Prophecies Of Anne Catherine Emmerich
mp4 file and mp3 file of this page
Page 131:
I saw the Holy Father surrounded by traitors and in great distress about the
Church. He had visions and apparitions in his hour of greatest need. I saw many
good pious Bishops; but they were weak and wavering, their cowardice often got
the upper hand. I saw the blackfellow plotting again, the destroyers attacking
the Church of Peter, Mary standing with her mantle over it, and the enemies of
God put to flight. I saw Sts. Peter and Paul laboring actively for the Church
and their basilica greatly enlarged. Then I saw darkness spreading around and
people no longer seeking the true Church. They went to another, saying: "All is
more beautiful, more natural here, better regulated" - but as yet, I have seen
no ecclesiastic among them. I saw the Pope firm, but greatly perplexed. The
treaty thought to be so advantageous to us will be of no use; things will go
from bad to worse. The Pope shows more energy now; he has been advised to hold
out till death, and this he gained by his late act of firmness. But his last
orders are of no account, he enforces them too feebly. I saw over the city
terrible evils from the north.
Page 140:
In the one in which I took part figured most of those whose sufferings I bore
and I saw, to my astonishment, the same colors issuing from their mouth as they
sang, as were the rolls I had drawn from them. The Blessed Sacrament had the
appearance of a little luminous, transparent Infant in the centre of a
resplendent sun, surrounded by myriads of angels and saints in great splendor
and magnificence. It is inexpressible! If the others had seen what I saw, they
would have sunk to the ground unable from terror and amazement to bear the
monstrance further. I prayed and offered my pack. Then the procession entered
into a church which now appeared in the air surrounded by a garden and cemetery.
The graves of the latter were covered with lovely flowers: lilies, red and white
roses, and white asters. From the east side of the church advanced in
unspeakable splendor a priestly figure like unto Our Lord. He was soon encircled
by twelve resplendent men, and these again by numerous others. I had a good
position, I could see everything. There issued from the Lord's mouth a little
luminous form which gradually increased, took a more definite shape, and then
again decreasing entered the mouth under the figure of a little shining child,
first of the Twelve then of all the others around the Lord. This was not the
historic scene which I see on Holy Thursday, the Lord reclining at table with
His Apostles, but it reminded me of it - all was luminous and sparkling, a
divine function, a Church festival. The whole church was crowded, some sitting,
some standing, some hovering in the air. There were seats raised in tiers, but
perfectly transparent. I saw in the Lord's hands a figure into which entered the
little luminous body that issued from His mouth and around which appeared a
spiritual church highly ornamented - it was the Blessed Sacrament in the
monstrance as It is when exposed for adoration or Benediction. The Lord
repeatedly uttered into It His loving Word, and the Body, ever one and the same,
entered the mouth of all the assistants.
"I laid down my burden awhile and received the Heavenly Manna, When I took it up
again, I beheld a troop of people whose bundles were so filthy that I dreaded to
touch them. I was informed that they were still to be severely judged and
punished according to their works of penance, but I felt no pity for them. The
feast ended, and it seemed to me as if I had seen some men who would rekindle
over all the world faith and fervor in the admirable mystery of the real
presence of God."
Page 143:
Feast of Pentecost: May 21st. - The Pilgrim, who had witnessed her anguish and
tears on the preceeding evening, found her this morning radiant as a spouse of
Christ, breathing but joy and holiness.
"I have been in the Cenacle with the Apostles, and I have been fed in a way that
I cannot express. Nourishment under the form of a wave of light flowed into my
mouth. It was exceedingly sweet, but I know not whence it came. I saw no hand,
and I began to fear lest, perhaps, having broken my fast, I should not be able
to receive Holy Communion in the morning. I was not here, and yet I distinctly
heard the clock strike twelve, stroke for stroke. I counted each one. I beheld
the descent of the Holy Ghost on the disciples, and how the same Holy Spirit on
every anniversary of this feast spreads all over the earth wherever He finds
pure hearts desirous of receiving Him. I can describe this only by saying that I
saw here and there in the darkness a parish, a church, a city, or one or more
individuals suddenly illumined. The whole earth lay in darkness, below me, and I
saw by a flash of heavenly light here a flower-bed, there a tree, a bush, a
fountain, an islet, not only lit up, but rendered quite luminous. Through the
mercy of God, all that I saw last night was good; the works of darkness were not
shown me. All over the world I saw numberless infusions of the Spirit;
sometimes, like a lightning-stroke, falling, on a congregation in church, and I
could tell who among them had received the grace; or, again, I beheld
individuals praying in their homes, suddenly endued with light and strength. The
sight awoke in me great joy and confidence that the Church amid her
ever-increasing tribulations, will not succumb; for in all parts of the world I
saw defenders raised up to her by the Holy Ghost. Yes, I felt that the
oppression of the powers of this world serves but to increase her strength. I
saw in St. Peter's at Rome a grand feast celebrated with myriads of lights, and
I saw the Holy Father and many others receiving the strength of the Holy Ghost.
I did not see the dark church last night (Protestant) which is always a horror
to me. I saw in different places the twelve enlightened men whom I see so often
as twelve new Apostles or Prophets of the Church. I feel as if I know one of
them that he is near me. I saw the Holy Spirit poured out on some of our own
land. I knew them all in my vision, but it is seldom that I can name them
afterward. I think I saw the stern Superior. I felt certain that the persecution
of the Church here in our own country will turn out well, but great troubles
await us."
