The Eleventh Mystery: The Resurrection
The Fruit: A Lively Faith

VIEW THE MYSTERY

1. Our Lady retired, after the burial of Christ, to the house of the Cenacle. During this evening she contemplated the doings of the Most Holy Soul of her Son after It left the Sacred Body. For from the first the Blessed Mother knew that the Soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to Limbo in order to release the Holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where They had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the Advent of the Redeemer.

2. Then the Lord commanded the Angels to bring all the Souls in Purgatory, and this was immediately done, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the Beatific Vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prison houses of both Limbo and Purgatory.

3. The Divine Soul of Christ Our Redeemer remained in Limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the Angels and of the Saints.

4. In the sepulchre were many Angels as its guard, venerating the Sacred Body united to the Divinity.  The Most Holy Soul reunited with the Body, giving It Immortal Life and Glory. Instead of the winding-sheets and the ointments, in which it had been buried, it was clothed with the Four Gifts of Glory, namely: with Clearness, Impassability, Agility and Subtility (John 19, 40).

5. Christ Our Savior, arisen and glorious, in the company of all the Saints, made His appearance to His Mother. She prostrated Herself upon the ground and adored Her Divine Son; and the Lord raised Her up and drew Her to Himself. In this contact, which was more intimate than the contact with the humanity and the wounds of the Savior sought by Magdalen, the Virgin Mother participated in an extraordinary favor, which She alone, as exempt from sin, could merit.

6. The Evangelist Mark (Mark 15, 47) mentions the special notice, which Mary Magdalen and Mary Joseph took of the place where they had seen the Body of Jesus deposited. Accordingly they, with other Holy Women, went forth on the evening of the Sabbath from the Cenacle to the city and bought additional ointments and spices in order to return, early the following morning, to the sepulchre, and show their veneration by visiting and anointing the Holy Body once more. On the Sunday, entirely ignorant of the grave's having been sealed and placed under guard by order of Pilate (Matth. 27, 65), they arose before dawn in order to execute their pious design. On their way they thought only of the difficulty of remoVing the large stone, which they now remembered had been rolled before the opening of the sepulchre; but their love made light of this hindrance, though they did not know how to remove it. A little before the Marys thought and spoke of the difficulty of removing the stone, a violent and wonderful trembling of the earth took place; at the same time an Angel of The Lord opened the sepulchre and cast aside the stone that covered and obstructed the entrance (Matth. 28, 2). At this the guards of the sepulchre fell prostrate to the earth, struck motionless with fear and consternation, although they did not see the Lord. For the body of the Lord was no more in the grave; He had already arisen and issued from the monument before the Angel cast aside the stone. The Marys saw the Angel who had thrown aside the stone, seated upon it, refulgent in countenance and in snow-white garments (Mark 16, 5). He spoke to them saying: "Be not afrightened; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here; behold the place where they laid Him." Then they saw two other Angels seated at each end of the slab, who said to them: "Why seek you the Living with the dead? Remember how He spoke unto you, when He was yet in Galilee (Luke 26, 4-5), that He was to rise on the third day. But go, tell His Apostles and Peter, that He goeth before you into Galilee, there shall you see Him (Mark 16,7)."

7. Although the Disciples and Apostles considered the tale of the Marys mere preposterous talk, Saint Peter and Saint John, desirous of convincing themselves with their own eyes, departed in all haste to the sepulchre, closely followed by the Holy Women (John 20, 3). Saint John arrived first, and without entering saw the winding-sheets laid to one side. He waited for the arrival of Saint Peter, who, passing the other Apostle, entered first. Both of them saw that the Sacred Body was not in the tomb. Saint John then was assured of what he had begun to believe and then professed his belief.

8. Mary Magdalen, in great excitement and tears, re-entered the sepulchre to reconnoitre. Although the Apostles had not seen the Angels, she saw them and they asked her: "Woman, why dost thou weep?" (John 20, 5). She answered: "Because they have taken away My Lord; and I know not where they have laid Him." With this answer she left the garden where the sepulchre was, and met The Lord. She did not know Him, but thought it was the gardener. And the Lord also asked her: "Woman, why weepest thou, Whom dost thou seek?" (John 15). Magdalen, ignorant of His being the Lord, answered Him as if He were the gardener and, without further reflection said: "Sir, if thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away." Then the loving Master said: "Mary," and in pronouncing her name He permitted Himself to be recognized by the tone of His voice.

9. The Evangelists do not state when The Lord appeared to Saint Peter, although Saint Luke supposes it; but it was after He had appeared to the women. He appeared to him in private as the head of the Church and before He appeared to all of the Apostles together or to anyone of them. This happened on that same day, after the Holy Women had informed him of His apparition to them. Soon after also happened the apparition of the Lord to the two Disciples going that afternoon to Emmaus. The one of them was called Cleophas and the other Was Saint Luke himself. The two had left Jerusalem, after they had heard the reports of the women. On the way they continued to converse about the events of the Passion. In the midst of this conversation Jesus appeared to them in the habit of a pilgrim and as one who happened to meet them on the way. He saluted them and said: "Of what do you speak, for it seems to Me you are sad?" Cleophas answered: "Art Thou the only stranger in Jerusalem, that Thou dost not know what has happened during these days in the city?"  We are going to Emmaus in order to await the drift of these events." Then The Lord answered: "0 foolish and slow of heart to believe, since you do not understand, that it might be so, that Christ suffer all these pains and so frightful a death in order to enter into His Glory." And when they were already near to the castle of Emmaus, the Divine Master gave them to understand, that He was to pass on in His journey; but they eagerly begged Him to stay with them, as it was getting late in the evening. The Lord yielded and, invited by the disciples, sat down to supper with them according to the manner of the Jews. The Lord took the bread, blessing it and breaking it as usual, He imparted to them, with it, the certainty that He was their Redeemer and Master. They knew Him, because He opened the eyes of their souls.

10. Without delay they returned to Jerusalem (Luke 24, 33) going to the house, where the rest of the Apostles had secreted themselves for fear of the Jews and they found them discussing the news of the Risen Savior and how He had already appeared to Peter. At this meeting was present also Saint Thomas, who, although hearing the arguments of the Apostles and the testimony of Saint Peter asserting that he had seen the Master risen, refused credit to the three Disciples and the Women, persevering in doubt and unbelief. In a somewhat hasty manner, caused by his incredulity, he left their company. Shortly after,  the doors being locked, the Lord entered and appeared to the others. In their midst He saluted them, saying: "Peace be with you. It is I; do not fear."

Thomas persevered for eight days in his disbelief, when the Savior again returned through locked doors and appeared in the midst of the Apostles including Thomas. "He saluted them as usual, saying: "Peace be with you," and then calling Thomas, He sweetly reprimanded him. "Come, Thomas, and with your hands touch the openings of My hands and of My side, and be not so incredulous, but convinced and believing." Thomas touched the Divine WoUnds and was interiorly enlightened to believe and to acknowledge his ignorance. Prostrating himself to the ground he said: "My Lord and My God!" to which the Lord replied: "Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; but blessed are those who do not see Me and believe Me." The Lord then disappeared, leaving the Apostles filled with light and joy. They immediately sought Most Holy Mary in order to relate to Her what had happened.

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