13. Of the death of her father on the vigil of the conception of the blessed Virgin Mary

A few days before the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the devout ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM maiden Lydwine, the daughter of Peter, foreknew that her father was about to pass from this world. For she said that she had heard in secret from her father, that the Blessed Virgin Mary had entered into a pact with him, and had promised that she would call him from the present world about this festival. Which also came to pass as she fore told. The most faithful maiden there fore warned Master John the priest who had come to her for advice ; that the same day he should go to Ouclerschie to celebrate, so that on the morrow nothing might be wanting for her father's funeral. After these words the death of her father took place on the vigil of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, according to the vision and prophecy revealed before.

And after his death, although the maiden, deprived of the temporal solace of her father's presence, had asked and had been assured of the salvation of her father, the perverse demons, the enemies of all the good, sometimes saddened her exceedingly, asserting that they had her father with them in the state of damna tion. Whereupon she commenced to weep inconsolably, as if what she had ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM heard from the demons were true. Whence also when questioned by the members of the household why she wept so much, she answered, "I know that all is very well with my father, and nevertheless the demons say that he is lost." On one occasion, therefore, when she was being conducted by a holy angel to the gardens of paradise, the demons besetting her path, showed her a devil transformed into the likeness of her father, mocking and tormenting, saying, "Ah, ah, look here, we have thy father." Then she, knowing that the act of the devil was a vain illusion and not the truth, said that this could not be her father. And at once they vanished as smoke ; and the maiden joyously continued her journey with the angel guide.