22.1 It is morning. I see Mary sewing, sitting in the room on the ground floor. Elizabeth is going to and fro, busy with the housework. And when she comes into Mary’s room, she never fails to go and caress Her fair head, which looks even more fair against the rather dark walls and in the beautiful sun rays that enter through the door open onto the garden.
Elizabeth bends down to look at Mary’s work — the embroidery She had in Nazareth — and she praises its beauty.
«I have also some linen to spin,» says Mary.
«For your Child?»
«No. I had it already when I never thought…» Mary does not say anything else. But I understand: «…when I never thought I was to be the Mother of God.»
«But now You will have to use it for Him. Is it good? Fine? Children, You know, need very soft material.»
«I know.»
«I had begun… Late, because I wanted to be sure that it was not a deception of the Evil One. Although… I felt such a joy within me, that it could not possibly come from Satan. After… I suffered so much. I am old, Mary, really old, to be in this state.
22.2 I suffered so much. Don’t You suffer…»
«No. I don’t. I have never been so well.»
«Of course. Quite right. You… there is no stain in You, as God chose You for His Mother. And that is why You are not subject to Eve’s sufferings. The One You bear is holy.»
«I feel as if I had a wing in My heart and not a burden. I seem to have within Me all the flowers and all the birds that sing in springtime, and all the honey and all the sunshine… Oh! I am so happy!»
«Blessed Mary! Neither do I any longer feel burden, tiredness or pain, since I saw You. I seem to be new, young, freed from the miseries of woman’s flesh. My child, after leaping happily at the sound of Your voice, is now quiet in his joy. And I seem to have him, in me, as in a living cradle, and I see him sleeping satisfied and happy, breathing like a little bird under the wing of its mother…
22.3 I will now start working. He will no longer be a weight. I cannot see very well, but…»
«Never mind, Elizabeth. I will see to the spinning and weaving both for you and for your baby. I am quick and My sight is very good.»
«But you will have to see to Your…»
«Oh! There will be plenty time!… First I will take care of you, since you are going to have your baby very shortly, and later I will see to My Jesus.»
It is beyond human possibility to tell you how sweet are Mary’s expressions and voice, how bright Her eyes are with sweet happy tears, and how She smiles in pronouncing that Name, looking at the clear blue sky. She seems to be enraptured simply saying: «Jesus».
Elizabeth exclaims: «What a beautiful name! The name of the Son of God, of Our Redeemer!»
«Oh! Elizabeth!» Mary becomes sad and She seizes the hands of Her relative who had laid them across her enlarged abdomen. «Tell Me, since you were illuminated by the Spirit of the Lord, when I came here, and you prophesied what the world does not know, tell Me: what will My Creature have to suffer to save the world? The Prophets… Oh! What do the Prophets say of the Saviour? Isaiah… Do you remember Isaiah? “He is the Man of sorrows. Through His wounds we are healed. He was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. Yahweh has been pleased to crush Him with suffering. After being condemned He was lifted up…” What lifting is he referring to? They call Him the Lamb and I cannot help thinking of the lamb of the Passover, of the lamb of Moses, and I associate it with the serpent elevated by Moses on a cross. Elizabeth! ay…Elizabeth!…What will they do to My Creature? What will He have to suffer to save the world?» Mary is crying.
Elizabeth comforts Her. «Mary, don’t cry. He is Your Son, but He is also the Son of God. God will see to His Son, and will look after You, His Mother. And if so many will be cruel to Him, so many will love Him. So many!… Forever and ever. The world will look at Your Son and will bless You with Him. They will bless You, for You are the Spring from which redemption gushes out. The destiny of Your Son! He will be raised to the rank of King of the whole creation. Just think of that, Mary. King, because He will redeem the whole creation, and as such, He will be universal King. And He will be loved also in the world, in its lifetime. My son will precede Yours and will love Him. The angel told Zacharias. And he wrote it down for me…
22.4 How painful it is to see him dumb, my Zacharias! But I hope that when the baby is born also the father will be freed from his punishment. Will You pray, too, since You are the Seat of the Power of God and the Cause of delight in the world. To obtain this grace I make my offers to the Lord, as best I can. I offer my creature: because it belongs to Him, as He lent it to His servant to grant her the joy of being called “mother”. It is the testimony of what God has done for me. I want his name to be “John”. Isn’t my son a grace? And didn’t God grant me it?»
«And God, I am sure, will grant you the grace. I will pray… with you.»
«I suffer so much seeing him dumb!…» Elizabeth is crying. «When he writes, as he can no longer speak to me, there seem to be mountains and oceans between me and my Zacharias. After so many years of sweet conversation, now there is nothing but silence from his mouth. And particularly now, when it would be so nice to talk about him who is about to come. I even refrain from speaking to avoid seeing him getting strained in his efforts to reply to me by gestures. I have cried so much! How much did I long for You! The people of the village watch, talk and criticise. Such is the world. But when one has a pain or a joy, one needs to be understood, not criticised. But now my life seems completely improved. I feel a joy in me since You came here. I feel that my test is about to end and that I shall soon be completely happy. I am right, am I not? I have resigned myself to everything. But if God would only forgive my husband! If I could only hear him pray once again!»
22.5 Mary caresses and comforts her and in order to divert her attention, she invites her to take a little walk in the sunny garden.
They walk under a well cultivated pergola, as far as a little rustic tower, in the holes of which doves have nested.
Mary scatters the birdseed laughing, because the doves have rushed on Her, cooing loudly and flapping noisily, forming iridescent circles around Her. They alight on Her head, shoulders, arms and on Her hands, stretching their rosy beaks to snatch the grains from Her hands, gracefully pecking the Virgin’s rosy lips and Her teeth that shine in the sun. Mary takes the golden corn from a little sack and She laughs in the middle of that game of intrusive greed.
«How fond they are of You!» points out Elizabeth. «You have only been here a few days and they love You more than me, although I have always taken care of them.»
They continue walking until they reach an enclosure, at the end of the orchard, where there are about twenty goats with their little kids.
«Have you come back from the pasture?» Mary asks a little shepherd, caressing him.
«Yes, because my father said to me: “Go home, because it is going to rain shortly and there are some sheep about to lamb. Make sure they have dry grass and litter”. There he is, he is coming.» And he points to the wood, whence a continual trembling bleating can be heard.
Mary caresses a little kid, as fair as a child, which rubs itself against Her, and together with Elizabeth She drinks some new milk that the little shepherd offers them.
Then the sheep arrive led by a shepherd as hairy as a bear. But he is obviously a good man because he is carrying a groaning sheep on his shoulders. He puts her down gently and explains: «She is about to lamb. She can only walk with difficulty. I put her on my shoulders and I hurried all the way to get here in time.» The sheep, still limping painfully, is led into the fold by the boy.
Mary is sitting on a stone and is playing with the little kids and the lambs, offering clover flowers to their pretty rosy little faces. A black and white kid puts its little hooves on Her shoulder and smells Her hair. «It is not bread,» says Mary laughing. «I will bring you some crumbs tomorrow. Be good, now.»
Once again cheerful, Elizabeth also laughs.