Visions of St. Bridget VII

Death of Jesus

(Source: Revelations of St. Bridget, by TAN Books, available for purchase here)

The Blessed Virgin Mary's discussion with St. Bridget of Sweden continues as she relates to her, for our edification, her Holy Son's Passion. We have covered Our Lady's witness of Jesus' torture and now we sadly move on to His death. This revelation picks up just following Our Lords utterance of the words "Father, why has Thou foraken me?" (due to the length of this account, I have abbreviated it, noted with the ...)

The Blessed Virgin Mary speaks: "Then His eyes appeared half dead, His cheeks hollow, and His countenance mournful, His mouth open and His tongue bloodstained, His body collapsed as though He had nothing within, the humors being all drained, and His whole body pale and languid from the loss and flow of blood. His hand and feet were stretched out most rigidly, drawn and shaped to the form of the cross, His beard and hair all clotted with blood. Now when my Son was thus torn and livid, His heart alone was vigorous...life struggled with death in His pierced body. For sometimes the pain mounted from His pierced limbs and nerves to His heart...and thus tortured Him with incredible pain and suffering...and thus prolonged death with bitterness....then in His great anguish of body, He cried in His humanity to His Father: 'Father, into Thy hands I commend my Spirit.' When I, His most afflicted Mother, heard these words, all my limbs trenbled in my bitter grief of heart. And as often as I thought of this word, it was present and fresh in my ears. And as death came on, when His heart was breaking from excessive pain, then all His members quivered, and His head, rising slightly, inclined. His mouth was seen to open, disclosing His tongue all covered with blood. His hands shrunk a little from the holes of the nails, and the feet bore more of the weight of the body. His fingers and arms extended in a manner, and His back was pressed back on the cross. Then some said to me: 'Mary, thy Son is dead.' "

Mary invites us once again to the foot of Her Son's Cross. It was by this Cross that God made Man reconciled us to Himself - through this Cross we are saved. It is through suffering that love is proved, tested and purified. God made Abraham the Father of a nation only after being proven and purified "like gold in a furnace" But the Lord does not purify us through pain without granting us the graces to withstand it - it is only for us to cooperate with His grace. Think often on the sacrifice of Jesus and Mary. Remember this at Mass, go to confession often, have masses said for the dead so you do not appear at your particular judgement with emtpy hands.

Prayer

Beloved Mother who suffered in heart beyond bearing because of us, teach us to suffer with you. As God wants, imitating you, we suffer and may our suffering be known to God only, like yours and that of Jesus. You dedicate it to God. You, who suffered with the Savior of the world, you are a Mother greater than all.

Amen+