Chapter XXVIII: THE NATIVITY AND INFANCY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST  

            1.  Before taking up the Birth of Our Divine Redeemer, we make the follow-ing clarification: In chapter XXIII we said that the day after the Incarnation of the Word, the Most Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph set out on the journey to the town of Juda, today Ain Karem, where Zachary and Elizabeth resided, and there the mystery of the Visitation and the presanctification of the Baptist took place.  We now complete this teaching, affirming that Joseph Most Holy stayed the whole time with his Divine Spouse Mary in the town of Juda, and that they left for Nazareth the day following the cere-mony of the circumcision of Saint John the Baptist on the first of July of the year 5199, at which they assisted.  We reject any opinion contrary to the teaching defined here that Saint Joseph accompanied and remained with Mary until they returned to Nazareth.  With this doctrine we have interpreted the following text of Saint Luke: "And Mary abode with her about three months; and She returned to Her own house (I, 56).  Now Elizabeth's time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son" (I, 57).  Moreover, it is clear that the reason for Mary's stay with Elizabeth "about three months", which we affirm to be three months and two days, was to assist her cousin because of her old age, and moreover, to be present at the joyful events of the Precursor's birth, circumcision and giving of name (Luke I, 57-79).  As to the apparent disconnection of the two verses, the Holy Doctor Mary of Jesus of Agreda gives the following correct explanation: "The sacred text anticipated the mention of the journey of the Divine Queen in order to have done with everything concerning Her, and to take up the story of the Precursor's birth without again interrupting the thread of the narrative".

            2.  We take the opportunity to establish the date of the Visitation of the Divine Mary to Saint Elizabeth and as well, of the presanctification and of the birth of the Precursor.  The Evangelist Saint Luke (I, 26-27) says that the Archangel Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin Mary in the city of Nazareth took place "in the sixth month" of the conception of Saint John the Baptist; and later goes on to relate what Saint Gabriel said to the Divine Lady: "And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath con-ceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called bar-ren" (Luke I, 36).  It should be understood that these Gospel texts do not refer to six complete months, but to six months less five days.  This Holy Council teaches that the mysteries of the Visitation and Saint John the Baptist's presanctification took place on 30 March in the year of Creation 5199, that is, exactly six months after his conception, which occurred on 30 September 5198; and as well, that the Precursor's birth took place on 24 June 5199, in accord with the celebration in the Church's liturgy, since Saint Elizabeth's delivery was brought forward six days.

            3.  After this brief commentary we arrive at the principal theme of this chapter, namely the Nativity and Infancy of Christ.  The Evangelist Saint Luke relates the Nativity of Jesus (Luke II, 1-20) and begins with the reason for the Holy Family's removal from Nazareth to Bethlehem, namely to comply with Caesar Augustus' imperial edict that commanded each person to enrol, as far as the Jews were concerned, in their family's town of origin.  As Saint Joseph was born in Bethlehem and was, besides, of the House of David, it was there he had to enrol with Mary his Spouse, Who was with child.  It is admirable how God availed Himself of human means such as the edict of Caesar Augustus in order to accomplish His plans, and in this way bring to fulfillment the prophecy of the Holy Prophet Micheas, seven centuries before, that Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micheas V, 2).

            4.  The Holy Doctor Mary of Jesus of Agreda says in her revelations that the Holy Family entered the town of Bethlehem in the evening, and looked for an inn at which to lodge; and that failing to find any room, they passed through the streets of the town in search of their relatives as well as acquaintances.  But nobody would admit them.  During this distressing search they found the enrolment office and complied with the legal requirements.  This Holy Council confirms this teaching and moreover adds that Satan, suspecting that the Fruit of Mary's Womb might be the Promised Messias, incited many of the inhabitants of Bethlehem to refuse to accept the Holy Family, trying to prevent the Redeemer from being born in the City of David as was prophesied.  The Most Holy Spouses thus exercised the virtues of meekness and humility in heroic degree, and praised and glorified God for having made them worthy to suffer and gain merit for the benefit of mankind.  As it was already well into the night and the hour had arrived at which Mary was to give birth to Her Divine Son, Joseph was obliged, with a most bitterly sorrowful and broken heart, to seek shelter for his Heavenly Spouse in a humble cave used as a stable for animals, situated on the outskirts of the city of Bethlehem, where was born the God-Child, Saviour of the world.

            5.  The Evangelist Saint Luke refers in this way to Mary's delivery (Luke II, 6-7): "And it came to pass, that when they were there, Her days were accomplished, that She should be delivered (verse 6).  And She brought forth Her firstborn Son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn" (verse 7).  The eminent Doctor Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda presents a most beautiful and sublime account of Most Holy Mary's divine delivery: "She was kneeling in the manger, Her eyes raised to Heaven, Her hands joined and raised to Her breast, Her soul wrapped in the Divinity and She Herself entirely deified.  In this condition, and at the end of the heavenly rapture, the Most Exalted Lady gave to the world the Only-begotten of the Father and her Own, Our Saviour Jesus, true God and true Man, at the hour of midnight, Sunday, in the year of the creation of the world 5199..." We teach that the expression "at the end of the  heavenly rapture", means while the ecs-tasy lasted.  The mystical Doctor later describes the glorious state of the Divine Infant, as well as that of His Most Holy Mother, with these highly inspired lines: "... There was born of Her the Sun of Justice, the Only-begotten of the Eternal Father and Her Own, immaculate, most beautiful, refulgent and pure, leaving Her In the integ-rity of Her virginal purity yet more godlike and sacred; for He did not divide but penetrated the virginal chamber as the rays of the sun penetrate a transparent crystal without shattering it, leaving it brighter and more beautiful".

            6.  This Holy Council expresses its jubilation at the richness and depth of detail given by the mystic of Agreda, for in the passages selected from her revelations given above are found most beautiful mysteries that conform to the traditional doctrine of the Church, and particularly to Palmarian doctrine.  In chapter XXIV of this Treatise we made anticipatory mention of certain details concerning the resplendent Birth of the Divine Child Jesus, in which mystery He manifested the majestic qualities of His glorious Body, with the consequent full enjoyment of the beatific vision in all His Soul.  We complete this doctrine by affirming that the Divine Virgin Mary gave birth to the Redeemer of the world whilst She too manifested the radiant and glorious qualities pro-per to Her virginal Body, enjoying at the same time the beatific vision.  Saint Joseph was also favoured with glorious radiance in those moments and was enraptured in beati-fic ecstasy whilst contemplating the Birth of his Son Jesus.

            7.  At the very instant the Divine Child came forth from His Divine Mother's Virginal Enclosure, She gently received Him in Her bosom, and rendered Him profound adoration in union with Joseph Most Holy, who received Him from the hands of his Vir-ginal Spouse a little later.  The Divine Mary wrapped the Infant Jesus in swaddling clothes and placed Him in a manger, whilst the angelic choirs intoned canticles of glory and adored Him as their Lord and God.  Saint Anne and Saint Joachim had the most singular privilege of becoming present in bodily form in the cave of Bethlehem during the most joyful Birth of their Divine Grandson, and they rendered Him adoration.  When the mystery was revealed by the angels to the inhabitants of the Bosom of Abraham as well as of Purgatory, these too felt inundated with a sublime joy, and adored the Redeemer of the world in spirit.  Saint Elizabeth and Saint Zachary, as also the divine Precursor Saint John the Baptist, marvelled at the happy event by means of a vision from their home in the town of Juda, today Ain Karem, and in haste set out on its journey to Bethlehem in order to visit and adore God made Man.  The whole of Creation was moved to jubilee, and some inhabitants of the planets such as Saint Elias, Saint Enoch and Saint Moses were also favoured with the contemplation of those sacred mysteries.  Hell trem-bled with a deafening uproar, since the new-born Son of God, in a show of His omni-potence, disarmed Satan and his followers for a short time, leaving them impotent in their designs upon men, and in the most confusing perplexity.  