Page 152:
On the evening of Holy Trinity Sunday a dance was held in the house in which
Sister Emmerich lodged. Next day she spoke of it as follows: "I suffered
intensely last night, on account of the indecent dances and games going on in
the house. In the midst of the noisy assembly I beheld the devil, a conspicuous
figure under a corporal form, urging on certain individuals and inspiring them
with all kinds of evil desires. Their angel guardian called to them from afar,
but they turned a deaf ear and followed the evil one. No good came from it; not
one went home unharmed. I saw all sorts of animals by their side; their interior
was full of black stains. I frequently ran among them, inspiring fear,
preventing sin. To console me I had visions on the life of two saints, Francis
de Sales and Frances de Chantal, chiefly upon their spiritual union; the former
often received counsel and support from the latter. Once on the occasion of an
odious calumny against him, I saw him consoled by Frances who was distressed at
seeing him so much afflicted by it. They showed me the foundation, propagation,
and dispersion of the Visitation Order and spoke of the restoration of its
different houses. Their words came to me as if from a distance. They said that
the times are indeed sad; but, after many tribulations, peace will be restored
and religion and charity reign once more among men. Then convents will flourish
in the true sense of the word. I saw a picture of this future time which I
cannot describe, but in which I saw the whole earth arising from darkness and
light and love awaking. I had also numerous pictures of the restoration of
Religious Orders. The time of Antichrist is not so near as some imagine; he will
still have many precursors. I saw in two cities some teachers from whose schools
they will come."
Page 194:
At the close of this labor undertaken that the Unbloody Sacrifice might be
offered in a becoming manner, Sister Emmerich bad another very comprehensive
vision. In it was shown her the Holy Mass as the line of demarcation between men
both in time and in eternity; and she saw also its cessation at the time of
Antichrist.
"I had," she says, "a great picture of the Church, but I can no longer give the
details in order. I saw St. Peter's surrounded by fields, gardens, countries,
and forests; and I saw multitudes from all parts of the world, many of whom I
knew naturally or by my visions. Some of them were entering the church and
others passing it indifferently. A great ceremony was going on. Over the church
floated a luminous cloud from which came out the Apostles and holy Bishops and
formed into choirs above the altar. Among them were Augustine, Ambrose, and all
who had labored for the exaltation of the Church. It was a grand solemnity and
Mass was being celebrated. In the middle of the church on a desk lay a great
open book with three seals hanging from one side and two from the other. I saw
the Evangelist John, and I was told that the book contained the revelations he
had had at Patmos. Before it was opened something happened which I have
forgotten, and it is a pity there is a break here! The Pope was not present, he
was concealed somewhere. I think the people knew not where he was, and I do not
remember now whether he was praying, or whether he was dead. All present, the
laics as well as the clergy, had to lay their hand on a certain passage of the
Gospels. Upon many of them descended as a sign a light from the holy Apostles
and Bishops, but for many others the ceremony was only an empty form. Outside
the church I saw numbers of Jews who wanted to enter, but could not as yet. At
the close of the ceremony there came a great crowd, an innumerable multitude;
but the great book was suddenly shut as if by an invisible power. It reminded me
of the evening in the convent when the devil blew out my candle and shut my
book. All around in the distance I saw a terrible, bloody combat, and off toward
the north a great battle going on. The whole picture was grand and imposing. I
am sorry I have forgotten the passage in the book on which they had to put their
finger."
Page 214:
"I had a picture of an immense battle. The whole plain was a mass of dense
smoke, and the bushes were full of soldiers who kept up an incessant fire. The
place lay low, and there were great cities in the distance. When all seemed
lost, St. Michael at the invocation of one of the leaders, swept down with a
legion of angels and the victory was instantly gained.
Sister Emmerich knew not the time of this battle, although she said it would
happen in Italy, not far from Rome, where many ancient things would be destroyed
and many holy things, unknown till then, would come to light.
Page 281:
I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church; I saw it increase; I
saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city. I saw the ever increasing
tepidity of the clergy, the circle of darkness ever widening. And now the
vision became more extended. I saw in all places, Catholics oppressed, annoyed,
restricted, and deprived of liberty, churches were closed, and great misery
prevailed everywhere with war and bloodshed. I saw rude, ignorant people
offering violent resistance, but this state of things lasted not long. Again I
saw in vision St. Peter's undermined according to a plan devised by the secret
sect whilst, at the same time, it was damaged by storms; but it was delivered at
the moment of greatest distress. Again I saw the Blessed Virgin extending her
mantle over it. In this last scene, I saw no longer the reigning Pope, but one
of his successors, a mild, but very resolute man who knew how to attach his
priests to himself and who drove far from him the bad. I saw all things renewed
and a church which reached from earth to heaven. I saw one of the twelve new
Apostles in the person of the young priest whom the unchaste bride wanted to
marry. It was a very comprehensive vision and portrayed anew all that had been
previously shown me regarding the Church's destiny.
