Chapter 12: How the soul of Brother The : was released by prayers in honour of the Five Wounds

When Brother The : (sic), the lay brother, died,who had laboured faithfully for the monastery for many years, St. Gertrude began to pray for him as soon as she heard of his decease. As she was thus occupied, she beheld him in spirit, and his soul appeared black and deformed, as if suffering intense anguish from some remorse of conscience As she was exceedingly moved to compassion, she com menced reciting five Pater nosters, in honour of onr Lord's Five Wounds, which she embraced very tenderly. At the fifth Pater nosier, as she approached the Wound of our Lord's Side, our Lord emitted blood and water from it, in the form of a vapour ; and she perceived that the soul was exceedingly refreshed thereby interiorly, but that he suf fered as if from exterior wounds, which caused him intense puin. By the virtue of this blood and water the soul was then transported into a garden of herbs, ench of which signified some good work which he had performed when in the world ; and on these our Lord conferred such virtue, in answer to the prayers of the community, that each of these plants became medicinal, and healed his wounds when applied to them ; and she understood that if the com munity persevered earnestly in their prayers, he would soon be entirely cured. She knew also that there were some herbs, which represented his imperfect actions ; and when he touched them, his sufferings were fearfully increased.

After his interment, as they chanted the Media vita as usual, at the words, Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et immortalis when the religious prostrated t on the ground, the soul elevated itself towards heaven with exceeding gra titude, appearing to prostrate with the community, thanking God for having had the privilege of living in so holy a convent, where his labours had been specially blessed and accepted on account of the merits of those whom he served. He declaied also, wherever he had lived before he entered

*From the Reproaches chanted at the Adoration of the Cross »n Good Friday.

t " Venias faceret"

that house, he had been obliged to earn his bread by the labour of his hands, but that he had never gjdtied thereby from all his exertions as much advantage as he had obtained in the monastery for his soul.