            8.  The Evangelist Saint Luke refers to the apparition of the Angel of the Lord, whom we affirm to be Saint Gabriel, to some shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock near Bethlehem (Luke II, 8-9), announcing to them the Birth of the Saviour of the world: "... behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David, And this shall be a sign unto you: You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger", (Luke II, 10-12).  We affirm that in the expression "to all the people" only the elect are referred to, namely those who accept the Messias.  The mystic of Agreda mentions in her revelations that the shep-herds "belonged to those of the People of Israel who fervently hoped and longed for the Coming of the Messias"; and we affirm that they were Essenes.  Resuming the spirit of different doctors as well as mystical revelations, this Holy Council affirms that there were three shepherds who saw the Angel and heard the message of the Birth of the Saviour, whilst the other shepherds heard only the Heavenly Host's canticle of praise (Luke II, 13-14).  The shepherds quickly went to Bethlehem and there found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger.  This took place before dawn on Christmas Day.  They later announced that they had seen and heard, according to what the angel had told them, and both they and those that heard them glorified God (Luke II, 15-20).  The doctrinal sketch which Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda draws a like-ness between Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd and the shepherds in Bethlehem is truly beautiful, since they, like the Messias, were poor, humble, upright and simple of heart.  With these noble qualities they symbolized the office which the Good Shepherd had come to perform.

            9.  With great depth and beauty does the mystical Doctor of Agreda describe the adoration rendered by the shepherds, and in the paragraph we now transcribe, their sanctification, already defined by this Council in chapter XX of the present Treatise, can be descried: "Entering the cave, they found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in a manger.  And seeing all this, they recognized the truth of what they had heard of the Child.  Upon this followed an interior enlightenment consequent on seeing the Word made Flesh; for when the shepherds set their eyes upon Him, the Divine Child Himself also looked at them, and from His Countenance sent forth a great effulgence whose brilliant rays wounded the simple heart of each of those poor yet happy men, and with divine efficacy it renewed and transformed them into new beings of grace and holiness, leaving them enraptured and filled with divine knowledge of the exalted mysteries of the Incar-nation and Redemption of the human race.  They prostrated themselves on the ground and adored the Word made Flesh".

            10.  The words of Saint Luke, "But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart" (2, 19), which the Evangelist gives after referring to the adoration ren-dered by  the shepherds, mean that the Divine Mother praised God at seeing how the Mes-sianic prophecies were being fulfilled.  This passage must never be interpreted in the sense that She was ignorant of any of the mysteries relating to the Nativity of Her Divine Son and was in the expectation of understanding them, as some commentators have said.  We affirm that Mary kept those mysteries in Her Heart also in order to communi-cate them later to Saint Luke, for them to be revealed to mankind by means of his Gos-pel.

            11.  After the shepherd's visit, there followed that of Saint Elizabeth and Saint Zachary with their son Saint John the Baptist, who arrived at Bethlehem late in the morning on the same day of Our Lord's Birth.  The family knelt in adoration before the new-born God and felt supernaturally strengthened by the glorious rays emanating from His Deific Body, held in the lap of His Divine Mother, likewise trans-figured.  To that most beautiful spectacle was united a still more sublime grace, that of both Elizabeth and Zachary taking in their arms the little Body of the King of Heaven Who flooded them with light, whilst their hearts at the same time were lit up with an inexpressible heavenly joy.  The infant Saint John the Baptist had the grace of being taken in the arms of the Divine Virgin Mary, and afterwards in those of Joseph Most Holy, who was also transfigured next to his Divine Spouse, and for a time the Precursor's body was refulgent with light.  The Baptist's parents remained a number of days in Bethlehem and then moved, by divine inspiration, to Jerusalem, where they had a property.  When departing they wished to take the Holy Family with them, but that did not accord with the divine plans, since the Saviour had yet to stay in the city of David to await the visit of many men of good will who wished to adore Him.  Besides, Bethlehem was one of the signs given by the prophets by which to recognize the Promised Messias.  Nonetheless, Elizabeth and Zachary often came from Jerusalem to the Holy Cave to visit the Holy Family, until they decided to leave for Hebron.  That took place the day after the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, a ceremony which they attended.

            12.  In the weeks following the Birth a number of Essenes who lived in the Bethlehem neighborhood hurried to the cavern of the Nativity, once they came to know of the good tidings through the shepherds.  And Essenes as well from other regions of the kingdom arrived later, especially from Mount Carmel, since there the angels had announ-ced the Birth of the Messias with clear signs.  Other simple folk who were not Essenes also visited the new-born Divine Infant, drawn by the news that He was the Promised Child announced by the prophecies.  A number of visitors to the cave in Bethlehem were sanctified in the presence of the Child Jesus, and of these, not a few saw the new- born God-Child enveloped in supernatural splendour and beauty.

            13.  The animals also paid homage to their Creator, as was the case of the donkey which Saint Joseph had brought, and  of the ox which, grazing in the fields of Bethlehem, was moved by God to enter the sacred cave.  Both animals rendered adoration to the Child Jesus in their own way, and thus miraculously was fulfilled what had been foretold by the prophet Isaias: "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib" (Isaias I, 3).

            14.  In view of the fact that many commentators on Holy Scripture, when they reach the passage concerning the cave of Bethlehem where Jesus is found between two animals, say that this episode is prophesied in chapter III, verse 2 of Habacuc, relying on the Greek version of the text which reads "in the midst of two animals Thou shalt be known", this Holy council rejects the Greek rendering of the verse after a very detailed study of Holy Scripture in its various translations, Vulgate, Hebrew and Greek.  In chapter XV of the present Treatise we confirmed the true literal translation as well as the doctrinal interpretation of the aforementioned verse in Habacuc, relying on the Vulgate text.

            15.  Eight days after the Nativity of Our Lord there took place His Circum-cision, as related by Saint Luke (II, 21).  Joseph Most Holy exercised his singular Priesthood as minister of sacrifice, circumcising his Divine Son in the Cave of Beth-lehem, on Whom he imposed the most Holy and Sweet Name of Jesus.  The circumcision was a likeness of the Sacrifice of Calvary, principally because of the shedding of Blood and of the three priestly hearts who came together with a special mission: that of the Divine Infant Jesus, bloody Victim; that of His Divine Mother, spiritual Victim; and that of Joseph Most Holy, minister of sacrifice, also spiritual victim, and in him the whole Church.  The Sacred Hearts of Mary and Joseph were overwhelmed by most bitter grief as they contemplated Jesus shedding the first drops of His Redemptive Blood, together with His tears of pain.  However, the three Victims joyfully offered up that sacrifice for the benefit of mankind.  The Deific Blood shed, as well as the divine Particle separated from the Body of the Infant Jesus, were most lovingly kept by Mary and Joseph, and were re-incorporated into the Humanity of Christ at His Resur-rection.  From the very first day of His Birth the Divine Infant Jesus began to suspend the qualities of His glorious Body in order to be able to suffer for mankind, as in the case of His Circumcision.

            16.  One of the most mysterious passages related to Our Lord's Birth is that of the adoration of the Wise Men (the Magi), referred to in the Gospel of Saint Matthew (II, 1-12) and who were, as already defined, the Kings Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar.  In the first place we shall clarify the genealogy of the Holy Kings, relying on Sacred Scripture and the revelations of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich.  According to the Holy Doctor they were descendants of Saint Job, whom she describes as son of Jectan, and the latter as brother of Phaleg, both sons of Heber.  She says, moreover, that Job was the thirteenth son of Jectan, and goes on to relate that Job was married, successively, to  three wives.  That is to say, his new marriages took place after the previous wife had died.  She also says that Job's wives, descended from his uncle Phaleg and adds that Job and one of the three wives are the great-grandparents of the mother of Abraham.  Finally, she says that Job in his old age came to know his great- great-grandson, the Patriarch Abraham.  Comparing these details of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich with Holy Scripture, we observe the following coincidence: In Genesis (X, 24-29), it is stated that Heber was son of Sale, a descendant of Noe by the line of Sem; that Heber had two sons, one Phaleg through whom was continued the line of Promise; and the other Jectan who had thirteen children, the last one called Jobab, whom we affirm to be the Patriarch Job.  This Holy Council also teaches that Job's great grand-daughter was indeed the wife of Thare, of whom was born the Holy Patriarch Abraham; and that Thare and his wife were the fourth generation from the two brothers Phaleg and Jectan respectively, sons of Heber.  Examining chapter XXV of Genesis (verses 1 to 4) we see that Abraham had another wife called Cetura, of whom were born Jecsan and Madian, amongst others; and, besides, that Jecsan begot Saba and Madian begot Epha.  We conclude by saying that due to the connection between these last names and the prophecy of Isaias (LX, 5-6), which accord-ing to our interpretation refers to the three Holy Monarchs, we teach that the Kings sprung from those descendants of Abraham and Cetura.  We reject all commentaries on the genealogy of Saint Job and the Wise Kings that do not accord with the present teaching.