Page 282:
September 12, 1820. - " I saw a fantastic, odd looking church being, built. The
choir was in three parts, each raised some steps above the last; and under it
was a deep vault full of fog. On the first platform of the choir was a seat; on
the second, a basin of water; on the third, a table. I saw no angel helping in
the construction, but numbers of the most violent planetary spirits dragging all
sorts of things into the vault where persons in little ecclesiastical mantles
received them and deposited them in their various places. Nothing was brought
from above; all came from the earth and the dark regions, all was built up by
the planetary spirits. The water alone seemed to have something holy about it. I
saw an enormous number of instruments brought into the church, and many persons,
even children, had different tools, as if trying to make something; but all was
obscure, absurd, dead! Division and destruction reigned everywhere. - Near by, I
saw another church, shining and rich with graces from on high, angels ascending
and descending. In it were life and increase, tepidity and dissipation and yet
it was like a tree
November 12, 1820. - "I passed over a dark, cold country to a large city, and I
saw again the great, odd looking church with nothing holy about it and
innumerable planetary spirits laboring at it. I saw it in the same way that I
see a Catholic institution being erected, angels, saints, and Christians all
laboring in common; only here the concurrence of the laborers was shown under
forms more mechanical. The planetary spirits ascended and descended and shot
down rays upon the workmen; but all was done in accordance with human reason. I
saw a spirit on high drawing lines and tracing figures, and down below the
design, the plan immediately carried out. I saw the influence of the proud,
planetary spirits in their relation with the building extending to even the most
distant places. All the steps deemed necessary or useful to the construction and
maintenance of the church were taken in the most remote countries, and men and
things, doctrines and opinions contributed thereto. The whole picture was
colored with intense selfishness, presumption, and violence. I saw not a single
angel or saint helping in the work. It was an immense vision. Far away in the
back ground, I saw the throne of a savage nation, the people armed with boar
spears and a figure saying in mocking terms: 'Build it as solidly as you please,
we shall overturn it!' I went also into a large hall in the city in which a
hideous ceremony, a horrible, deceitful comedy was being enacted. The hall was
draped in black, and a man wearing a star on his breast was put into a coffin
and taken out again. It seemed to be a threat of what would happen to him. In
the midst of it all I saw the devil under a thousand forms. All was dark as
night. It was horrible!"
Page 284: Emmerich refers to St. Henry, Emperor. I believe she saw the future
great Emperor spoken of in so many other prophecies.
July 12, 1820. - "I had a vision of the Emperor
Henry. I saw him last night in a beautiful church kneeling alone before the main
altar. I know the church; there is a beautiful chapel of the Holy Crib in it. I
saw it once before on the Feast of Our Lady of the Snow. As he knelt and prayed
a light shone above the altar and the Blessed Virgin appeared alone. She wore a
robe of bluish white which shot forth rays, and she carried something in her
hand. She covered the altar with a red cloth over which she spread a white one,
and deposited upon it a magnificent luminous book set with precious stones. Then
she lighted the candles from the
sanctuary lamp. Many other lights in the form
of a pyramid burned at the same time. Then she took her stand at the right of
the altar. Now came the Saviour Himself in sacerdotal vestments, bearing the
chalice and veil. Two angels served Him as acolytes, and two others accompanied
Him. Our Lord's head was uncovered. The chasuble was a large, heavy, red and
white mantle shining with light and precious stones. The ministering angels wore
white. There was no little bell, but there were cruets. The wine was as red as
blood and there was also some water. The Mass was shorter than with us and there
was no Gospel of St. John at the end. I saw the Offertory and Elevation; the
Host was like ours. The angel read the Gospel and carried the book to Mary to
kiss, and then, on a sign from Jesus, to Henry that he might do the same. At
first, he dared not obey, but at length gained courage to do so. At the end of
the Mass, Mary went to Henry and gave him her right hand, saying that she
honored thus his chastity and exhorted him not to grow remiss. Then I saw an
angel approach and grasp him by the right side as had been done to Jacob. Henry
showed signs of intense pain, and afterward limped a little. During the whole of
this ceremony, there were numerous angels in adoration, their eyes fixed upon
the altar."
Page 289:
7. From AUGUST TO THE CLOSE OF OCTOBER 1820.
Sister Emmerich's labors at this time were constantly directed to the welfare of
the Church which, as usual, she beheld typified by St. Peter's, at Rome. The
secret society, with its world wide ramifications engaged in ceaseless war
against the Bride of Christ, was shown her as the empire of Antichrist
symbolized by the beast in the Apocalypse rising out of the sea and fomenting
attacks upon the flock of Christ. In relating this vision, the Pilgrim makes the
following remarks: "It is, indeed, full of breaks, for the invalid saw it under
allegorical representations difficult for her to describe. What is Most
astonishing, is that it touches upon many points of the Apocalypse of St. John,
of
"I see new martyrs, not of the present but of the future, though
On the Feast of the Purification, 1822, Sister Emmerich related the following:
"I saw during the last few days marvellous things connected with the Church. St.
Peter's was almost entirely destroyed by the sect, but their labors were, in
turn, rendered fruitless and all that belonged to them, their aprons and tools,
burned by the executioners on the public place of infamy. They were made of
horse leather, and the stench from them was so offensive that it made me quite
sick. In this vision I saw the Mother of God laboring so earnestly for the
Church that devotion to her greatly increased."
Sept. 10th - "I saw St. Peter's utterly demolished, all excepting the choir and
main altar. St. Michael, girt and armed, descended into the church and with his
sword repulsed several bad pastors who were trying to enter. He drove them into
a corner where they sat looking at one another. The part of the church that had
been demolished in a few instants was surrounded by light wicker-work so that
divine service could be perfectly celebrated. Then from all parts of the world
came priests and laics, who built up the walls of stone, for the enemy had not
been able to shake the firm foundation."
