I am in Jerusalem. I am in a very crowded room where there is an
atmosphere of tension; a holy tension is the best phrase I can use. I look
about. All of the Apostles are here, save the Iscariot. I see Lazarus and
his servant Jonathan. The holy women are present, and they are grouped
around the Blessed Mother.
There is silence, but an eagerness underscores it. There have been many
prayers said in this place. Many more will be said in the days to come.
Spilling out into the hallway are many disciples and among them I see
Joseph of Arimethea, Nicodemus, and much to my surprise, I see Joseph of
Arimethea engaged in a whispered conversation with Gamaliel.
I understand that many days have passed since the Resurrection. I am also
given to understand that the number of people to whom Our Lord has appeared
has far outweighed any attempt by the Sanhedrin to call the whole thing a
hoax.
Thus, though made bold by Jesus' Resurrected Presence, there lingers in
these holy men and women, excepting the Blessed Mother, a fear of reprisal.
But, yet, any persecutions have been kept to a bare minimum of verbal
abuse, for the Romans will tolerate no more from the Jews at this point.
I am drawn to gaze at the Mother of God. She wears a dress of white; her
mantle is blue and her veil of a lighter shade of blue. She is absolutely
beautiful, and she is lost in heavenly contemplation, which assists
everyone present to maintain a respectful silence, even if they do not yet
pray as she does.
Suddenly Jesus stands with them in the space between the Apostles and the
holy women. He is in a white tunic, with a white mantle about His
shoulders. His beauty is beyond words, and His Love saturates the room and
enters each heart.
"Peace!" is His greeting.
All of them fall to their knees, their faces rapt in utter love for the
Son of God.
"I have said to you all that must be said. Do not worry about remembering
all of My words. Do not forget that I am sending He Who will enlighten you."
"Yes, my Lord," Peter answers for all. "We will remember."
"We will leave this place now. No, do not fear! No harm will come to any
of you. I will lead you, and you will follow. There will be no trouble,
for the angels of Heaven will keep all evil away. Come."
And He makes His way through the large gathering, and one by one, others
in pairs, all follow Him. The Blessed Mother, escorted by John, is given
the rightful place behind her Son, then Peter and all the others. I do not
count them all, but it is a considerable procession that leaves the House
of the Last Supper and goes out into the streets of Jerusalem. It is early
morning, but the citizens of Jerusalem are already up and about. Jesus
passes from street to street calmly, and nary a head turns in His
direction. Even as the long procession passes by, no one seems to notice.
I am given to understand that God's angels form a shield around Our Lord
and those who accompany Him, so that in reality the local people cannot see
that which is taking place. The Father has reserved for Himself the
supreme dignity of this time, and all of the heavenly hosts kneel as He
passes by, and strike their breasts as a sign of reverence and adoration to
the Son of God.
Jesus' path winds out past one of the gates and He takes a path which
leads away from the town as it meanders upward into the hills around the
town. Our Lady tells me that the hill lies toward the east, and away from
Calvary.
No one speaks, but keeps pace with the long strides Jesus takes. I notice
that Our Lord's feet leave an imprint in the dusty road, showing clearly
that He is truly there in Body and Soul. His shadow passes over bushes and
scrubby grass, and His tall figure clad in white is clearly visible even to
the last person in the procession.
I do not know exactly how far Jesus walks. It seems to be a fair
distance. The hill is a gradual climb, so one does not actually notice the
ascent.
Our Dear Lord stands majestically in the center while around Him gather
His Apostles, disciples, the holy women. Only our Blessed Mother knows the
event that is coming. She is so happy, and yet her eyes brim with tears
for she knows that there will be physical separation from her Divine Son,
and that not until the Father calls her home shall she be united with Him
for eternity.
Again, Our Lady is composed, peaceful, filled with the Holy Spirit. That
which is about to take place is also part of the Divine Will, and Our
Lady's whole existence has been a perfect example of unity with the Divine
Will.
Those closest to Jesus beg Him to speak. They all have about them an air
of eagerness, for their own souls sense that God's Power is about to be
manifested. Even though Our Dear Lord has prepared them for this moment,
just as they were not fully prepared for the Passion and Death, so too, are
they not fully prepared to lose the physical presence of their God and Savior.
I hear Jesus speaking to them, counseling them and at last, giving to them
His Peace, which is the Divine Will. I become aware that the whole vault
of Heaven, and even to the earth, bright rays of luminous light fill the
place. My eyes are barely able to look upon this splendor, but it is God
who assists me and thus I see that angels, countless beings of beauty, have
appeared. There are ranks of angels all assembled, their voices raised in
song of praise to the Trinity. Several of the angels come to be with the
Blessed Mother.
She sees them fully, and for an instant, bows her head in humble prayer
giving thanks for this favor of God upon her.
Jesus has finished. His final words seem to hang suspended above the
crowd. The men and women gaze upon Him intently, and Jesus lifts His
beautiful sapphire eyes to Heaven and the most ecstatic smile forms upon
His lips.
He is transformed into all of His Glory as God and man. His physical body
becomes dazzling, brighter than a million suns. This light radiates out to
all the assembled, and the people in awe can only keep their gaze fixed
upon Him Whom they love, yet imperfectly, but with the will to love perfectly.
Thus, it is that I see the very vault of Heaven open, and if it is
possible, an even brighter light appears and descends to earth, completely
covering Our Lord.
Slowly, without effort, the Risen, Glorified Christ rises from the ground.
His eyes fixed now only upon that which He ascends to: The Father and the
Holy Spirit. Those who are witnesses to this miracle gasp in awe. There
are no words, so deeply are they affected. Higher and higher Jesus rises
into the air, still looking up.
Now the choirs of angels, their song reaching a crescendo, gather about
Jesus to escort Him into Heaven where the Most Holy Trinity will be, in a
mystical sense, reunited. Truly, the Trinity cannot ever be separated, for
God is One in Three. But there is no other way for our human minds to
grasp this event than to describe it as a reunion. Only in eternity shall
we fully understand this sublime Mystery.