            17.  The name of Wise Men (Magi) which the Gospel of Saint Matthew (II, 1) gives to the three Holy Kings indicates, according to our interpretation, that they pos-sessed mystical gifts and great wisdom.  They were especially distinguished for their pro-found knowledge of Holy Scripture and were devoted as well to the study of the stars, this latter having nothing to do with the occult arts of witchcraft, to which they were never dedicated.  Moreover, they were pre-eminent for their outstanding piety, they professed faith in the One True God, that is, the Jewish faith, and with vehemence awaited the Coming of the Messias, observing everything, as far as was possible, in the law of Moses.  They were models of wise and prudent kings, and therefore governed their states with rectitude and justice.  Besides, there existed the tradition among their forebears that certain descendants would be witnesses to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Balaam, which foretells: "A star shall rise out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel" (Numbers XXIV, 17).  Those witnesses were the Three Wise Kings.

            18.  Melchor was King of a territory, today Kuwait, bordering ancient Caldea and Arabia, on the Persian Gulf to the south of Iraq.  Gaspar reigned in ancient Elam, in the region where the port of Bushire is situated today, on the east side of the Persian Gulf, and which today belongs to Iran, the ancient Persia.  And Balthasar reigned on the throne of Saba, today Yemen, in southern Arabia.  These virtuous Kings were independent and enjoyed great prestige among other kingdoms.   The Most High favoured them with visions and other signs that revealed the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies.  Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich says that when the Divine Mary was born, She Herself appeared in vision to each one of them, and the Holy Kings learnt in this way that the Mother of the Redeemer was on earth.  When the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Three Wise Men came to know of the mystery, according to our judgement, through the following vision of the Divine Virgin and Child, which the Holy Doctor Anne Catherine Emmerich elegantly describes: "There was a Virgin, and before Her a Child from whose right side a luminous branch had sprung forth; then upon this appeared a tower with various doors.  The tower turned into a great city over which the Child was seen with crown, sceptre and sword, as if He were a King.  After this they saw themselves, together with all the kings of the world, prostrate before the Child in act of adoration; for he possessed an empire before which all other empires had to submit... " We enrich the account of this vision described by the Holy Doctor adding that the Divine Virgin Mary revealed to each of the Holy Kings, before disappearing, that when they should see a miraculous star it would be the unmistakable sign that the Redeemer had then been born.

            19.  Shortly after the Incarnation of the Son of God each of the three Holy Kings was inspired to journey towards the land of Juda.  However, in order that the divine plans be fulfilled it was fitting for the three to meet up, and so together ren-der due adoration to the Child Jesus as soon as He was born.  To that end Gaspar crossed the Persian Gulf by boat, joined Melchor, and both made their way to the court of Bal-thasar in Saba, crossing Arabia.  Once united, the three Kings withdrew into the desert to prepare themselves for the Coming of the Promised Messias with prayer and penance, and there the miraculous star that announced the Birth of the Saviour in Bethlehem appeared to them.  Accompanied by a large and lavish retinue, with an abundance of camels and dromedaries, the privileged Monarchs left Saba and set out for the Kingdom of Juda, guided by the radiant star and supplied with rich gifts such as gold, frankin-cense and myrrh; on the way many others joined the party when they heard what the Kings told them.  The caravan travelled along the coast of the Red Sea, passing through the ancient territory of Epha and afterwards that of Madian.  Thus was fulfilled the pro-phecy of Isaias (LX, 5-6): "Then shalt thou see, and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee (verse 5).  The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Madian and Epha: all they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and shewing forth praise to the Lord" (verse 6).  Afterwards the Wise Men traversed the eastern part of the Dead Sea and crossed the River Jordan where Christ was later to be baptized.  Once they were in the kingdom of Juda, the star which guided them disappeared, leaving the Holy Kings in a state of confusion since, although they knew that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, nevertheless they were  ignorant of the actual whereabouts of the Divine Child.  In His inscrutable plans God designed that they pass through a dark night of the soul, in order thus to test their faith and persever-ance, and to avail Himself of them to give testimony of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem.  The disappearance of the star also signified the spiritual darkness that covered a great part of the Jewish people.  The Three Holy Kings had, then, to enter the city of Jerusalem and there ask information concerning the whereabouts of the new-born Messias.  Besides, they expected the whole city to be overflowing with joy, celebrating great feasts on account of the happy event.  But that was not the case.

            20.  The distinguished royal caravan entered the city of Jerusalem on 5 January in the afternoon, that is, on the eve of the first adoration, causing wonderment and admiration among its inhabitants.  When Herod learnt of the presence of the three Kings from the Orient he became prey to a violent agitation, all the more so when he was told by one of his palace intimates that they were asking for the whereabouts of the new-born King of the Jews, since they had seen His star in the East and had come to adore Him.  Although the news of the Birth of a Saviour had been spread abroad in Bethlehem and in Jerusalem as soon as announced by the three shepherds, not to mention other pro-digies that disclosed the mystery, a large portion of the city, including King Herod, did not give the required credence to the events, given that the Child Jesus belonged to a poor and apparently insignificant family.  However, on discovering that the visit of the Wise Kings was due to the Birth of a new King of the Jews - as they called the Child Jesus - Herod and with him all of Jerusalem became troubled (Matt. II, 3).  In order to be better informed of events, the astute King assembled the chief priests and the scribes of the people so that they might examine the Scriptures.  And they found the answer in Micheas the Prophet, who says that the long-awaited Messias was to be born in Bethlehem (Mich.  V, 2).  Afterwards he invited the three Holy Monarchs to his palace and questioned them concerning the moment of the apparition of the star, at the same time as he forged his most diabolical plan, which was to seek a favourable opportunity to kill the Child Jesus.  With feigned piety he sought to deceive the three Kings, and sent them on to Bethlehem telling them that as soon as they had found the Divine King to bring him word again, that he also might come and adore Him.

            21.  Afterwards the holy caravan set out for Bethlehem, and as they crossed the Cedron River on the way out of Jerusalem, the three Kings rejoiced with exceeding great joy on seeing the star again, yet more brilliant than before.  It guided them to the Sacred Cave where the Child Jesus was, which it entered followed by the Wise Kings, and in their presence rested on the Head of the King of kings.

            22.  Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar, prostrate on the ground, adored God become Man, and in that very instant they were sanctified, receiving besides, new enlightenment concerning the Mystery of Redemption.  They were as well enraptured by the  supernatural light which emanated from the Divine Infant as also from His Most Holy Mother, for both manifested with great refulgence the glorious qualities of their Bodies; Saint Joseph too, who was close to his Divine Spouse Mary, was enveloped in heavenly light.  The Wise Kings each offered precious and significant gifts to their Divine and August Monarch: gold, as to a King; frankincense as to God; and myrrh as to Man, thus giving testimony of the ineffable mystery contained in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Afterwards the large royal party encamped in the proximities of Bethlehem where today stands the Church of Saint Theodosius, and there they took up residence.  This first adoration of the Child Jesus by the Holy Kings took place on 6 January in the year 5200 of the Crea-tion of the world, which corresponds to the year 1 of the Christian era.

            23.  This Holy Council affirms the doctrine that the mysterious and super-natural Star which miraculously led the Three Wise Kings to the Cave of the Nativity was the Holy Ghost Who appeared under that luminous form.  Apart from this, we teach besides that King Saint Melchior had a light olive complexion, with black eyes, hair and beard; that King Saint Gaspar had a ruddy complexion, with fair hair and beard, blue eyes; and that King Saint Balthasar had a black complexion, with black eyes, hair and beard.  Moreover, the ages of the three Kings varied between 35 and 40, Melchor being the eldest and Balthasar the youngest.

            24.  The Holy Monarchs' stay in the proximities of the Saviour's city of birth continued until the Angel warned them to leave; since, providentially, their pre-sence safeguarded the Child Jesus from Herod's tyranny until the Holy Family had com-plied with the legal rite of Mary's Purification and the Presentation of Her Son in the Temple.  For that reason the iniquitous king remained cautious and reserved, given the high rank of the Holy Kings and the respect they inspired in all.