Sister Emmerich at this time passed whole nights praying with her arms in the
form of a cross and frequently subjected to the assaults of the devil. The first
night he rushed upon her three times to strangle her. "He reproached me," she
said. "with all the faults of my youth, but I turned a deaf ear to him. I
gathered up my relics and opposed him with them; and, at last, I sat up in bed
and made the sign of the cross all around with my relic of the True Cross, when
be left me in peace." The following night she struggled with the enemy so
victoriously that she sang the Te Deum several times. She had constant visions
on the state of different dioceses, as we glean from the following entry in the
Pilgrim's journal:
September 27th. - "Today at noon, the invalid entered
the state of contemplation in a singularly touching and animated manner. Her
eyes were open, she gesticulated what she saw, as if in conversation: 'What are
they doing in that great, beautiful church? It is the cathedral of (Munster),
and everything has been carried back into the chapel where the silver ship once
stood, where Bernard von Galen is interred! All goes there, all the graces, all,
all! 0 how beautiful, how wonderful it is! There stands an empty chalice, and
from it issues a ray which rises up to heaven in a great cross of light. On the
left of the chalice is a beautiful bride with a church in her hand, and on the
right of it, a wonderfully handsome youth who is to be her bridegroom; they are
betrothed. But see!
Outside the church, up in the air, is the
Mother of God with the Infant Jesus from whose hands issues a magnificent vine
which spreads over all the chapel. Its grapes hang down and discharge their
juice into the chalice. Right and left, shoot out beautiful flowers of light and
magnificent ears of golden, luminous wheat filling the whole place with
splendor. And all the bushes are covered with flowers and marvellous little
shining fruits. All is light and beauty! All is gathered in and preserved there.
And behold! there stands, high, high up, a holy Bishop of olden times - it is
Ludger! He guards, he takes care of all! And now, what is that? 0 see, from the
whole church, excepting the chapel, shoot forth wild, fiery flames, and in
several parts of the city whole rows of houses are destroyed! There in the
castle things go badly! But this must be understood only in a spiritual sense.
The great church stands intact. Exterior things go on as usual, but the graces
are all stowed away in the chapel.'
As Sister Emmerich recounted the above, she pointed now here, now there, as if
her hearers saw what was being unfolded before her own mental gaze. Next day she
related what follows:
"I have seen yesterday's vision of Galen's, chapel all over again. An entirely
now church floated in the air above the old one and drew into itself all the
beautiful things from Galen's chapel. The church below seemed to grow black and
sink into the earth. I thought how nice it would be if the church in the air
would only descend just as the other disappeared. This vision was very detailed,
but I have forgotten some of it. I followed a path running back of the
cathedral, and found in a field, half meadow, half heath, a homeless wandering
boy, his feet
torn and bleeding from the furze. I wanted to take him to the flower meadow. I
told him there were beautiful flowers in it from which he could suck the honey,
for I knew not what to do to relieve him. But he told me that it was his
destiny, he must suffer and bleed until he had found an asylum. I thought of the
youth who espoused the Church yesterday in the Galen chapel."
Sister Emmerich saw, also, at this time a distant diocese failing to decay. It
was shown her under the symbol of a desecrated church. "I saw heart rending
misery, playing, drinking, gossiping, even courting going on in the church. All
sorts of abominations were committed in it; they had even set up a ninepin alley
in the middle of it. The priests let things go their way and said Mass very
irreverently; only a few of
September 30th: After a night spent in praying with extended arms for the
Church, Sister Emmerich vomited blood and endured great pains in the breast.
"St. Michael has prescribed for me a seven days' devotion with alms," she said.
"I shall now be sick for seven days," and indeed, the following night verified
the prediction. She was attacked by sharp pains, her whole body consumed, as it
were, by an internal fire, to allay which, she placed her relic of St. Cosmas on
her breast and invoked his name aloud. Scarcely had she done so when she fell
into a sweet sleep. On awakening, she beheld the saint before her clothed in a
long, white mantle resplendent with light. In his hand was a green branch
covered with white flowers, and playing around him was a brilliant red aureola
which dissolved into a beautiful blue. His younger brother Leontius stood at a
little distance, and further back was Damian, the shortest of the three, Cosmas
being the tallest. All Sister Emmerich's pains had disappeared. She lay calm and
serene, unable to express the marvellous character of her cure which was as
sudden and marked as those previously bestowed through the intervention of St.
Ignatius and St. Augustine.
On the evening of October Ist, the Pilgrim found her exhausted and bathed in
perspiration from her heavy spiritual labors. She repeated that St. Michael,
besides the seven days' task, had prescribed certain alms, pointing out what
children were to be assisted and what each one was to receive. "The Church," she
groaned, is in great danger. I must ask every one who comes to see me to say an
Our Father for that intention. We must pray that the Pope may not leave Rome,
for unheard-of evils would result from such a step. We must pray the Holy Ghost
to enlighten him, for they are even now trying to exact something of him. The
Protestant doctrine, as also that of the Greeks, is spreading everywhere. Two
men live at this time who long to ruin the Church, but they have lost one who
used to help them with his pen. He was killed by a young man about a year ago,
and one of the two men of whom I speak left Germany at the same time. They have
their employees everywhere. The little black man in Rome, whom I see so often,
has many working for him without their clearly knowing for what end. He has his
agents in the new black church also. If the Pope leaves Rome, the enemies of the
Church will get the upper hand. I see the little black man in his own country
committing many thefts and falsifying things generally. Religion is there so
skilfully undermined and stifled that there are scarcely one hundred faithful
priests. I cannot say how it is, but I see fog and darkness increasing. There
are, however, three churches that they cannot seize: St. Peter's, St. Mary
Major's and St. Michael's. Although they are constantly trying to undermine
them, they will not succeed. I help not. All must be rebuilt soon for every
one, even ecclesiastics are laboring to destroy; ruin is at hand. The two
enemies of the Church who have lost their accomplice are firmly resolved to
destroy the pious and learned men that stand in their way."
