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The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich
CHAPTER LXIII.
The Resurrection of our Lord.
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I BEHELD the soul of our Lord between two angels, who were in the
attire of warriors: it was bright, luminous, and resplendent as the sun
at mid-day; it penetrated the rock, touched the sacred body, passed
into it, and the two were instantaneously united, and became as one. I
then saw the limbs move, and the body of our Lord, being reunited to
his soul and to his divinity, rise and shake off the winding-sheet: the
whole of the cave was illuminated and lightsome.
At the same moment I saw a frightful monster burst from the earth
underneath the sepulchre. It had the tail of a serpent, and it raised
its dragon head proudly as if desirous of attacking Jesus; and had
likewise, if I remember correctly, a human head. But our Lord held in
his hand a white staff, to which was appended a large banner; and he
placed his foot on the head of the dragon, and struck its tail three
times with his staff, after which the monster disappeared. I had had
this same vision many times before the Resurrection, and I saw just
such a monster, appearing to endeavour to hide itself, at the time of
the conception of our Lord: it greatly resembled the serpent which
tempted our first parents in Paradise, only it was more horrible. I
thought that this vision had reference to the prophetic words, that by
the seed of the woman the head of the serpent should be crushed,' and
that the whole was intended to demonstrate the victory of our Lord over
death, for at the same moment that I saw him crush the head of the
monster, the tomb likewise vanished from my sight.
I then saw the glorified body of our Lord rise up, and it passed
through the hard rock as easily as if the latter had been formed of
some ductile substance. The earth shook, and an angel in the garb of a
warrior descended from Heaven with the speed of lightning, entered the
tomb, lifted the stone, placed it on the right side, and seated himself
upon it. At this tremendous sight the soldiers fell to the ground, and
remained there apparently lifeless. When Cassius saw the bright light
which illuminated, the tomb, he approached the place where the sacred
body had been placed, looked at and touched the linen clothes in which
it had been wrapped, and left the sepulchre, intending to go and inform
Pilate of all that had happened. However, he tarried a short time to
watch the progress of events; for although he had felt the earthquake,
seen the angel move the stone, and looked at the empty tomb, yet he had
not seen Jesus.
At the very moment in which the angel entered the sepulchre and the
earth quaked, I saw our Lord appear to his holy Mother on Calvary. His
body was beautiful and lightsome, and its beauty was that of a
celestial being. He was clothed in a large mantle, which at one moment
looked dazzlingly white, as it floated through the air, waving to and
fro with every breath of wind, and the next reflected a thousand
brilliant colours as the sunbeams passed over it. His large open wounds
shone brightly, and could be seen from a great distance: the wounds in
his hands were so large that a finger might be put into them without
difficulty; and rays of light proceeded from them, diverging in the
direction of his fingers. The souls of the patriarchs bowed down before
the Mother of our Saviour, and Jesus spoke to her concerning his
Resurrection, telling her many things which I have forgotten. He showed
her his wounds; and Mary prostrated to kiss his sacred feet; but he
took her hand, raised her, and disappeared.
When I was at some distance from the sepulchre I saw fresh lights
burning there, and I likewise beheld a large luminous spot in the sky
immediately over Jerusalem.
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