            25.  Forty days after the Birth of the Child Jesus, the Holy Family made the journey from Bethlehem to the Temple in Jerusalem in order to comply with the legal requirement of the Purification of the Mother and the Presentation of the Son, events related by Saint Luke (II, 22-38).  We dwell especially on the words of Blessed Simeon to the Divine Mary (II, 34-35) which refer, in the first place, to Her Divine Son: "Be-hold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted" (verse 34).  With respect to the following words of verse 35, "Et tuam.  Ipsius, animam pertransivit gladius", we explain that they have not been correctly translated by the learned, unaware of their profound doctrinal meaning.  Nonetheless the eminent Doctor Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda has, through a special light, penetrated the true sense contained in the words, and taking her as our guide, we give the following exact translation: "And thy own Soul, which is His, a sword shall pierce..." It is admirable that in this latter text of Saint Luke should be found the doctrine of the Espousal of the Divine Souls of Christ and Mary,  both of Which as we know, without confusion of substances, form one single Soul: the Mystical Soul of the Church.  For that reason the aged Saint Simeon tells Mary that Her Soul is Christ's, and consequently that Christ's Soul is Mary's, since Both are mystically espoused.  In the same prophetic words is also found the doctrine of the Espousal of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  All this moves us to teach that as Saint Simeon took the Divine Child into his arms, he was transported in vision to Calvary and spiritually lived the mystery of the Redemption, accordingly giving the prophecy which in a few words sums up the Saving Work that the Divine Victim Jesus Christ would accomplish in union with the Co- Victim, His Divine Mother.  For, on the one hand, the above verse 34 announces Christ's redemptive mission: that He is given for the salvation of those who take refuge in His Blood outpoured, and for the fall of those who despise It; moreover, He is set for a sign which shall be contradicted.  On the other hand, in the first part of verse 35 is mysteriously foretold the most dolorous piercing of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Her spiritual death at the foot of the Cross, Her sorrowful Heart trans-fixed by a lance together with Her Divine Son's, thus culminating the Sacrifice of both Victims.  As fruit of this supreme immolation would be born the Church, a mystery contained in the final words of the prophecy: "... That out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed" (verse 35), which signifies, among other things, the open manifestation of the falsity of some hearts and the good disposition of others; for the Church possesses infallible judgement in separating truth from error and the power to welcome into Her bosom all those who accept Her magisterium, as well as that of condemning those who reject it.  Because only one of two positions is possible: to be with Christ, or to be against Christ.  We conclude by saying that Simeon's words entered so deeply into the Heart of the Divine Virgin Mary that, in a mysterious way, together with the Divine Child Jesus, She lived at that moment through the mysteries of Calvary, becoming both of them transfixed and spiritually dead, with immense grief and joy at the same time in their Souls.  However, the Divine Mary, accepting the sentence of the Eternal Father, readily renewed Her fiat.  In a similar way Joseph Most Holy participated in the suffer-ings of his Divine Son and of his Most Holy Spouse when he heard Simeon's prophecy, and his most Chaste Heart too was transpierced; and that produced in him a spiritual death accompanied by grief and joy.

            26.  We conclude this Gospel passage, adding that the aged Saint Simeon and Saint Anna the Prophetess proclaimed the Birth of the Promised Messias with ardent aposto-lic zeal, and that they died fifteen days after the Presentation of the Child Jesus, that is, on the same day as the Holy Family's flight to Egypt.  They were thus freed by God from Herod's bloody persecution, of which they would have been victims.

            27.  Once the Evangelist Saint Luke has described the legal ceremony in the Temple, he goes on to say: "And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they  returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth" (Luke II, 39).  Comparing this text with the equivalent one of Saint Matthew, "And coming He dwelt in a city called Nazareth" (Matt. II, 23), who places it after the Holy Family's return from Egypt, we observe an apparent chronological gap in Saint Luke, easy to resolve if we consider the context of the passage in his Gospel: "and the Child grew, and became strong, full of wisdom, and the grace of God was in Him" (Luke II, 40); since here one is clearly given to understand the definite establishment of the Holy Family in Nazareth, which necessarily took place after the period of exile had come to an end.  Besides, Saint Luke does not relate the episode of the flight into Egypt because it had already been given beforehand by Saint Matthew; and therefore, not seeing any reason for him to repeat it, he continues his account with the Holy Family's departure for Nazareth, begin-ning at the return from Egypt described by the other Evangelist, placed by the latter at the completion of the exile.  Therefore we interpret that after the ceremony in the Temple, the Child Jesus and His most Holy Parents returned to Bethlehem, since it was in this city that Saint Joseph wished to settle, as it was the birth- place of the Messias, and sign that would make it easier for Him to be recognized, as had been fore-told by the prophet Micheas (V, 2).  The Holy Family made their way to the Cave of the Nativity, to continue their stay there until a more suitable place should be found; from where they were to depart for Egypt, as we shall explain further on.

            28.  Before continuing, we must bring to an end the history of the Holy Kings.  When still in Bethlehem, they were warned in dreams by the Archangel Saint Gabriel to set off on the return journey to their countries without visiting Herod, and they obeyed at once.  This time they took the route that led south, through Hebron.  When they arrived in their countries they announced the Birth of the Messias, and converted many of their subjects.  Years afterwards Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar abdicated in favour of their legitimate heirs, and withdrew to a spot in the Arabian desert near Palestine to live a life dedicated to divine contemplation.  There Our Lord Jesus Christ visited them in the third year of His Public Life, instructed them in the New Law and administered Baptism to them.  When the time came, they knew of the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of their Divine Master by means of a vision.  They themselves died some time later.  The Empress Saint Helena discovered their remains in the Arabian desert and took them to Byzantium, seat of her son Constantine.  They were later removed to Milan, and from there to Cologne, where they have rested since the twelfth century.

            29.  After the departure of the Wise Kings on 12 February in the year 1 of the Christian era, five days before the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt, Saint Joseph was warned by the three Shepherds of the danger the Child Jesus was in by continuing to live in the Cave of the Nativity; for Herod had publicly expressed his anger and intensified inquiries about the Divine Child, due to the sudden departure of the three Monarchs  in secret without returning to visit him in Jerusalem.  Guided by the Shepherds, the Holy Family took refuge in another cave, a little removed from the city, today known as the "Milk Grotto".  There they remained, more hidden, until the moment Saint Joseph received the order, through Saint Gabriel, to flee with the Child Jesus and his Spouse Mary to Egypt.  For the few days that the Holy Family lived in the new cave, the three Holy Shepherd- Messengers attended them diligently, obtaining what was necessary for their sustenance, and keeping great reserve with respect to the whereabouts of the Child Jesus.  In the early hours of 17 February the Archangel Saint Gabriel appeared to Saint Joseph in his sleep and ordered him to rise and fly into Egypt taking the Child Jesus and His Mother; and as well, that they should stay there until they were told, for Herod would seek the Child to destroy Him.  Obeying the order at once, Saint Joseph arose, took the Child and His Mother by night and started out on the journey.  The flight into Egypt is related in chapter two (verses 13-14) of Saint Matthew's Gospel.  Before the Holy Family departed the three Shepherds adored the Child Jesus and took their leave.

            30.  This Holy Council emphasizes the heroic virtues of the three Holy Shepherd-Messengers of Bethlehem, who with courage gave faithful testimony of the Messias, and were always at the Holy Family's service.  For that reason their neighbors blamed them for the slaughter of the Holy Innocents by Herod, and the Shepherds suffered great trials as a result.

            31.  When they reached the city of Hebron on the flight into Egypt, the Holy Family rested briefly at the oak-grove of Mambre, where Abraham received the visit of the Three Divine Persons and had a vision of the Mother of the Saviour, as well as of the Work of Redemption, as explained in the fifth chapter of this Treatise.  The Holy Family took up their journey without visiting their cousins Elizabeth and Zachary who were then living in that city, and to whom an angel had announced the mystery of the flight into Egypt and given warning of the danger that threatened Saint John the Baptist.  From Hebron Saint Joseph headed for the town of Eleutheropolis, today Beit Gubrin, and continued onward towards Gaza where they rested for two days, as Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda reveals, and where the presence of the Child Jesus enlightened many souls, who were converted and praised their Creator; while some of the sick were miracu-lously cured.  They journeyed on towards Egypt through the Sur Desert with great hard-ships - offered up by them especially for the salvation of the people among whom they were coming to dwell - until they reached the city of Heliopolis, today Cairo, after passing through other populated areas.