When the Pilgrim visited Sister Emmerich on October 4th, he found her perfectly
worn out by the exertions of the, preceding night. That St. Michael's commands
were being fulfilled, was very evident. "I have had combats more terrible," she
said, "than any I have ever endured, and I am almost dead. I cannot say how
fearfully I have suffered. This struggle was shown me long ago under the symbol
of a person buffeted by demons, and now I know it was myself. I fought against a
whole legion of devils who excite minds against me and do all they can to harass
me. I have also undertaken too many prayers. They want to install bad Bishops.
In one place they want to turn a Catholic church into a Lutheran meeting-house.
I must pray, suffer, and struggle against this, for such is my present task. If
the saints did not assist me, I could not endure it. I should be overcome, and
that would be most grievous to me! I see the devil using every artifice to put
me to shame. He is continually sending all sorts of people to visit me, to
torment and wear me out. [The day before, owing to Gertrude's carelessness, a
French milliner unceremoniously entered the invalid's little room and spread out
her goods on the bed. It was only with the greatest difficulty that Sister
Emmerich could rid herself of her importunate visitor. Whose loquacity annoyed
her so that she could scarcely relate her visions to the Pilgrim, who arrived after].
"Last night I had a vision of the Pope. I saw St. Francis carrying the church,
and the basilica of St. Peter borne on the shoulders of a little man who had
something of the Jew in his countenance. It looked very perilous. Mary stood on
the north side of the church with her mantle extended over it. The little man
was almost bent double. He is, as yet, a laic. I know who he is. The twelve men
whom I always see as the twelve new Apostles ought to have helped him, but they
arrived too late; however, just as he was about to fall, they all ran up with
myriads of angels to his assistance. It was only the pavement and the back part
of the church, for all the rest bad been demolished by the secret society helped
by the servants of the church themselves. They bore it to another place, and it
seemed as if rows of palaces fell before it like fields of wheat in harvest
time.
"When I saw St. Peter's in this ruinous state and so many ecclesiastics
laboring, though secretly, at its destruction, I was so overcome that I cried
earnestly to Jesus for mercy. Then I saw my Heavenly Spouse before me under the
form of a youth. He spoke to me for a long time. He told me that this
translation of St. Peter's signified that the Church would apparently fall to
total ruin; but that, resting on these supports, she would be raised up again.
Even if there should remain but one Catholic Christian, the Church would again
triumph since its foundations were not cast in the intellect or councils of men.
She had never yet been without members praying and suffering for her. He showed
me all that He Himself had endured for her, what efficacy He had bestowed upon
the merits and labors of the martyrs, and He ended by saying that He would
endure it all over again if it were possible for Him again to suffer. He showed
me, also, in numberless pictures, the miserable aims of Christians and
ecclesiastics throughout the whole world. The vision grew wider, more extended,
until it embraced my own country; and then Jesus exhorted me to perseverance in
prayer and expiatory suffering. It was an unspeakably great and sorrowful
picture. I cannot describe it! I was also told that very few Christians, in the
true sense of the term, are to be found nowadays and that the Jews of our day
are pure Pharisees, though still more obstinate; only Judith's people in Africa
belong to the ancient Jews. I am greatly afflicted at what I saw !"
October 7th: "I have been on a mission among the Roman catacombs, and I saw the
life of a martyr who with many others lived there concealed. He had made
numerous conversions. He lived not long after Thecla's time, but I have
forgotten his name. Even when a boy he used to go with holy women to the
catacombs and prisons to console the poor Christians. He lay concealed a long
time in a hermitage, but afterward endured cruel torments, and ended his life
with many others by decapitation. He carried his own head from the place of
execution, but I do not remember his history very distinctly. I went with the
martyr and St. Frances of Rome into one of the catacombs, the ground of which
was covered with shining flowers, the blossoms of his own and his companions'
sufferings; for here it was that they had been executed. Conspicuous among them
were beautiful white roses, one of which I found all at once sticking in my
bosom (the saint's relic). In several other places I saw flowers, the sufferings
of those martyrs whose intercession I had implored for the Church in her present
tribulations. As I went through Rome with Frances and the saint, we saw a great
palace enveloped in flames (the Vatican). I was in dread lest the inmates would
be consumed, for no one tried to extinguish the fire; but when we drew near, it
suddenly ceased and left the building black and scorched. After passing through
numerous magnificent apartments, we reached that of the Pope. We found him
sitting in the dark, asleep in a large arm chair. He was very sick and weak, no
longer able to walk, and people were going to and fro before his door. The
ecclesiastics most nearly connected with him pleased me not. They appeared to be
false and lukewarm, and the simple minded pious men whom I once saw by him were
now removed to a distant part of the palace. I spoke long with the Holy Father,
and I cannot express how very real my presence there seemed to be; for I, too,
was extremely weak and the people around were constantly obliged to support me.
I spoke with the Bishops soon to be appointed, and I again told the Pope that he
must not leave Rome, for if he did, all would go to ruin. He thought the evil
inevitable and that his personal safety as well as other considerations, would
oblige him to go, a measure to which he felt him self strongly inclined and to
which also he was advised by his counsellors. Then Frances spoke to him a long
time, whilst I stood by weak and fainting, supported by my companions. Before I
left, the Pope gave me a little saucer of sugared strawberries which, however, I
did not eat, as I wanted them for a sick person." Later, she exclaimed still in
ecstasy: " Those strawberries have no very good signification. They show that
many ties still bind the Pope to earth."
