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The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
by Anne Catherine Emmerich
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Reflections on the Visions.
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WHENEVER, during my meditations on the Passion of our Lord, I imagine I
hear that frightful cry of the Jews, His blood be upon us, and upon our
children,' visions of a wonderful and terrible description display
before my eyes at the same moment the effect of that solemn curse. I
fancy I see a gloomy sky covered with clouds, of the colour of blood,
from which issue fiery swords and darts, lowering over the vociferating
multitude; and this curse, which they have entailed upon themselves,
appears to me to penetrate even to the very marrow of their bones, even
to the unborn infants. They appear to me encompassed on all sides by
darkness; the words they utter take, in my eyes, the form of black
flames, which recoil upon them, penetrating the bodies of some, and
only playing around others.
The last-mentioned were those who were converted after the death of
Jesus, and who were in considerable numbers, for neither Jesus nor Mary
ever ceased praying, in the midst of their sufferings, for the
salvation of these miserable beings.
When, during visions of this kind, I turn my thoughts to the holy souls
of Jesus and Mary, and to those of the enemies of Christ, all that
takes place within them is shown me under various forms. I see numerous
devils among the crowd, exciting and encouraging the Jews, whispering
in their ears, entering their months, inciting them still more against
Jesus, but nevertheless trembling at the sight of his ineffable love
and heavenly patience. Innumerable angels surrounded Jesus, Mary, and
the small number of saints who were there. The exterior of these angels
denotes the office they fall; some represent consolation, others
prayer, or some of the works of mercy.
I likewise often see consolatory, and at other times menacing voices,
under the appearance of bright or coloured gleams of light, issuing
from the mouths of these different apparitions; and I see the feelings
of their souls, their interior sufferings, and in a word, their every
thought, under the appearance of dark or bright rays. I then understand
everything perfectly, but it is impossible for me to give an
explanation to others; besides which, I am so ill, and so totally
overcome by the grief which I feel for my own sins and for those of the
world, I am so overpowered by the sight of the sufferings of our Lord,
that I can hardly imagine how it is possible for me to relate events
with the slightest coherency. Many of these things, but more especially
the apparitions of devils and of angels, which are related by other
persons who have had visions of the Passion of Jesus Christ, are
fragments of symbolical interior perceptions of this species, which
vary according to the state of the soul of the spectator. Hence the
numerous contradictions, because many things are naturally forgotten or
omitted.
Sister Emmerich sometimes spoke on these subjects, either during the
time of her visions on the Passion, or before they commenced; but she
more often refused to speak at all concerning them, for fear of causing
confusion in the visions. It is easy to see how difficult it must have
been for her, in the midst of such a variety of apparitions, to
preserve any degree of connection in her narrations. Who can therefore
be surprised at finding some omissions and confusion in her
descriptions?
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