, who was wrapped in a long sky-blue veil. Then she was led back to the grilled-in women’s section, in which about twenty mothers with their first-born sons were waiting their turn.

  The whole Temple now seemed to be filled with a heavenly light. Almighty God was present there. And above the Child the heavens seemed to open before the throne of the Holy Trinity.

  Simeon and three other priests, having put on their ceremonial vestments, took their places around the table and prayed over the Babe. Then Anna gave Mary the basket with her offerings of fruits and coins, and Simeon again led her to the table. One of the priests took up the Child, raised Him toward heaven and turned to Simeon, who placed Him back in the Virgin’s arms and recited over them both some prayers from a rolled manuscript. Then Simeon led Mary back to Anna, who accompanied her to the women’s section.