THE WONDERFUL STORY OF A NOBLE MAN WHO DIED OF LOVE ON MOUNT OF OLIVES
In addition to what has been said, I have found a story, too marvellous yet credible, for those who love God. For the Apostle [St. Paul] says: Charity believes all things (1Cor 13:7) very easily. In other words, charity does not think that people say lies easily. Even if there are apparent signs of falsehood in what is described, charity does not find it difficult to believe. It is especially true in those matters which exalt and glorify the love of God for humans and humans' love for God. Charity is the sovereign queen of virtues.Like princes, it is pleased with all that serves the glory of its empire and its rule.
The story which I am going to narrate is not so well publicized nor so well attested as the greatness of the marvel it contains require. Even so, it does not cease to be true. As St. Augustine says very well “the miracles are scarcely known," however magnificent they may be, “even in the place itself where they are performed." When those who saw them narrate them, it is difficult to believe. For that matter it does not cease to be true. In religious matters good people have greater delight in believing facts which are more difficult and more wonderful.
Once a brave, famous and virtuous knight went overseas to Palestine. He went to visit the holy places where our Lord accomplished the work of redemption. To begin this holy pilgrimage worthily, he devoutly made his confession and received Holy Communion. At first he went to the town of Nazareth where the angel announced to the most holy Virgin the mystery of the Incarnation and where the most adorable conception of the eternal Word took place. There this holy pilgrim contemplated the abyss of Divine goodness which deigned to take human nature to save humans from eternal damnation. From there he went to Bethlehem, the place of nativity. It is difficult to describe how many tears he shed there contemplating those tears with which the Son of God, the little Child of the Virgin, had bathed this holy stable. He kissed and kissed again a hundred times this sacred earth. He licked the dust on which the early infancy of the divine baby was spent.
From Bethlehem, he went to Bethabara and to the little place of Bethany. There remembering that our Lord had striped himself to be baptized, he unclothed himself. He entered the Jordan washing and drinking its water. He imagined our Saviour receiving baptism from the hand of the Precursor. He felt that he saw the Holy Spirit descending visibly on him [Jesus] in the form of a dove with the heavens still open. There it seemed to him that the voice of the eternal Father descended saying: This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased (Mt 3:16,17)
From Bethany, he went to the desert. There he saw, with the eyes of his spirit, the Saviour fasting, fighting and conquering the enemy. Then the angels come and serve him delicious food.
From there he goes up to Mount Tabor where he sees the Saviour transfigured. Then he goes to mount Sion where he feels that he sees the Saviour still on his knees in the Cenacle washing the feet of his disciples and soon after distributing his divine body in the holy Eucharist. The knight crosses over the brook of Cedron and goes to the garden of Gethsemani. There his heart melts in tears of a very loving pain as he contemplates his dear Saviour sweating blood in that dreadful agony which he was suffering. Soon after he [Jesus] is bound, tied down and led to Jerusalem. The knight also sets out, following everywhere the traces of his Beloved. He sees him, in his imagination, dragged here and there to Annas,[1] to Caiphas, to Pilate, to Herod. He sees him scourged, scoffed at, spat upon, crowned with thorns, shown to the people, condemned to death, loaded with his cross which he carries. Carrying his cross, he has the pitiable meeting with his Mother, steeped in intense suffering and the women of Jerusalem weeping over him.
At last this devout pilgrim goes up to Mount Calvary. There he sees in spirit the cross laid on the ground and our Lord completely naked thrown on it. They nail his feet and hands to it very cruelly. Then he contemplates how they lift the cross and the Crucified in the air and the blood streaming down from all parts of this hanging divine body. He looks at the poor holy Virgin, pierced through and through with the sword of sorrow (Lk 2: 35). Then he turns his eyes to the Crucified Saviour and listens to his seven words with unparalleled love. Finally he sees him dying and receiving the thrust of the lance, showing his divine heart through the opening of the wound. Then he is taken down from the cross and carried to the tomb. He follows there, shedding a sea of tears on the places steeped in the blood of his Redeemer. Then he enters the tomb and buries his heart beside the body of his Master.
Then rising with him, he goes to Emmaus. He sees whatever passes between the Lord and the two disciples. Finally, he returns to the mount of Olives where the mystery of the ascension took place. There, seeing the last signs and footprints of the divine Saviour, prostrate over them, he kisses them thousands of times with an infinite love. Then he began to concentrate within himself all the energies of his affections like an archer who draws back the string of his bow when he wishes to shoot his arrow. Then, raising his eyes and hands uplifted to heaven: “ O Jesus", he says, “my sweet Jesus, I know no longer where to seek you and follow you on earth. Well! Jesus, Jesus, my love, grant to this heart that it may follow you and go after you on high." With these burning words he shot forth his soul to heaven like a sacred arrow. It was like a holy bowman [of God] who shot at the very heart of God.
His companions and servants saw this poor lover suddenly fall apparently dead. Taken by surprise at this, they rushed to the doctor. On arriving, the doctor in fact found that the knight was dead. To make sure the cause of his death, he inquired about his constitution, habits and temperament. He learned that the knight had a very gentle character, loving, extremely devout and burning with the love of God. On hearing this, “No doubt," said the doctor, “his heart burst because of the abundance and intensity of love." Finally, to confirm his judgment he had the body opened. He saw his brave heart broken with this sacred word engraved within it: “Jesus, my love." Love, then, did for this heart the function of death, separating the soul from the body without the combination of any other cause. It is St. Bernardine of Siena, a very learned and saintly author, who narrated this in the first of his sermons on the Ascension.
There is another author who, in a book entitled Mirror of spiritual persons, narrates another story still more wonderful. He is of the same period, has concealed his name out of humility, though worthy to be named. He says that in the region of Provence, there was a nobleman, very devoted to the love of God and devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. Once he was seriously infected with a disease which caused continuous vomiting. Holy communion was brought to him. He did not dare to receive it because of the danger of not retaining it. So he requested his parish priest to keep the host at least on his breast and sign with it the sign of the cross. It was done and at that same instant his breast, blazing with holy love, split asunder and drew within it the holy nourishment in which was the Beloved. He died at the same instant.
I see clearly that in fact this story is very unusual. It needs a testimony of greater weight. But after the real history of the heart of St. Clare of Montefalco[2] which all can see even now and that of the stigmata of St. Francis [of Assisi] which are most certain, I find nothing difficult to believe about the effects of divine love.
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[1] First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year (Jn 18:13) NRSV
[2] TLG 5.1