            32.  In her revelations the eminent Doctor Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda presents a magnificent and detailed account of the beneficent mission which the Holy Family carried out in the land of Egypt, full of temples and altars where idols were venerated, which in turn harboured demons and to which the  unfortunate inhabitants went to adore with sacrifices ordered by the evil spirits, who would give answers to their questions.  As the Holy Family passed through various towns and villages, the Child Jesus, using His Divine Power, expelled and drove out the devils, who hurled themselves like thunderbolts into the infernal caverns; and at the same time, with a great crash, the idols themselves tumbled to the ground, the temples collapsed and the altars of idolatry were overturned.  Terrified by these strange phenomena, the inhabitants approached the Holy Family, telling them of the ruin of their temples and their gods.  The Most Holy Virgin Mary and Her Spouse Saint Joseph instructed them on the true God, freeing them from the error of the idols, for the devils made use of these in order to entice them towards evil.  Drawn by the spiritual attraction that radiated from the Holy Family, many approached to hear their conversation, their hearts were converted to the true God and they did penance for their sins.  Moreover, this apostolate of the Holy Family was accompanied by other miracles, especially the curing of the sick.  Thus was fulfilled what was foretold by the prophet Isaias: "Behold the Lord shall ascend upon a swift cloud, and will enter into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst thereof" (Is. XIX, 1).  In chapter XI of this Treatise we said that the swift Cloud was the Divine Mary, bearing the Child Jesus in Her arms and readily obeying the commands of the Most High.  The prophet Ezechiel also prophesied these events: "Thus saith the Lord God; I will destroy the simulacra, and I will make an end of the idols of Memphis... " (Ezech. XXX, 13). 

            33.  Whilst the Holy Family carried out their apostolate in Egypt, King Herod, ever more hardened of heart for having rejected the graces offered him by God through the testimony of the Three Holy Kings, as well as of the Shepherds, plotted and carried out his criminal designs in Jerusalem.  The Kings of the Orient, in their visit to the deicide monarch, had informed him in the presence of the religious authorities of the supernatural visions and other extraordinary signs that had announced to them the Nativity of the King of kings.  With this testimony of the Holy Monarchs, the Most High wished to illuminate and move to conversion Herod's perverse heart, very agitated by the possible truth of the Birth of the Messias foretold by the prophets - among them Isaias (VII, 14) and Micheas (V, 2) - as well as of the royalty of the Messias, also announced by Isaias, who says: "His empire shall be multiplied ... He shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom..." (Is. IX, 7).  The uneasiness and perplexity of the iniquitous Herod was motivated then, on the one hand, by the way such an event might affect the throne of Juda that he had usurped, which by right belonged to the family of David from which the Child Jesus born in Bethlehem was descended, a fact which Herod was able to ascertain from the register of the enrolment made by Saint Joseph; and also, more importantly, because the loathsome and impious Herod, rebellious to truth and to sound morals, could not suffer that the Child Jesus, Whom not  few con-sidered to be the Promised Saviour, should live, since according to the Messianic prophecies He was to re-establish the Kingdom of God among men and take away evil from the earth.  This idea of spiritual restoration gnawed at the heart of the venomous Herod, figure of Antichrist, who at all costs wanted to do away with the Son of God made Man, fount of all good.

            34.  Almighty God had also wished to make use of the Holy Kings in order to enlighten the darkened minds of the priests and doctors of the law, in great part obsti-nate and corrupt, who were awaiting a Messias born in temporal splendour and with large armies at his disposal; and, besides, in order to illumine and move the whole Chosen People to conversion.  However, the spiritual darkness that enveloped Jerusalem and the entire Kingdom of Juda was already so great that not only Herod, but the greater part of the religious authorities, and as well the people, failed to profit from the con-fession of faith made by the three holy and eminent Monarchs.  They, having left their sumptuous palaces, came humbly to adore a poor Child lying in a manger Whom they recog-nized as their God and King, in this way completing the testimony given by the Shep-herds, who on account of their occupation were of humble rank.

            35.  But now let us see how Herod put his perverse plans into effect.  Find-ing himself outwitted by the Holy Kings, and faced with the disappearance of the Holy Family, the tyrannical king was carried away by a monstrous impulse of cruel rage, and decided at all costs to do away with the new-born Divine Child; for in his infernal frenzy, the savage monarch imagined that Jesus, called King of the Jews, would attempt to depose him from the throne of Juda, helped by the three Holy Kings from the Orient, and the possibility that the Child Jesus might even be under the auspices of those three Monarchs, awaiting the favourable moment to make a decisive assault on his throne, obsessed his mind.  The first measure the impious Herod took was to control the roads leading out of his kingdom, setting up strategic check points and acting with the great-est reserve until he should manage to get hold of the Child Jesus and kill Him secretly, and the Holy Kings as well if it were possible.  Once all recourses had been exhausted without result, he decided to carry out the slaughter of the babes.

            36.  The Evangelist Saint Matthew says that Herod sending killed all the men children two years old and under that were in Bethlehem and its district, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Wise Men (II, 16).  From this we interpret that through the information Herod received from the three Holy Kings and by what was being said in Jerusalem, he calculated the approximate age of the Child Jesus, which we affirm to have been 66 days when the slaughter of the Innocents was carried out; but in order to forestall any possible deceit or inaccuracy, and so that the number of victims be greater, Herod decreed the killing of the boys of two years of age and under.  In this way he included not only those who were of the age the Child Jesus might have had, counting from the signs seen  in Bethlehem - that is, from His Birth - but also all those born from the moment the Holy Kings had the vision of the Child Jesus in the arms of His Most Holy Mother, which, as we know, took place on the day of the Incarnation of the Divine Word, for Herod was acquainted with these facts through the Wise Men.  Besides, by raising the age to two he satisfied even more his desire to take vengeance and to deride the inhabitants of the town of Bethlehem and its environs, who he believed to be accessories to the concealment of the Child Jesus; for there is other reason for killing the new-born as well if his estimates had indicated that the Child Jesus was two years of age.  Besides, the deicide King believed that in the face of this terrible punishment, the people would hand him over the Child Jesus in order to avoid a greater slaughter of their children.

            37.  On 28 February of the year One of the Christian era, Herod carried out his criminal sentence, sending a cohort of soldiers of the Roman Empire to render any departure from Bethlehem and its district impossible, and to fall upon its inhabitants without warning.  The children were beheaded in their homes, and also in the streets and squares, amidst the cries and heart-rending sobs of the townspeople and the bois-terous mirth of the soldiery, many of the children being wrested from their parent's arms.  Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremias (XXXI, 15) which Saint Matthew applies to that bloody event: "A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not" (II, 18).  We interpret that Rama, situated within the confines of the tribe of Benjamin, where Rachel died amid tears and weeping following Benjamin's dolorous birth, is figure of mournful Bethlehem; and Rachel, figure of the mothers who wept over the loss of their children.  We add that this beloved spouse of Jacob was interred in the neighborhood of Bethlehem.  This Holy Council teaches that the number of Holy Innocents martyred was seventy, and moreover, that some of the children included in the decree because of their age, were preserved from death by a singular providence, among them those belonging to the three Holy Shepherds; since an angel of the Lord mysteriously marked the doors of their homes, which became hidden from the soldiers' sight.  We record that neither Herod nor the Roman soldiers were held to account for the slaughter of the Holy Innocents by the Emperor Augustus Caesar, because in Rome there existed the custom of killing unwanted new-born children.

            38.  We confirm the teaching given by Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda and other writers that the children beheaded by order of Herod received the use of reason at the moment of their martyrdom, as well as the indwelling of the Holy Ghost through the Baptism of blood, willingly offering up their lives for love of Jesus Christ; in addition, that as the Most Holy Virgin Mary contemplated the bloody event in Egypt, She wept for Bethlehem's beheaded children as Heavenly Mother of them all, and offered the immolation of those Innocents to God.

            39.  It is now time to speak of the Holy Family's return from Egypt, whhich began as a result of Herod's death on 30 March of the year 8 of the Christian era, year 5207 of Creation and 760 years from the foundation of Rome; the Child Jesus was then seven years of age.  The Evangelist Saint Matthew (II, 19-22) says that once Herod was dead an angel of the Lord, whom we affirm to be the Archangel Saint Gabriel, appeared to Saint Joseph in sleep in Egypt, ordering him to arise, to take the Child and His Mother, and to return into the land of Israel, because those that sought the life of the Child were now dead.  Saint Joseph promptly obeyed God's order and departed from Heliopolis, today Cairo, after taking the necessary provisions for the journey and distributing their possessions amongst the most needy.