"I saw Rome in such a state that the least spark would inflame it, and Sicily
dark, frightful, abandoned by all that could leave it." One day whilst in
ecstasy, she groaned: "I see the Church alone, forsaken by all and around her
strife, misery, hatred, treason, resentment total blindness. I see messengers
sent on all sides from a dark central point with messages that issue from their
mouths like black vapor, enkindling in the breast of their hearers rage and
hatred. I pray earnestly for the oppressed! On those places in which some souls
still pray I see light descending; but on others, pitchy darkness. The situation
is terrible! May God have mercy! How much I have prayed! 0 city ! 0 city, (Rome)
with what art thou threatened! The storm approaches;be on thy guard! I
October 16th: "Last night I made the Way of the Cross at Coesfeld with a crowd
of souls who showed me the distress of the Church and the necessity of prayer.
Then I had a vision of many gardens lying around me in a circle, and the Pope's
situation with respect to his Bishops. He sat enthroned in one of these gardens.
In the others were the rights and privileges of his Bishops and their sees
symbolized by various plants, flowers and fruits. Their mutual connection, their
communication and influence, I saw under the forms of threads, of rays extending
from them to the, see of Rome. In these earthly gardens, I saw the temporal,
spiritual authority, and above them in the air I saw their future Bishops; for
instance, I saw above the garden of the stern Superior, a new Bishop with the
cross, mitre, and other episcopal insignia, and standing around him Protestants
who wished him to enter the garden below, but not on the conditions established
by the Holy Father. They tried to insinuate themselves by all sorts of covert
means; they destroyed a part of the garden, or sowed bad seed in it. I saw them
intercepting or turning away the roads that led to the Pope. When they did
succeed in getting a Bishop according to their liking, I saw that he been
intruded contrary to the will of the Holy Father; consequently, he possessed no
legitimate spiritual authority. Many such scenes were shown me, and it is for me
to pray and suffer! It is very distressing! I see one who has few claims to
holiness about to be installed in the see of a holy deceased Bishop."
Page 292:
August 10, 1822.- "I see the Holy Father in great distress. He lives in another
palace and receives only a few to his presence. If the wicked party knew their
own great strength, they would even now have made an attack. I fear the Holy
Father will suffer many tribulations before his death, for I see the black
counterfeit church gaining ground, I see its fatal influence on the public. The
distress of the Holy Father and of the Church is really so great that one ought
to pray to God day and night. I have been told to pray much for the Church and
the Pope ..... Last night I was taken to Rome where the Holy Father, plunged in
affliction, is still concealed in order to elude dangerous exigencies. He is
very feeble, quite worn out by distress, anxiety, and prayer. His chief reason
for lying concealed is because he can now trust so few. But he has by him a very
simple-hearted, pious old priest, his true friend, whom his enemies on account
of his simplicity think it not worth while to remove. Now, this good old priest
is full of God's grace. He sees, he remarks many things which he faithfully
communicates to the Holy Father. More than once I have had to point out to him
in prayer traitors and evil-minded men among the Pope's high, confidential
officers, that he might give him notice of them. In this way he has been warned
against one who was all-influential up to the present; but who will be so no
more. The Pope is so feeble that he can no longer walk alone."
August 25.- "I know not now how I went to Rome last night, but I found myself
near the church of St. Mary Major. Around it I saw crowds of poor, pious souls,
in great distress and anxiety on account of the Pope's disappearance and the
agitation and alarming reports throughout the city. Led by one common impulse,
they had come to invoke the Mother of God. They did not expect to find the
church open, they intended only to pray outside. But I was inside, I opened the
door and they entered, astounded at the door's opening of itself. I was standing
aloof where they could not see me. There was no service, only the chancel-lamps
were burning, and the people knelt in quiet prayer. Then the Mother of God
appeared. She said that great tribulations were at hand; that the people must
pray earnestly with extended arms, if only for the length of three Our Fathers,
for it was thus that her Son had prayed for them upon the cross; that they
should rise at midnight to pray thus; that they should continue to come to her
church which they would always find open; and that they should, above all, pray
for the extirpation of the dark church. She said also that the soldiers who were
approaching the city would be of no assistance; they would bring only misery and
devastation in their train, since the war had been undertaken without prayer or
the ministry of priests. She added many other things. She said what is most
painful to me to repeat that, if only one priest offered the Unbloody Sacrifice
as worthily and with the same sentiments as the Apostles, he could ward off all
calamities from the Church. I know not whether the people saw the apparition or
not, but they must have been impressed by something supernatural for, when the
Blessed Virgin said they should pray to God with extended arms, all lifted up
their arms. They were good and pious, but they knew not where to turn for
counsel and assistance. There was no traitor, no enemy among them, and yet they
were anxious and distrustful of one another; by this we may judge of their
situation. It seemed to be an association of prayer."
From this time Sister Emmerich assisted nightly at the pious exercises in St.
Mary Major's. On August 3Ist, she remarked:
"Prayer is now general and continual, pious souls are everywhere kneeling at the
tombs of the saints and imploring their aid. I have seen the saints whom they
especially revere, and I have again seen the Pope; he is in much trouble. I
have had great anxiety on his account and I have redoubled my prayers;
Cardinal Consalvi's last petition was rejected by the Holy Father; he did not
approve it, and it has been withdrawn. This mans influence is at an end for the
present."
Page 310:
"I have had," she said, "indescribable visions on the state of the Church both
in general and particular. I saw the Church Militant under the symbol of a city
like the Heavenly Jerusalem, though it was still on earth. In it were streets,
palaces, and gardens through which I wandered and saw processions composed
entirely of Bishops. I recognized the interior state of each. I saw their
thoughts issuing from their mouths under the form of pictures. Their religious
transgressions were represented by external deformity: for instance, there were
some whose head seemed to be only a misty cloud; others had a head, but a heart,
a body of dark vapor; others were lame or paralytic; others sleeping or reeling.
