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The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
by Anne Catherine Emmerich
MEDITATION IV.
The Chalice used at the Last Supper.
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THE chalice which the Apostles brought from Veronica's house was
wonderful and mysterious in its appearance. It had been kept a long
time in the Temple among other precious objects of great antiquity, the
use and origin of which had been forgotten. The same has been in some
degree the case in the Christian Church, where many consecrated jewels
have been forgotten and fallen into disuse with time. Ancient vases and
jewels, buried beneath the Temple, had often been dug up, sold, or
reset. Thus it was that, by God's permission, this holy vessel, which
none had ever been able to melt down on account of its being made of
some unknown material, and which had been found by the priests in the
treasury of the Temple among other objects no longer made use of, had
been sold to some antiquaries. It was bought by Seraphia, was several
times made use of by Jesus in the celebration of festivals, and, from
the day of the Last Supper, became the exclusive property of the holy
Christian community. This vessel was not always the same as when used
by our Lord at his Last Supper, and perhaps it was upon that occasion
that the various pieces which composed it were first put together. The
great chalice stood upon a plate, out of which a species of tablet
could also be drawn, and around it there were six little glasses. The
great chalice contained another smaller vase; above it there was a
small plate, and then came a round cover. A spoon was inserted in the
foot of the chalice, and could be easily drawn out for use. All these
different vessels were covered with fine linen, and, if I am not
mistaken, were wrapped up in a case made of leather. The great chalice
was composed of the cup and of the foot, which last must have been
joined on to it at a later period, for it was of a different material.
The cup was pear-shaped, massive, dark-coloured, and highly polished,
with gold ornaments, and two small handles by which it could be lifted.
The foot was of virgin gold, elaborately worked, ornamented with a
serpent and a small bunch of grapes, and enriched with precious stones.
The chalice was left in the Church of Jerusalem, in the hands of St.
James the Less; and I see that it is still preserved in that town--it
will reappear some day, in the same manner as before. Other Churches
took the little cups which surrounded it; one was taken to Antioch, and
another to Ephesus. They belonged to the patriarchs, who drank some
mysterious beverage out of them when they received or gave a
Benediction, as I have seen many times.
The great chalice had formerly been in the possession of Abraham;
Melchisedech brought it with him from the land of Semiramis to the land
of Canaan, when he was beginning to found some settlements on the spot
where Jerusalem was afterwards built; he made use of it then for
offering sacrifice, when he offered bread and wine in the presence of
Abraham, and he left it in the possession of that holy patriarch. This
same chalice had also been preserved in Noah's Ark.
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