            40.  Jesus, Mary and Joseph had won the affection of a large number of Egyptians during the seven years of exile, and many souls had been converted to the true God.  For that reason theirs was a very painful departure, especially for those benefited by the Holy Family's presence, who felt as it were abandoned as their greatest benefactors set off.  Similar demonstrations of affection accompanied by the sobs and tears of the inhabitants, were repeated as they passed through the towns and villages on the way to Israel, until they reached the Idumean town of Gaza.  With the Holy Family's return from Egypt to their homeland, was fulfilled the prophetic text of Osee: "I called my son out of Egypt" (XI, 1), a verse quoted by Saint Matthew (II, 15).  We teach that the Holy Family departed from the city of Heliopolis on 30 March of year 8 of the Christian era and entered the land of Israel on 7 April of the same year, arriving in Jerusalem on 9 April, complying with the Passover obligation of this day.

            41.  We now explain the difficulties presented by the Evangelist Saint Matthew in the following text, in which he refers to certain aspects of the Holy Family's return to Egypt: "But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee.  And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth... " (Matt. II, 22-23).  We affirm the teaching, based on some of the details given by the mystic Cecilia Baij, that after the Holy Family had stayed in Gaza a prudent time, Joseph Most Holy decided to go and settle in Bethlehem, believing that in this way he would comply with the divine plans, because there was the homeland of the Child Jesus and of all his Davidic ancestry.  As he wished to enter Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover, he took the direct route, that which passes through Eleutheripolis and then Ain Karem.  When he was near the kingdom's capital Saint Joseph heard that Archelaus, son of Herod, governed Judea, who like his father was noted for cruelty.  For this reason Saint Joseph was afraid to settle in Bethlehem, given the possibility of a new persecution of the Child Jesus; and this is what is meant by the Evangelist's phrase "he was afraid to go thither..." However comforted by Divine Providence he continued on the journey and visited the Temple of Jerusalem where, together with the Divine  Infant and His Most Holy Mother, he fulfilled the Passover precept and moreover gave thanks to God for their return to Israel.  Due to the large gathering of pilgrims they went almost unnoticed, though some wondered at the singular beauty of the Child Jesus.  The Holy Family after-wards went on to Bethlehem, and spent part of the night in the Cave of the Nativity, accompanied by a multitude of angels who honoured their return with hymns of glory.  However, as it was envisaged in the divine plans that the Holy Family live in Galilee, the Archangel Saint Gabriel again appeared to Saint Joseph during sleep that very night, telling him to withdraw to Nazareth.

            42.  The Evangelist Saint Luke says in his second chapter (vv. 41-42) that Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover, and that when their Son was twelve years old they went up as usual to celebrate the solemnity.  It can easily be deduced from this text that the Child Jesus always accompanied His Parents to the Temple, and thus from the most tender age gave example of perfect obser-vance of the Law of Moses, which they fulfilled according to the most rigorous usages of Essenian families, who even took their suckling babes to the Temple; but Jesus was unable to comply with this Essenian strictness until His return from Egypt.  Saint Luke, in order to record explicitly that the Child fulfilled the Passover precept, obligatory from the age of twelve, gives prominence to the visit that Jesus made with His Parents at this age, and as well to tell of the display of Divine Wisdom He wished to make before the doctors.

            43.  After the seven days of the feast of the Passover, the Holy Family made ready to return to Nazareth, strictly observing the custom that each travel in the cara-van of their own sex, with the exception of the children who could join either party.  In order to realize His plans, and so that the Parents of His Only-begotten be able to suffer and acquire merit, God suspended the Divine Mary and Joseph Most Holy of infused know-ledge and other gifts, and occupied their attention, besides, with other holy and divine thoughts, which left them somewhat detached from the care of the Child Jesus, in order that He could easily remain in Jerusalem without His Parents noticing.  Moreover, the Divine Mary thought that Her Son would accompany Saint Joseph, who in turn thought He would be travelling with His Mother.  When the two caravans of pilgrims joined up at the town of Gofna at the end of a day's journey in order to pass the night there, the most Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph became aware of the disappearance of the Child, Who had not travelled with either during the journey.  With great sorrow and selfless con-cern they sought Him for the first day amongst their relations and acquaintances, and as none of them gave any information on the Child, they returned to Jerusalem where they searched for Him again without success on the second day.  On the third, Jesus was found by His Parents amidst the doctors of the Law in the Temple, who were asto-nished at the divine teaching that came from Him (Luke II, 43-48).  We teach that the loss of the Child Jesus occurred on Monday 23  April of year 13 of the Christian era, and that He was found in the Temple on Wednesday 25th of the same month and year.

            44.  Basing our doctrine on the amazingly profound teaching given by the exalted and Holy Doctor Mary of Jesus of Agreda on the charitable work carried out by Jesus among the poor and sick during the time He was lost in Jerusalem and as well on the sublime teaching which fell from His Divine Lips amidst the doctors of the Temple, we teach the following: For the two days preceding His teaching in the Temple, the Son of God devoted Himself to visiting the sick and the humble, many of whom He comforted with His sublime doctrine, and many too He restored to health.  Also, He practiced the vir-tues of humility and charity begging alms, which He then distributed amongst the poor.  Once the Child Jesus had fulfilled His mission with the humble and simple, He entered the Temple in order to teach the wise and prudent, namely the teachers and doctors of the Law, who were then discussing amongst themselves the Coming of the Promised Messias, attempting to reconcile the different Messianic prophecies; since some speak of a poor, humble Messias, trodden underfoot and led away to death; whereas others, on the con-trary, speak of a Saviour full of power, majesty and glory, Who would extend His invin-cible empire everywhere, placing all the kingdoms of the world beneath His sceptre and sword, and be the terror of His enemies.  Many others attended the debate, among them priests and scribes, who presented questions to the doctors concerning the Messias; since the signs of His Birth seen in Bethlehem twelve years before, proclaimed as well by the shepherds and brought into prominence later by the Holy Kings, left a trace of uneasiness in not a few souls, in spite of the fact that most did not find any solid basis for admitting, in their petty judgement, the truth of the Nativity of Christ, made evident by unmistakable signs.  To this contributed the bad dispositions which the Jews in general then had at the Coming of the Messias, owing to moral corruption and pharisaical literalism in the interpretation of Holy Scripture; all of which made it impossible for them to benefit by the graces the Most High poured over them, with the exception of a minority who did profit by them.

            45.  Continuing: When Our Lord Jesus Christ drew near to where the doctors and teachers were, after hearing their deliberations He placed Himself in the centre of them and began to instruct them in the true teaching concerning the Saviour they were awaiting in Israel, and explained the true meaning of the events foretold by the pro-phets, To this end, he distinguished the prophecies that announced the First Coming of the Messias as Redeemer in the humility of the flesh, from the others that presented Him as a King full of power and majesty, which shall be fulfilled in His glorious Second Coming in order to judge the living and the dead.  The Child Jesus became transfigured in the presence of all, filled with light and deific majesty, manifesting the qualities of His glorious Body as magisterially taught by His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII.  At the sublime wisdom which fell from the lips of a child of twelve  and the manifestation of glory, the doctors of the Law and the gathering that watched Him and listened to His words became astonished and full of admiration, with the suspicion that they found themselves in the presence of the Son of God made Man.  The amazement of the onlookers grew with the arrival of His unassuming Parents, Mary and Joseph, which revealed the humble condition of the Family to which the unusual Child belonged, and due to the hardness of their hearts the truth was hidden from them.

