Chapter 4: For the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. His virtues, and the manner of imitating His purity

The Apostles and Evangelist St. John appeared to this vir gin as she prayed one day during Advent. He was clothed in a gold-coloured habit, covered with golden eagles ; which signified that, though this Saint was elevated to the highest contemplation, even while in the body, he always sought to humble himself by the consideration of his own unworthiness. As Gertrude began to consider these ornaments, she perceived a red light shining from under the golden eagles \ from which she learned that St. John always commenced his contemplation by the remembrance of the Passion of the Lord, which he had beheld with his own eyes, and which he had never ceased to mourn in his inmost heart ; and thus by degrees he flew to the sublimity of the Divine Majesty, which he contemplated without pain by the eyes of his soul, as far as it is possible for man to do. He had also two golden lilies on his two shoulders — on the right was written, in marvellous characters, the words of the

Gospel Discipulus quern diligebat Jesus ; and on the left, Iste custos Virginis; * to mark the singular advantage which he enjoyed of being called, and of being the disciple whom Jesus loved above the rest of His Apostles, and of having been found worthy by Christ Himself to receive from Him the charge of His Mother before He expired, on account of his surpassing purity.

The Apostle had a magnificent rational t on his breast, to indicate his prerogative of having reposed on the bosom of Jesus during the last Supper. The words, In principio erat verbum, were written on it in letters of living gold, to show the marvellous virtue of the words contained in his Gospel. Then St. Gertrudesaid toourLord : " O mostloving Lord, why is Thy beloved one manifested to a creature so unworthy as I am 1 " Our Lord answered : " I have done this that he may be united to you by a special friendship ; and as you have no apostle, J I have appointed him to be ever your faithful advocate with Me in heaven." " Teach me, then, my sweetest Lord," she replied, " how I can show my gratitude to him." Our Lord answered : " If any person says a Pater nosier daily in honour of this Apostle, reminding him of the sweet fidelity with which his heart t The rational was the high-priest's breast-plate (Ex. xxv. 7). Calmet speaksthus of it : " This appellation was given to an embroidery about ten inches square, which the high-priest wore on his breast. On it were placed fcmr rows of precious stones, on each of which the name of one of the tribes of Israel was engraven. The rational was doubled, and contained within it the mystic Urim and Thummim. The name 'rational,' or 'rational of judgment,' was given to it either because the judgment and will of God were made known thereby, or because the high-priest wore it when he pronounced judgment 09 grave affairs."

J "Et cum nullum habeas Apostolum."

was filled when I taught this prayer, he will not fail to obtain for whoever prays thus the grace of persevering faithfully in virtue, even to the end of his life."

This Apostle also appeared to the Saint as she assisted at Matins, on his Feast, when she applied with special fervour to her usual exercises. Gertrude then recom mended some of the religious of whom she had charge very fervently to him ; he received her prayer very lov ingly, and said : "I am like my Master in this — that I love those who love me." The Saint inquired : " What grace, then, and what benefit, can I hope for, who am so unworthy, on your dear Feast ? " " Come," he replied \ 11 come with me, thou elect one of my Lord, and let us repose together on the sweetest bosom of the Lord, in which all the treasures of beatitude lie hidden." Then, taking her up in spirit, he presented her to our loving Saviour; and having placed her on His right, he placed himself on the left, and reposed there. Then he exclaimed, pointing reverently to the bosom of Jesus : " Behold, this is the Saint of saints, who draws to Himself all that is good in heaven and on earth ! "

She then inquired of St. John why he placed himself on the left hand, and had given the right to her. He replied : "It is because I have become one spirit with God, and am able to penetrate where flesh cannot enter; but you are not yet able to penetrate into such high things, because you are still in the flesh. I have therefore placed you at the opening of the Divine Heart, from whence you may drink in all the sweet consolations which flow from it with such impetuous abundance, that it is capable of satisfying all who desire to taste thereof." Then, as she felt the con stant pulsations of the Divine Heart, and rejoiced exceed ingly thereat, she said to St. John : " Beloved of God, didst not thou feel those pulsations when thou wert lying on the Lord's breast at the Last Supper ] " " Yes," he replied ; "and this with such plenitude, that liquid does not enter more rapidly into bread than the sweetness of those plea sures penetrated my soul, so that my spirit became more ardent than water under the action of a glowing fire."

