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The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
by Anne Catherine Emmerich
MEDITATION V.
Jesus goes up to Jerusalem.
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IN the morning, while the Apostles were engaged at Jerusalem in
preparing for the Pasch, Jesus, who had remained at Bethania, took an
affecting leave of the holy women, of Lazarus, and of his Blessed
Mother, and gave them some final instructions. I saw our Lord
conversing apart with his Mother, and he told her, among other things,
that he had sent Peter, the apostle of faith, and John, the apostle of
love, to prepare for the Pasch at Jerusalem. He said, in speaking of
Magdalen, whose grief was excessive, that her love was great, but still
somewhat human, and that on this account her sorrow made her beside
herself. He spoke also of the schemes of the traitor Judas, and the
Blessed Virgin prayed for him. Judas had again left Bethania to go to
Jerusalem, under pretence of paying some debts that were due. He spent
his whole day in hurrying backwards and forwards from one Pharisee to
another, and making his final agreements with them He was shown the
soldiers who had been engaged to seize the person of our Divine
Saviour, and he so arranged his journeys to and fro as to be able to
account for his absence. I beheld all his wicked schemes and all his
thoughts. He was naturally active and obliging, but these good
qualities were choked by avarice, ambition, and envy, which passions he
made no effort to control. In our Lord's absence he had even performed
miracles and healed the sick.
When our Lord announced to his Blessed Mother what was going to take
place, she besought him, in the most touching terms, to let her die
with him. But he exhorted her to show more calmness in her sorrow than
the other women, told her that he should rise again, and named the very
spot where he should appear to her. She did not weep much, but her
grief was indescribable, and there was something almost awful in her
look of deep recollection. Our Divine Lord returned thanks, as a loving
Son, for all the love she had borne him, and pressed her to his heart.
He also told her that he would make the Last Supper with her,
spiritually, and named the hour at which she would receive his precious
Body and Blood. Then once more he, in touching language, bade farewell
to all, and gave them different instructions.
About twelve o'clock in the day, Jesus and the nine Apostles went from
Bethania up to Jerusalem, followed by seven disciples, who, with the
exception of Nathaniel and Silas, came from Jerusalem and the
neighbourhood. Among these were John, Mark, and the son of the poor
widow who, the Thursday previous, had offered her mite in the Temple,
whilst Jesus was preaching there. Jesus had taken him into his company
a few days before. The holy women set off later.
Jesus and his companions walked around Mount Olivet, about the valley
of Josaphat, and even as far as Mount Calvary. During the whole of this
walk, be continued giving them instructions. He told the Apostles,
among other things, that until then he had given them his bread and his
wine, but that this day he was going to give them his Body and Blood,
his whole self-all that he had and all that he was. The countenance of
our Lord bore so touching an expression whilst he was speaking, that
his whole soul seemed to breathe forth from his lips, and he appeared
to be languishing with love and desire for the moment when he should
give himself to man. His disciples did not understand him, but thought
that he was speaking of the Paschal Lamb. No words can give an adequate
idea of the love and resignation which were expressed in these last
discourses of our Lord at Bethania, and on his way to Jerusalem.
The seven disciples who had followed our Lord to Jerusalem did not go
there in his company, but carried the ceremonial habits for the Pasch
to the supper-room, and then returned to the house of Mary, the mother
of Mark. When Peter and John came to the supper-room with the chalice,
all the ceremonial habits were already in the vestibule, whither they
had been brought by his disciples and some companions. They had also
hung the walls with drapery, cleared the higher openings in the sides,
and put up three lamps. Peter and John then went to the Valley of
Josaphat, and summoned our Lord and the twelve Apostles. The disciples
and friends who were also to make their Pasch in the supper-room, came
later.
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