            46.  The Evangelist Saint Luke says that Mary and Joseph were astonished at finding their Divine Son in the Temple among the doctors, listening to them and asking them questions.  The surprise of the Most Holy Parents of the Child Jesus was at seeing their Son unexpectedly manifest His Wisdom and glorious qualities in public, especially at so young an age.  We teach as well that in His humility the Child Jesus questioned and listened to the doctors as a disciple would his master, and so in this way magis-terially instructed them in the truth as Supreme Doctor.  The Evangelist goes on to say that the Mother of Jesus asked Her Son: "Son, why hast Thou done so to us?  Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing.  And he said to them: How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business? And they understood not the word that He spoke unto them" (Luke II, 48-50).  This sublime dialogue between Mother and Son, which took place in private when the Holy Family was a little removed from the crowd, has until now presented a serious difficulty of interpretation which the doctors and commentators have all been unable to explain satisfactorily.  This Holy Council gives the true doctrinal meaning contained in this Gospel text: Since Mary's and Joseph's infused knowledge and other most high gifts were veiled, they did not understand why the Child Jesus had absented Himself from their company without telling them beforehand, given that they were responsible for the care of their Son by order of the Eternal Father.  That is why the Divine Mary, moved by the intense affliction which the loss of their most loving Son caused both Herself and Her Spouse Saint Joseph, because the Child was in their charge and as well because they found themselves deprived of such sweet company, breathed a gentle and loving complaint, with which She asked Jesus to clarify the mystery of His disappearance.  That is why She enquired of Him: "Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing" (Luke II, 48).  With the same love and tenderness Jesus replied to them: "How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke II, 49).  However, as Saint Luke says, "They understood not the word that He spoke unto them" (Luke II, 50).  In order to understand the true meaning of this Gospel passage, it must be examined in the light of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, establishing the following parallelisms: On the Cross, Christ lovingly complained to the Father, "My God, my God, look upon Me; why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. XXVII, 46: Psalms XXI, 2).  In the Temple the Divine Mary says: "Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee  sorrowing" (Luke II, 48).  We have here two cases of abandonment that appear incapable of explanation: that by the Heavenly Father of His Son, and that by the Son of His Parents, Mary and Joseph.  Likewise in the Agony of Gethsemani we find another correspondence when Jesus, addressing His Father, says: "But yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke XXII, 42), for in the Temple Jesus said: "Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke II, 49);  that is to say, He had to do the will of the Heavenly Father before that of Mary and of Joseph, and His own human will too, because His desire was to have been with them, just as that of His Parents was to have been in His company.  Let us examine other parallelisms: Mary was deprived of the company of Jesus by His death until the third day when He rose from the dead and appeared to Her in glory; Mary and Joseph suffered the loss of the Child Jesus until on the third day they found Him transfigured in the Temple.  On the Cross, Christ's most Sacred Humanity complained mysteriously of the abandonment by His Heavenly Father when He failed to experience any divine consolation in the lower part of His Soul and in all His Body, since He only enjoyed the beatific vision in the higher part of His Soul.  So too did Mary complain as Mother to the Child Jesus, since both She and Her Spouse Saint Joseph, with their infused knowledge veiled, found no divine consolation, being unable to understand the mystery of the disappearance of their Son, given that they saw two orders of the Heavenly Father in apparent contradiction: One, that the Child Jesus should remain hidden and subject to His Parents until maturity; and the other, that He absent Himself from their company without telling them beforehand.  Moreover, just as the innocent Christ took upon Himself all the sins of the world together with Mary in order to make reparation to the Father and to redeem fallen mankind, so too Mary and Joseph, blameless as to the loss of the Child Jesus, held themselves responsible for that loss and accepted the deep sorrow the Heavenly Father laid upon them, in order to make co-reparation to the Father and to co-redeem mankind.  Relying on this teaching we find the solution to the mysterious reply which the Divine Child Jesus made to His Parents when He said: "How is it that you sought Me?"; in these, words He desired to tell them that, as the will of the Heavenly Father was for them to suffer without any consolation, however much they might look for Him they would not find Him except in the place and at the time determined by the Most High, for they had to endure that deep abandonment without His seemingly hearing them.  In this doctrine as well we see a simila-rity with Calvary, since there Christ, feeling Himself apparently wholly forsaken by His Heavenly Father, cried out to Him and received no relief or reply.  The Holy Family's indescribable sorrow at the loss of the Divine Child and His finding in the Temple, produced in a mysterious way the spiritual death of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, an immo-lation in which we find a foretaste of Calvary.

            47.  When they recovered possession of infused knowledge a little after the event, Jesus' Most Holy Parents, full of joy, understood the exalted significance of their Divine  Son's conduct, which was for them to suffer so as to make co- reparation to the Heavenly Father and to co-redeem mankind, as already said; and besides, to teach all of us by example, that when God so requests us, it is necessary to sacrifice the most intimate attachments and ties, for example the love of one's own family.  That is why Christ bequeathed to us this decisive pronouncement later in His public life: "He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me" (Matt. X, 37).  As Jesus is our most perfect model, He Himself wished to put it into practice first with His loss in the Temple, in which He sacrificed the most sublime filial affection He had for His exalted Parents, to fulfil in this way the will of His Eternal Father.  Also, Jesus' Most Holy Parents gave posterity an heroic example of docility to the Divine Will, a lesson all parents should imitate when Providence determines to deprive them of a child for entry into the religious or sacerdotal life.

            48.  The Holy Gospels make only brief mention of the hidden life of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Nazareth, summed up in these words of Saint Luke: "And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them.  And His mother kept all these words in Her heart (Luke II, 51).  And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men" (verse 52).  Interpreting the phrase "and His mother kept all these words in Her heart", we assert that Most Holy Mary took delight at seeing the plans of the Most High fulfilled in Her Divine Son, and kept those mysteries closely hidden, since the hour of the public appearance of the Messias had not yet come.

            49.  We conclude our study of this text of Saint Luke by giving the true doc-trinal meaning of the following words: "And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men":

            50.  When the Evangelist says that Jesus advanced in wisdom with God and men, it can never be understood that Christ acquired any human knowledge, which would be inconsistent with both His Divinity and His Humanity; for Jesus Christ possesses, as God, infinite Wisdom; and as Man, Wisdom or beatific knowledge in the highest degree, this latter being the grade of knowledge that corresponds to His beatific vision; and moreover He possesses infused knowledge in the highest degree, which is not acquired by learning or study but is infused directly into human understanding by God.  His Holi-ness Pope Gregory XVII resolved the question of acquired knowledge disputed among theo-logians, when he solemnly defined that at no moment did Our Lord Jesus Christ acquire human knowledge during His thirty three years of mortal life.  Let us look, then, at the meaning that Saint Luke's words enclose: Jesus advanced in wisdom before God, since in the manifestation of His Wisdom He fully submitted to the Will of His Heavenly Father, Who took pleasure at the sight of His Divine Son's selfless obedience; He advanced in Wisdom before men since He manifested it in their sight in keeping with His age, which to human eyes appeared to be an advance of Wisdom.  At certain exceptional moments He publicly  manifested extraordinary gifts of intelligence and knowledge far above His age, as in the dispute with the doctors of the Law in the Temple, where Jesus gave a clear proof of His Divinity by means of His Humanity, which as we already know possessed the beatific vision and infused knowledge at all times, and therefore had full awareness as Man of His Divine Person.  Moreover, in order to lead us on the path of humility, Our Lord Jesus Christ allowed His own Parents to teach Him what in reality He already knew ever since the creation of His Most Divine Soul; and by putting Mary's and Joseph's teaching into practice He advanced in wisdom before His Heavenly Father in the sense that He complied thus with His Divine Will.  And He appeared to advance before men, who saw Jesus' intellectual and manual progress.

            51.  With respect to the words "and Jesus advanced in ... age ... with God and men", we interpret the Gospel text to mean that Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who at all times possessed a body most perfect in every way in keeping with His age, wished to subject Himself only to growth, fulfilling the Will of His Heavenly Father in this way too.

            52.  We now consider some aspects of the sublime doctrine concerning Christ's Deific Body: The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ was formed by the Holy Ghost in the Virginal Womb of His Mother when the substance of the Divine Mary's Blood and conse-quently that of Her Flesh, were miraculously changed into the corporeal Humanity of Her Divine Son, this latter informed by His Most Divine Soul; since, the moment the Divine Mother pronounced Her fiat of consecration, She offered to God the matter pertaining to the singular sacrifice of the immolation of Her Person sacramentalized in the quantitative accidents of the three Drops of the Most Pure Blood which issued from Her Immaculate Heart; and the substance of Her Flesh and Blood were changed into the Deific Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ at the exalted altar of Her Virginal Womb.  For, by virtue of the substantial unity of blood in the state of glory, there was contained in each of the three Drops of Divine Mary's Blood, which constituted a single most sublime Sacrament, all of Her Blood, mysteriously indivisible; and besides, by natural concomitance were present Her Body, whole and entire, and Her Soul.  It is admirable how the Most Divine Soul of Christ, for the formation of His Deific Body, took in a truly wonderful way all of His Most Holy Mother's Flesh and Blood contained in the three Drops of Her Blood which, once changed into the Deific Humanity of His Body, remained always united to the Divine Word in their original quantity without ever being lost or disassociated.  It should be understood that the original quantity changed into the Deific Flesh and Blood of Christ was all of the Flesh and Blood of Mary sacramentally present in each of the quantitative accidents of the three Drops of Her Most Pure Blood.  That is to say, although as quantitative accidents they were three drops, really and substantially they were the whole Person of Mary: Her Soul, Her Flesh and Her Blood, contained in each of them.  By means of the donation of each of the three Drops, the Most Pure Virgin Mary demonstrated Her most  faithful love for the Father, Her maternal love for the Son and Her most loving self-surrender to the Holy Ghost, and made manifest too the fact that the Incarnation of the Word was the Work of the Three Divine Persons, though accomp-lished personally and in a most eminent way by the Divine Paraclete, Who covered Mary with His shadow.  Oh sublime, mysterious and most singular Sacrament of the three Drops of the Divine Mother's Blood!  which issued from Her Immaculate Heart as most apt and worthy elements for the Holy Ghost to form the adorable Body of God's Only-begotten Son!   Oh most pure cloister of Mary's Virginal Womb!  where for nine months Christ wished to enjoy the most complete heaven that was His as Man on earth.