" And why," she inquired, " have you neither said nor written anything of this for our edification 1 " He re plied : " Because I was charged with instructing the newly formed Church concerning the mysteries of the uncreated Word, that those truths might be transmitted to future ages, as far as they would be capable of comprehending them, for no one can comprehend them entirely ; and I deferred speaking of these Divine pulsations until later ages, that the world might be aroused from its torpor, arid animated, when it had grown cold, by hearing of these things." Then, as she contemplated St. John reposing upon the bosom of the Lord, he said to her : " I now appear to you in the same form as when I lay on the bosom of my beloved Lord and only Friend at the Last Supper ; but if you wish it, I will obtain for you the favour of beholding me in the form in which I now enjoy the delights of heaven." And as she desired this favour very ardently, she beheld an immense ocean within the Heart of Jesus, in which St. John appeared to float with ineffable joy and perfect freedom; and she learned that the Saint became so filled and inebriated with the torrent of pleasure which he tasted in God, that a vein came from his heart, whereby he poured forth the sweet waters of the Divinity — that is to say, his instructions, and above all, his Gospel — over the face of the earth.

On another occasion during the same feast, as the took great satisfaction in the frequent praises which were given to the Apostle for his perfect virginity, she asked this special friend of God to obtain by his prayers that we miuht preserve our chastity with such care as to merit a share in his praises.

St. John replied : " He who would participate in the beatitude which my victories have won, must run as I ran when on earth." Then he added ; ''I frequently reflected on the sweet familiarity and friendship with which I was favoured by Jesus, my most loving Lord and Master, in re ward for my chastity, and for having watched so carefully over my words and actions that I never tarnished this virtue in the slightest degree. The Apostles separated themselves from such company as they considered doubtful, but mixed freely with what was not (as it is remarked in the Acts, that they were with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus) ; I never avoided women when there waa an opportunity of rendering them any service, either of body or soul ; but I still watched over myself with extreme vigilance, and always implored the assistance of God when charity obliged me to assist them in any way. Therefore these words are chanted of me : In tribulatione invocasti me, et exaudivi te (Ps. Ixxx.) * For God never permitted my affection to render any one less pure ; wherefore I re ceived this recompense from my beloved Master, that my chastity is more praised than that of any other saint ; and I have obtained a more eminent rank in heaven, where, by a special privilege, I receive with extreme pleasure the rays of this love, which is as a mirror without spot and the brightness of eternal light, f So that, being placed before f " She is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirroi of God's majesty " (Wis. vii. )

this Divine love, whose brightness I receive each time that my chastity is commemorated in the Church, my loving Master salutes me in a most sweet and affable manner, filling my inmost soul with such joy, that it penetrates into all its powers and sentiments like a delicious bever age. And thus the words, Ponam te sicut signaculum in conspectu mco are sung of me ; that is, I am placed as a receptacle for the effusions of the sweetest and most ardent charity."

Then St. Gertrude, being raised to a higher degree ot knowledge, understood by these words of our Lord in the Gospel, " In My Father's house there are many mansions " (John xiv. ), that there are three mansions in the heavenly kingdom, which correspond with three classes of persons who have preserved their virginity.

The first mansion is for those who, like the Apostles, fly from what is doubtful, but associate freely with others ; who vigorously resist all temptations, and if they fall perform worthy fruits of penance.

The second mansion is for those who avoid alike the doubtful and that which appears safe ; carefully shunning what might prove an occasion even of temptation ; and chastise their flesh, subduing it so that it can no longer rebel against the spirit : to this rank belong St. John the Baptist and other spiritual persons, who also are placed in the second mansion after they have been prevented gra tuitously by the mercy of God, and have cooperated faith fully with His graces, so as to avoid evil and to exercise themselves in the practice of good.

The third mansion is for those who, prevented by the sweetness of the benedictions and grace of God, have a natural horror of all evil ; * but who, nevertheless, in the different accidents of life, find themselves sometimes with the good and sometimes with the wicked, but always detest evil and adhere to good, endeavouring to render both their own conduct and that of others perfectly irreproachable. Such persons draw marvellous fruit from the human affections, which they have in common with others ; since they fear because of their affections, and humble themselves, watching over their hearts with greater diligence ; as St. Gregory says : " It shows a good con science to fear a fault where there is none." In this class St. John obtained the first rank.