Once I saw a mitre floating in the air and a hand out of a dark cloud trying repeatedly, but vainly, to
seize it. Under the mitre I beheld many persons not unknown to me, bearing on
their shoulders amid tears and lamentations, crosses of all kinds; among them
walked myself. I think I saw almost all the Bishops in the world, but only a
very few were perfectly sound. I saw the Holy Father very prayerful and God
fearing, his figure perfect, though worn out by old age and manifold sufferings,
his head sunk on his breast as if in sleep. He often fainted away and seemed to
be dying. I often saw him supported by apparitions during his prayer, and then
his head was upright. When it sank upon his breast, then were the minds of many
turned quickly here and there; that is, viewing things in a worldly light. When
the hand out of the cloud tried to seize the mitre, I saw the Church of our
country in a miserable state to which the learned young school master had
especially contributed. Protestantism was in the ascendancy and religion was
failing to utter decay. I saw the majority of the clergy, dazzled by the false
show of the young fellow, furthering the work of destruction, and one in
particular taking part in it through vanity and ignorance. He will see his error
only when it will be too late to retrieve it. The misery under him will be
great. Many simple minded, enlightened men, and especially the school master,
are praying for the removal of this pastor. I saw, at the most, only four
ecclesiastics in the whole country steadfast and faithful. These visions were so
frightful that I came near crying out. I see in the future religion falling so
low that it will be practised only here and there in farmhouses and in families
protected by God during the horrors of war.
Page 317:
11. PENTECOST: THE MOUNTAIN OF THE PROPHETS
"I have seen as usual the Feast of Pentecost, and many pictures of the
communication of the Holy Spirit throughout the whole world, also the twelve new
Apostles and their connection with the Church. I saw from several parishes which
received the Holy Ghost, a spiritual church formed, symbolical of the infusion
of new life into the Church Militant, and I also saw numerous individuals
receiving the Holy Spirit.
"Last night I made a long journey, chiefly to the Mountain of the Prophets and
Paradise in its vicinity. All was as usual on the mountain, the man under the
tent writing and arranging books and rolls of parchment, erasing many things,
and burning others. I saw him giving leaves to doves which flew away with them.
I had also a vision of the Holy Ghost, a winged figure in a triangle surrounded
by bands of light of seven different colors which spread over the spiritual
Church floating below and over all in communication with her. In this vision I
felt that the effusion of the Holy Ghost exercises an influence over all nature.
I stood above the earth near the Mountain of the Prophets and saw the waters
that fall from it spread out like a transparent, many colored veil above the
earth, and I saw all sorts of things shining through it. One color sprang from
another and produced a different effect.
When the veil is rent, the rain descends. These effusions take place at certain
seasons commemorative of the saints and their victories. The feast of a saint is
his true harvest day. On it he dispenses his gifts as a tree does its fruits.
What souls do not receive in this out pouring of spiritual gifts falls upon the
earth as rain and dew; in this way, does a superabundance of rain become a
chastisement from God. I often see wicked people in fertile places nourished by
the fruits of the earth, and good men in sterile regions receiving into their
own souls the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Were man and the earth in perfect
harmony, there would be Paradise here below. Prayer governs the weather, and the
days marked in the old weather tables are the days on which such distributions
are made. When it says: 'If it rain on the third day of Pentecost, the harvest
will not be gathered dry,' may mean, if the spiritual gifts poured out on
mankind at Pentecost are received by them only in small measure, they will be
changed into rain which will fall upon them as a chastisement. I see the life of
nature intimately connected with that of the soul.
"Wind is something wonderful. I often see a storm bearing sickness from a far
off land; it looks like a globe full of evil spirits. Violent winds affect me
painfully. I have always had a horror of them. And from my very childhood,
shooting stars have been hateful to me; for wherever they fall, the air is full
of bad spirits. When as child I watched the rising and setting of the sun, I
used to hail it as a creature endued with life. I thought: 'He weeps over the
numerous sins he is forced to witness!'
Moonlight would be agreeable to me on account of the
peaceful silence, were it not that I know the sins it covers and its powerful
influence over man's sensual nature; for the moon is more deeply enervating than
the sun."
Page 329:
The following vision, though chiefly upon the ravages in the Church by the
infidelity of Sister Emmerich's own day, comprehends many other things and
embraces seven periods of time. This was indicated to her; but her sufferings
prevented her, unfortunately, from specifying these periods or saying which
among the events would be realized in her own lifetime, or which would take
place only after her demise.
"I saw the earth's surface covered with darkness and obscurity, all creation,
trees and shrubs, plants and flowers, withering and dying. The waters seemed to
have flowed back to their sources, brooks, fountains, rivers, and seas to have
returned to the waters above the firmament around Paradise. I wandered over the
desolate earth. I saw the rivers like fine threads; the seas like black abysses
with here and there a tiny stream; and, wallowing in the slime, lay huge animals
struggling with death. I went so far that I could distinctly see the shore on
which St. Clement was drowned. Mankind was in a sad state of confusion and, and
as the earth became more arid and desolate, the deeds of darkness increased. I
saw in detail many abominations. I recognized Rome, and I beheld the oppression
of the Church, as also her internal and external decadence. Then I saw immense
troops marching from various quarters to a certain place near which was a great
black spot like an enormous abyss into which numbers of the troops seemed to
fall, unnoticed by their companions. Again I saw in the midst of these disasters
the twelve new Apostles laboring in different countries, unknown to one another,
each receiving streams of living water from on high. They all did the
" Now all is again flourishing. I saw a new, very resolute Pope, and the black
abyss gradually closing until the opening was so small that a water pail could
cover it. Lastly, I saw again three troops or parishes uniting in the light
under holy, enlightened men, and entering into the Church. The waters again
gushed forth; all was renewed, all was living and flourishing, churches and
convents were rebuilt. Whilst that frightful drought prevailed, I was taken over
a verdant meadow full of those lovely white flowers I once had to gather, and I
came to a thorn hedge on which I scratched myself badly in the dark; but it also
was full of buds and I pressed through joyously."
