4. Of the vision on christmas night, and the abundance of milk in her breasts

A certain widow of good repute, by name Catherine, for some time dwelt in the house of this virgin. To her once be fore the nativity of Christ, it was made known by a vision concerning this virgin that on the Christmas night then at hand the breasts of this virgin would be filled with milk, and that Catherine herself was to take the same milk. When therefore the aforesaid widow ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM had recounted this to the virgin, she from humility strove in a certain way to deny her words. At once the widow re proached the virgin that she should dare deny what had been revealed to her by an angel. Then the virgin, constrained by the widow's words, bade her prepare herself to share in this grace. When therefore she had devoutly prepared herself thereunto, according to the virgin's warning, she was not defrauded of her desire promised her by Heaven. For lo ! on the night itself of the most sacred birth of the Lord, the virgin Lydwine, rapt in spirit, saw an in numerable multitude of maidens, at the head of whom as queen and mistress stood and presided the most holy mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, among whom also she saw herself admitted in the choir of virgins to celebrate with joy the birth of Christ. By these virgins stood also a multitude of holy angels, as most noble clients and comrades, offering devout service to their friends, the virgins resplendent in the virtue of chastity. When there fore the hour of the Lord's birth arrived wherein the child-bearing Virgin brought forth the Christ, the breasts of all ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM those virgins, and likewise of this virgin, were seen to swell for abundance of milk, and to have as much milk as the Blessed Virgin received in her virginal breasts to suckle Our Saviour when she had brought forth Christ into the light of the world. Therefore, after the manner of the Blessed Virgin, the breasts of all the others seemed to be filled with milk, as a sign that all those virgins were fit and worthy to suckle the Lord. But there was, as the virgin herself testified, so unspeakable a glory there, such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered the heart of man to conceive, so that all could not be expressed by the tongue or written by letters. Meanwhile the widow, mind ful of the aforesaid promise, comes in to the virgin, who, drawing her paps with her hand, abounded with such a flow of milk that the widow was satiated with a triple application of her lips, and for many days she re mained without any desire to eat. And if the virgin had not bidden her, she would willingly have foregone bodily food. After this also she received the same grace and vision through con templation two or three other years ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM in her sacred breasts; but because at the hour assigned no one was present to witness it, therefore no one tasted of the grace offered. Praised then be Christ born of a Virgin, Who, to strengthen the faith of believers by works, made manifest in our days certain stupendous miracles in this ailing maiden.