Hence these words are chanted on his Feast : Qui vicerit, faciam ilium columnam in templo meo;~" for who ever conquers nature — that is, his affections — becomes as a pillar whereon God can repose while pouring forth the/ abundance of His sweetness. Et scribam super eum nomen mtum ; that is, to imprint upon him the visible marks of His Divine friendship. Et nomen civitatis novce Jerusalem ; that is, he shall receive, both exteriorly and interiorly, a particular recompense for each person whose spiritual wel fare he has procured on earth.

St. Gertrude was favoured also with another vision, re ferring to the same subject ; for as she began to consider why the Church extolled the virginity of St. John the Evangelist more than that of St. John the Baptist, God,

" Omne malum quasi naturaliter abhorent."

f Responsory after the v. Lesson, ii. Nocturn: "He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God the new Jerusalem" (Apo. iii. 12).

who knows the thoughts of men, caused her to see the two Saints in a vision. St. John the Baptist was seated on an elevated throne, in the middle of the sea, separated from all the world; St. John the Evangelist stood in the midst of a furnace, surrounded on all sides by flames. As the Saint beheld this, and marvelled thereat, our Lord said to her, for her instruction : " Which do you consider most wonderful, — to see the Evangelist not burning, or the Baptist not consumed 1 " From this she learned that there will be a great difference between the reward of those whose virtue has been assaulted and of those who have preserved it in peace.

One night, also, when the Saint was engaged in prayer with great devotion, she beheld St. John approaching our Lord, resting himself upon Him, and embracing Him very lovingly and ardently. Then, as she cast herself humbly at the feet of our Lord, to implore pardon for her sins, St. John said to her, with great condescension : " Do not let my presence trouble you ; behold one whose love will suffice for thousands ; behold a mouth in which each will find a special sweetness ; behold an ear which will guard inviolably all the secrets confided to it."

As they chanted the words, Mulier, ecce filius tuus, * Gertrude beheld a marvellous light, which came forth from the Heart of God, and shone upon St. John, obtaining for him the respect and veneration of all the saints. She also saw the Blessed Virgin manifesting a special joy towards him when she was called his mother ; and the beloved dis ciple saluted her also with the deepest respect and affection. Also, when the words were chanted which referred to the

THJfi MERITS OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. 321 particular privileges of friendship which the saint had re ceived from his Divine Master, such as these : late est Jo annes, qui supra pectus Domini in coena recubuit ; and, hte est discipulus quern diliyebat Jesus, he appeared sur rounded with a new light of glory, which distinguished him from the other saints ; and for this they praised God with their whole souls, which caused the blessed John to rejoice greatly.

At the words Apparuit caro suo, she understood that by the form under which our Lord visited St. John He re newed in him all the sweetness of that mutual friendship which he had enjoyed during his mortal life. Therefore the Apostle, changed as it were into a new man, tasted in some degree the joys of eternity ; and this principally ii« three things, for which he thanked G d when he was dying. For he said, first : " I have seen Thy face, and I am renewed thereby/' Secondly : " The sweetness of Thy perfumes, Lord Jesui, has kindled eternal desires within me." And thirdly : " Thy voice is full of sweetness." For the virtue of His presence had imparted the vigour of immortality ; the strength of His Divine vocation had replenished him with the sweetest hope ; and His gentle words had rilled his soul with surpassing gladness. Again, as they read that he rose up to follow Jesus,t he appeared to dispose himself to follow Him in heaven ; and she knew that St. John had such a full and entire confidence in the goodness of his beloved Lord and Master, that he hoped he would die without feeling the pains of death ; and t St. John xxi. 20.

he merited to obtain this favour, because it was the great ness of his love, and not the fear of death, which had caused him to desire it.

Then the Saint began to marvel how it could be, when it was inferred from Scripture, St. John had not tasted the pains of death, because he had suffered so deeply in spirit at the foot of the cross, that it should be said now, this privilege had been granted to him for his confidence. But our Lord replied : " I have rewarded My elect in heaven with a special glory for his virginity, and for the compas sion which he had at My death ; but I have also recom pensed his lively hope, which made him believe that I would refuse him nothing, by withdrawing him from the world without permitting him to experience the pains of death, and by having preserved his body from corruption/'