Chapter 28: How Gertrude prepared for death

Every Friday, at the hour of None, St. Gertrude retired apart from all creatures, in order to devote herself to pre paration for death, and especially to recite the prayers for the agonising. After she had practised this devotion for some time, our Lord rewarded her by a special grace. On one of these occasions she was rapt in ecstasy, and our Lord manifested to her the manner of her death. She beheld herself reposing in the arms of our Lord, under the form of a fair young maiden, in her agony ; and at the same time she saw an immense number of saints and angels sur rounding her, with censers in their hands, in which they offered the prayers of the Church with great joy to the King of Glory. When they invoked the Blessed Virgin by the Antiphon Salve Maria, our Lord made a sign to His Blessed Mother to console His elect ; and the Queen of Virgins appeared in marvellous radiance, and supported the head of the dying person. Her guardian angel also appeared under the figure of an illustrious prince, who came to congratulate her on her happiness.

As she invoked the archangel St. Michael, she beheld the glorious chief of the angelic hosts, with a multitude of angels, all prepared to assist her and to combat the demons, whom she also saw under hideous forms, but so weak and powerless that they could not do her the slightest injury ; and this afforded her the greatest consolation. A column of light appeared to proceed from the lips of the dying person to the very throne of God ; and this had such virtue, that it was apparent even the angelic guard was not needed to defend her against the demons, for it caused them such terror that they endeavoured to fly and conceal themselves.

As each of the saints was invoked in the Litany of the Dying, he appeared ready to assist her. The Patriarchs had branches in their hands, from which their good works were suspended in place of fruit ; and these they placed round her. The Prophets bore golden mirrors, on which were depicted the sublime revelations which God had im parted to them ; and these they also offered for her assist ance, placing them opposite to her. The beloved disciple St. John came next, and presented her with two golden rings ; each Apostle who followed presented one also : and these rings represented the fidelity which the soul had towards our Divine Lord.

The Martyrs followed, holding golden palms in their hands, which shone radiantly with all their sufferings. The Confessors had golden flowers, which represented their virtues : and these they also presented to her. The Virgins

2N offered her roses, the stalks of which had little crooks of gold, which signified the close union with the Lord which they enjoyed on account of their purity ; and the Lord Jesus, the King and Spouse of virgins, was adorned with a robe covered with the same number of roses as there were virgins, who appeared to communicate in His merits by these golden crooks, which fastened the flowers to His robe; these crooks also represented the particular virtues of each virgin.

Then the Lord, seeing that Gertrude was adorned with the flowers of each virgin, inclined towards her, to bestow on her as many graces as there were ties which attached her to Him ; and thus she experienced something of the happiness of these blessed souls. The Widows and the other saints then brought their offerings in the form of golden caskets ; and all the merits which had been offered for her, by an admirable communication, became her own, so that her soul shone resplendently before God.

The holy Innocents also had their share in this festival, to honour the Lord who had purchased them with His precious Blood, and made them heirs of His kingdom. They seemed, however, to have less merit of their own, but their souls were marvellously adorned by the union of their innocence with the innocence of Jesus Christ. Then the Son of God inclined towards Gertrude and embraced her lovingly, absorbing her into Himself as the sun, in its meri dian splendour, absorbs a dewdrop ; so that her soul was, as it were, received into the Heart of her Spouse with all the virtues and merits which had been conferred on her,, and she was surrounded and penetrated by Him as fire in flames iron.