            53.  This Holy Council affirms that the Deific Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the age of thirty three, was one metre and eighty five centimeters in height, and as well that His skin was slightly dark, and that His eyes, beard and hair were black, forming a most perfect and beautiful anatomic whole.  We teach also that in order for Jesus' Body not to differ outwardly from the normal physical make-up of man, at the moment of His Incarnation Christ was marked with the trace left by the so- called umbi-lical cord, which He did not possess as He had no need of it for His nourishment in the maternal womb.

            54.  In order to honour His Mother during the nine months He was in Mary's Womb, the Child Jesus wished to nourish Himself with Her Most Pure Blood by assuming a part of It; the Blood assumed from His Mother was converted into His adorable and Deific Flesh and Blood, and in this way His Mother's Blood became united to the Divine Word.  Besides, Jesus wished that this alimentation contribute to His Body's growth.  The Divine Mary's Blood not assumed by Jesus did not become hypostatically united to the Divine Word.  For the first year and a half after His Birth the Divine Child Jesus wished to be nursed with the Divine Mary's most pure Virginal Milk, principally in order to honour His Most Holy Mother; the Milk which He received as food was never lost or disassociated, but was assumed by Him to become converted into His adorable and Deific Flesh and Blood, thus becoming united to the Divine Word.  When we say that Jesus assumed His Mother's Virginal Milk, it should be understood that the assumed Milk was miraculously changed into Christ's Flesh and Blood after reaching the stomach; and in this way He satisfied the hunger He wished to suffer.  On assuming all of His Most Pure Mother's Milk, He willed that this alimentation contribute towards the growth and strengthening of His Body.  Our Lord Jesus Christ did not assume any other of the foods proper to men taken by Him during His life on earth, and therefore in no way did these add to, increase or augment His Most Sacred Body, which grew miraculously, in conformity with His state of glory.  Besides, He took these foods solely to satisfy His hunger and thirst, - to which He wished to submit voluntarily in order to make reparation to the Father and to suffer for mankind, - as well as to restore His Body's physical  strength, - whose loss of energy He wished to experience, for example, fatigue.  He eliminated these foods majestically after a mysterious process, by means of the sweat glands - passing them out fragrantly through the pores of the skin - but He did not free Him-self from the corresponding discomfort, that is, from the molestation caused by perspi-ration.  Consequently Jesus had absolutely no need of any kind of food, neither to sur-vive nor to restore His strength, nor to grow; and neither was He subject to the other organic necessities proper to fallen nature.

            55.  We adopt here the teaching of Saint Mary of Jesus of Agreda that the single-piece - that is, seamless - tunic, and other garments as well including the sandals, which the Divine Mary fabricated and with which She covered the Body of Her Divine Son when He reached the age of one, all grew in accordance with His stature.

            56.  It remains for us to interpret the following words contained in the text of Saint Luke given above: "and Jesus advanced... in grace with God and men".  We confirm, first, that Our Lord Jesus Christ as Man possesses the Infinite Holiness of the Divine Word by virtue of the Hypostatic Union.  Consequently there could be no further growth of grace or virtue in His Adorable Humanity.  Nothing of what Christ merited during His thirty three years of mortal life resulted in an increase in grace for Himself, but was for our rescue from the slavery of the Devil.  The doctrinal meaning contained in the words of Saint Luke is, then, the following: As Jesus in no way deviated from the divine plan, He manifested the splendour of His Infinite Sanctity before His Heavenly Father, and before men, in a progressive way according as He advanced in age and in the manifestation of His Wisdom; and this more especially during His public life, with His teachings, His miracles and the example of His ineffable virtues.  On Calvary, however, Christ as a wayfarer in this world expressed His Holiness in supreme degree through His most cruel martyrdom, freely accepted.  When we refer to the different outward signs of Christ's Infinite Grace and Holiness on earth, it should never be understood that, as Man, they increased or diminished His virtues, which were infini-tely perfect and meritorious, nor that there could appear in them any kind of imper-fection, since all this was impossible in Him, as absolutely and intrinsically impec-cable in accord with the Infinite Holiness of God become Man.

            57.  Whilst Jesus grew older and manifested more and more His Wisdom and Grace before God and man, His Mystical Body was strengthened in Her members, since the Divine Master's doctrine poured out plentiful graces over those who accepted and put it into practice - given the good disposition of their hearts, in which the seed scattered by the Divine Sower reaped abundant fruit.

      GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE HOLY PATRIARCH JOB

      WITH RELATIONSHIPS DEFINED IN THIS CHAPTER

      (Based on the revelations of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich

      and on Holy Scripture)

      NOE

      |

      SEM

      |

      ARPHAXAD

      |

      SALE

      |

      HEBER

      ---------------------------------------------

            |                                                     |

        PHALEG                                          JECTAN (Gen. X, 25)

            |                                                     |

         REU            JOB'S WIFE === JOB (13th son; Gen. X, 29:

            |      (of Phaleg's lineage)                      Jobab)

        SARUG                     |

            |                         |

        NACHOR                          |

            |                         |

        THARE      ========== ABRAHAM'S MOTHER (great-granddaughter

      _______________|_______________                       of Job

      |                 |                 |

      ARAN          NACHOR            ABRAHAM === CETURA (another wife of

                                          |         Abraham: Gen. XXV, 1)

                         ______________|______________

                        |                                   |

                   JECSAN                                MADIAN

                        |                                   |

                        |                                   |

                        |                                   |

                              THE THREE HOLY KINGS

      TABLE OF DATES, DOGMATICALLY DEFINED

Year of      Year of

the world O. Ld. J. C.

5198        1 before      30 September      Conception of Saint John the

            Christ                        Baptist

5199          (0)   23 January      Espousal of Mary and Joseph

                        Saturday

            25 March            Annunciation of the Most Holy

            Friday            Virgin Mary, and Incarnation

                        of the Son of God

            30 March            The Visitation;

            Wednesday            Presanctification of Saint

                        John the Baptist

            24 June            Birth of the Baptist

            Friday

            2 July            Mary and Joseph leave for

            Saturday            Nazareth

            24 December            Mary and Joseph arrive at

            Saturday            Bethlehem to enrol

            25 December            Birth of Christ at midnight

            Sunday            Visit to the Cave by the Holy

                        Shepherds before dawn, and by

                        the Baptist's family the same

                        day

5200            Year 1 of            1 January            Circumcision of the Child

            O Ld J C            Sunday            Jesus

                        6 January            First visit of the three Holy

                        Friday            Kings to the Cave

                        2 February            Purification of the Most Holy

                        Thursday            Virgin Mary and Presentation

                                    of the Child Jesus

                        12 February            Departure of the three Holy

                        Sunday            Kings

                        17 February            The Holy Family's flight to

                        Friday            Egypt Death of the aged Saint

                                    Simeon and of Saint Anna the

                                    Prophetess

                        28 February            Massacre of the Holy Innocents

                        Tuesday

5207            8            30 March            Death of the deicide King

                        Saturday            Herod The Holy Family leaves

                                    Heliopolis

                        7 April             The Holy Family reaches the

                        Sunday            Land of Israel

                        9 April            The Holy Family celebrates the

                        Tuesday            Passover in Jerusalem

5212            13            23 April             The loss of the Child Jesus

                        Monday

                        25 April            The Child Jesus found in the

                        Wednesday            Temple of Jerusalem

principal page