EASTER IS past, Christ has risen. But it would be a pity not to continue from where we left in the last column on details of what happened after Jesus Christ died on the cross, as related by mystic Maria Valtorta who was transported back in time to witness the life of the Redeemer on earth and put what she had observed on paper.
Valtorta’s stupendous work, hailed by both religious and laymen, conforms with the Gospel, yet outdoes it by her details: she has the minutiae not only of events but also of geography, biology, botany, even astronomy-all in harmonious amalgam that elicits bewildered affirmation from experts in such fields. Add the flourish of her writing style as to compel one to declare her genius, except for the fact that she was merely, in Jesus’ word, His secretary.
In the last column, Jesus has already given up His Spirit on the cross. LIghtning and thunder and even earthquakes followed, driving His accusers and tormentors to great panic, some now even realizing to themselves that the Crucified was indeed God.
Again, here is Valtorta in her own words relating what happened next:
“A lot of water and just a trickle of blood, already tending to clot, drip from the wound. I said drip. They only come out trickling from the neat cut that remains motionless, whereas, had there been any breathing, it would have opened and closed with the movements of the thorax and abdomen…
“In the country, between the mountain and the walls and beyond them, many people looking idiotic are wandering, in the still dim light… They howl, weep and lament… Some say: ‘His Blood has rained fire!’ Some exclaim: ‘Jehovah has appeared in the midst of the lightning to curse the Temple!’ Some moan: ‘The sepulchres! The sepulchres!’
“And on Calvary there is once again silence, just broken by Mary’s weeping. The two robbers, worn out by fear, no longer speak.
“Nicodemus and Joseph arrive back running and they say that they have Pilate’s permission (to get Jesus’s body for burial). But Longinus, who is not too trustful, sends a horse-soldier to the Proconsul to learn what he has to do also with regard to the two robbers. The soldier goes and come back at a gallop with the order to hand over Jesus and break the legs of the other two, by will of the Jews.
“Longinus calls the four executioners, who are cravenly crouched under the rock, still terrorised by what has happened, and orders them to give the robbers the death-blow with a club. Which takes place without any protest by Disma, to whom the blow of the club, delivered to his heart, after striking his knees, breaks in half, on his lips, the name of Jesus, in a death rattle. The other robber utters horrible curses. Their death-rattles are lugubrious.
“The four executioners would also like to take care of Jesus, taking Him down from the cross. But Joseph and Nicodemus do not allow them. Also Joseph takes off his mantle and tells John to do likewise and to hold the ladders, while they climb them with levers and tongs.
“Mary stands up trembling, supported by the women, and She approaches the cross.
In the meantime the soldiers, having fulfilled their task, go away. And Longinus, before descending beyond the lower open space, turns round from the height of his black horse to look at Mary and at the Crucified. Then the noise of the hooves resounds on the stones and that of the weapons against the armour, and fades away in the distance.
“The left palm is unnailed. The arm falls along the Body, which is now hanging semidetached.
“They tell John to climb up as well, leaving the ladders to the women. And John, after climbing up where Nicodemus was previously, passes Jesus’ arm round his neck and holds it so, hanging completely on his shoulder, embraced at the waist by his arm and held by the tips of the fingers not to touch the horrible gash of the left hand, which is almost open. When the feet are unnailed, John has to make a great effort to hold and support the Body of his Master between the cross and his own body.
Mary has already placed Herself at the foot of the cross, sitting with Her back against it, ready to receive Her Jesus in Her lap.
“But the unnailing of the right arm is the most difficult operation. Despite all John’s efforts, the Body is hanging completely forward and the head of the nail is deeply sunk in the flesh. And as they do not want to make the wound worse, the two compassionate men work hard. At last the nail is seized with the tongs and pulled out gently.
“John has been holding Jesus all the time by the armpits, with His head hanging on his shoulder, while Nicodemus and Joseph get hold of Him, one at the thighs, the other at the knees, and they cautiously come down the ladders.
“When on the ground, they would like to lay Him on the sheet that they have spread on their mantles. But Mary wants Him. She has opened Her mantle, letting it hang on one side, and She is sitting with Her knees rather apart to form a cradle for Her Jesus.
“While the disciples are turning round to give Her Son to Her, the crowned head falls back and the arms hang down towards the ground, and the wounded hands would rub on the soil, if the pity of the pious women did not hold them up to prevent that.
He is now in His Mother’s lap… And He looks like a big tired child who is asleep all cuddled up in his mother’s lap. Mary is holding Him with Her right arm round the shoulders of Her Son and Her left one stretched over the abdomen to support Him also by the hips.
“Jesus’ head is resting on His Mother’s shoulder. And She calls Him… She calls Him in a heart-rending voice. She then detaches Him from Her shoulder and caresses Him with Her left hand, She takes and stretches out His hands and, before folding them on His dead body, She kisses them and weeps on their wounds. Then She caresses His cheeks, particularly where they are bruised and swollen, She kisses His sunken eyes, His mouth lightly twisted to the right and half-open.
“She would like to tidy His hair, as She has tidied His beard encrusted with blood. But in doing so, She touches the thorns. She stings Herself trying to remove that crown, and She wants to do it by Herself, with the only hand which is free, and She rejects everybody saying: ‘No, no! I will! I will!’ and She seems to be holding the tender head of a new-born baby with Her fingers, so delicately does She do it. And when She succeeds in removing the torturing crown, She bends to cure all the scratches of the thorns with Her kisses.
“With a trembling hand She parts His ruffled hair, She tidies it and weeps, speaking in a low voice, and with Her fingers She wipes ,,he tears that drop on the cold body covered with blood and She thinks of cleaning it with Her tears and Her veil, which is still round Jesus’ loins. And She pulls one end of it towards Herself and She begins to clean and dry the holy limbs with it. And She continually caresses His face, then His hands and His bruised knees and then reverts to drying His Body, on which endless tears are dropping.
“And while doing so Her hand touches the gash on His chest. Her little hand, covered with the linen veil, enters almost completely into the large hole of the wound. Mary bends to see in the dim light which has formed, and She sees. She sees the chest torn open and the heart of Her Son. She utters a cry then. A sword seems to be splitting Her heart. She shouts and then throws Herself on Her Son and She seems dead, too.
“They succor and console Her. They want to take Her divine Dead Son away from Her and as She shouts: ‘Where, where shall I put You? In which place, safe and worthy of You?’ Joseph, all bent in a respectful bow, his open hand pressed against his chest, says: ‘Take courage, o Woman! My sepulchre is new and worthy of a great man. I give it to Him. And my friend here, Nicodemus, has already taken the spices to the sepulchre, as he wishes to off er them. But I beg You, as it is getting dark, let us proceed… It is Preparation Day. Be good, o holy Woman!’ “Also John and the women beg Her likewise and Mary allows Her Son to be removed from Her lap, and She stands up, distressed, while they envelop Him in a sheet, begging: ‘ Oh! do it gently!.’
“Nicodemus and John at the shoulders, Joseph at the feet, they lift the Corpse enveloped not only in the sheet, but resting also on the mantles which act as a stretcher, and they set out down the road.
“Mary, supported by Her sister-in-law and by the Magdalene, goes down towards the sepulchre, followed by Martha, Mary of Zebedee and Susanna, who have picked up the nails, the tongs, the crown, the sponge and the cane.
On Calvary remain the three crosses, the central one of which is bare and the other two have their living trophies, who are dying.”
