Sarah of Nazareth (mother of Alphée)

She stands up when she hears someone knocking at the door. She is actually quite tall. She opens the door.

A woman asks her: «Anne, will you give me your amphora? I will fill it for you.»

The woman has a lovely five year old child with her, who at once clings to Anne’s dress, and she caresses him while going into another room, and returns with a beautiful copper amphora which she hands to the woman saying: «You are always good to old Anne, indeed you are. May God reward you with this son and the other children you will have, you fortunate one!» Anne sighs.

The woman looks at her and does not know what to say in the circumstances. To divert attention from the distressing situation of which she is aware, she remarks: «I am leaving Alphaeus with you, if you do not mind, so that I will be quicker and I will fill many jars and jugs for you.»

Alphaeus is very pleased to stay and the reason is clear. As soon as his mother is gone, Anne picks him up and takes him into the orchard, lifts him up to a pergola of grapes as golden as a topaz and says to him: «Eat, eat, because they are good», and she kisses him on his little face soiled with the juice of the grapes which the child eats avidly. Then she laughs heartily and at once looks younger on account of the lovely set of teeth she displays, and the joy that shines on her face, dispelling her years, as the child asks: «And what are you going to give me now?» and he gazes at her with large wide open eyes of a deep grey-blue colour. She laughs and plays with him bending on her knees and goes on: «What will you give me if I give you?… if I give you?… guess!» And the child, clapping his little hands, with a big smile responds: «Kisses, kisses I will give you, nice Anne, good Anne, mamma Anne!…»

Anne, when she hears him say: «mamma Anne», lets out a real cry of joyful love and cuddles the little one declaring: «My darling! Dear! Dear! Dear!» At each «dear» a kiss descends upon the rosy cheeks.

Then they go to a cupboard and from a plate she takes some honey cakes. «I made them for you, darling of poor Anne, because you love me. But tell me, how much do you love me?» And the child, thinking of what has impressed him most, says: «As much as the Temple of the Lord.» Anne kisses him again on his lively little eyes, his little red lips and the child cuddles against her like a kitten.

His mother goes back and forth with a full jar and smiles without saying anything. She leaves them to their enjoyment.

• Sarah of Nazareth (mother of Alphée)

« He is a lovely child. What age is he?»

«Three years. He is my second youngest and I am expecting another one shortly. I have six boys. Now I would like to have a girl… A girl is a lot for her mother…»

«The Most High has consoled you very much, woman!» sighs Anne.

And the woman goes on: «Yes. I am poor, but the children are our joy and the bigger ones already help with the work. And, Madam, (it is very obvious that Anne is of a higher social standing and the woman realises it), how many children have you got?»

«None.»

«None.» Isn’t this one yours?»

«No, he is the son of a very good neighbour. He is my consolation…»

«Did yours die or…?»

«I never had any.»

«Oh!» The poor woman looks at her pitifully.

Anne says goodbye to her, sighing very heavily, and goes to her hut.

• Sarah of Nazareth (mother of Alphée)

Joachim is also anxious for his wife, whose time has come to give birth to her child. His relative reassures him that Anne is not suffering at all. But he is agitated, and every time his relative or any other woman, amongst whom is Alphaeus’ mother, comes out of Anne’s room and goes back in again with hot water and basins and linens dried near the blazing fireplace in the large kitchen, he goes and makes enquiries, but he does not calm down despite their reassurances.

• Sarah of Nazareth (mother of Alphée)

14.4 They have arrived. The waggon stops.

Two women and two men, about forty and fifty years of age respectively, are at the entrance and many children and young boys are with them. «May God give You peace, Mary» says the elder man and one of the women approaches Mary embracing and kissing Her.

«He is my brother Alphaeus and she is Mary, his wife, and these are their children. They have come to greet You and to tell You that their house is Yours if You wish so» says Joseph. (...)

The other woman has come forward: «Hello, Mary. I am Sarah, Your mother’s friend. I saw You being born. And this is Alphaeus, Alphaeus’ nephew, and a great friend of Your mother. What I did for Your mother, I am willing to do for You, if You wish so. See? My house is the one nearest to Yours and Your fields are now ours. But if You want to come, come whenever You wish. We will open a passage through the hedge and we shall be together, yet each of us will be at home. This is my husband.»

«Thank you all and for everything. Thank you for all the good you did to My parents and for your love for Me. May God the Almighty bless you for it.»

• Alphée de Sarah
• Sarah of Nazareth (mother of Alphée)