April 12, 1820:
"I have had another vision on the great
tribulation everywhere reigning. It seemed as if something were exacted of the
clergy, something that could not be granted. I saw many aged priests, some of
them Franciscans, and one, in particular, a very old man, weeping bitterly and
mingling their tears with those of others younger than themselves. I saw others,
tepid souls, willingly acceding to conditions hurtful to religion. The old
faithful in their distress submitted to the interdict and closed their churches.
Numbers of their parishioners joined them; and so, two parties were formed, a
good and a bad one."
As the supporters of the "new lights," the Illuminati, especially hated the
devotion of the Rosary, the value of this popular form of prayer was shown
Sister Emmerich in a very significant vision: "I saw Mary's Rosary with all its
mysteries. A pious hermit had thus honored the Mother of God, weaving in his
childlike faith a garland of leaves and flowers for her; and, as he understood
their signification, his garlands were always profoundly symbolical. He begged
the Blessed Virgin to obtain for him some favor from her Son, whereupon she gave
him the, Rosary." Then Sister Emmerich described this Rosary; but after the
vision was over, neither she nor the Pilgrim could clearly repeat what had been
seen and heard. It seems that the Rosary was surrounded by three rows of
different colored notched leaves, on which were represented in transparent
figures all the mysteries of the Church from both the Old and the New Testament.
In the centre of the Rosary stood Mary with the Child surrounded by angels and
virgins, hand in hand, their colors and attributes expressive of the various
mysteries. Sister Emmerich described each bead, beginning with the coral cross
on which is said the Creed. The cross grew out of a fruit like the apple of the
forbidden tree; it was carved, it had certain determinate colors, and it was
full of little nails. On it was the figure of a youth, in his hand a vine which
sprang from the cross, and sitting on the vine were other figures eating the
grapes. The beads were joined by colored, spiral rays, like roots, each
possessing some natural and mystical signification. Every, Our Father was
enclosed in a wreath of leaves from whose centre sprang a flower in which was
portrayed one of Mary's joys or sorrows. The Hail Maries were stars of precious
stones on which were cut scenes from the lives of the patriarchs and Mary's
ancestors relating to the Incarnation and Redemption. Thus does the Rosary
comprehend heaven and earth, God and nature and history and the restoration of
all things through the Redeemer born of Mary. Every figure and color in its
essential signification was employed for the perfecting of this divine master
piece. This Rosary, though inexpressibly profound in signification was described
by the invalid with deep feeling and childlike simplicity. With trembling joy
she went from leaf to leaf, from figure to figure, describing all with the eager
and joyous readiness of a lively child. "This is the Rosary," she said, "that
the Mother of God gave to man as the devotion dearest to her; but few have said
it in this way! Mary also showed it to St. Dominic; but, in course of time, it
became from neglect and disuse so soiled and sullied with dust that she covered
it with her veil as with a cloud, through which, however, it still glimmers.
Only by special grace by great piety and simplicity can it now be understood. It
is veiled and far away; only practice and meditation can bring it near!"
During the whole octave of Corpus Christi, 1821, Sister Emmerich had visions upon the state of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament throughout Germany, the sight of which drew from her tears and sighs of bitter grief. If, as she said, there were some portions of the country in a less lamentable condition than others, it was where that most august Sacrament was not altogether forgotten, where It was sometimes exposed for public veneration, sometimes borne in procession. Those districts which had fallen more or less under the influence of the new regime, liberty, love, and toleration, appeared under the form of a vineyard, withering and dying before the progress of the lights. In them she had to labor diligently, clearing and weeding until her hands were torn and bleeding. In December, though weighed down by all kinds of sufferings, she could not forbear asking Almighty God to send her still fresh ones; for the mental anguish she endured at the sight of the coldness, neglect, and irreverence offered the Blessed Sacrament was greater than any physical pain could be. Her prayer was heard but only on condition of her confessors permission, that the merit of obedience might be added to that of suffering and supply the strength necessary for its patient endurance.
The Pilgrim writes, Dec. 12, 1821, in the
octave of the Immaculate Conception of Mary: "For several days, Sister Emmerich
has had continual cramps, convulsive cough, spitting of blood. She swoons, she
is perfectly prostrate, but her visions on the dangers threatening the faith are
never interrupted. 'I must suffer it!' she exclaims in ecstasy, 'I have taken it
upon myself, but I hope to be able to bear it!' Once she seemed about to spring
from her bed: 'I must find my confessor, I must ask his permission, I must open
another fountain in the Heart of Jesus! It has already five sources, but they
have been wholly obstructed by the sins of men. Alas! they permit not those
fountains to flow upon them! I am to do it'. I am to begin a new task, although
my present one is not yet finished! I must get my confessor's permission!' The
confessor was absent, and Sister Emmerich several times repeated her petition to
be allowed to open the obstructed sources." The Pilgrim at first thought her
delirious, but he soon reported the following: "Her condition becomes
Dec. 13th: "Sister Emmerich lies today in a state altogether different from that
of the last few days; painful paralysis of her members accompanied with acute
rheumatism. A touch brings forth a groan, and still she had to be raised to a
sitting posture several times during the night, on account of sharp pains of
retention. She is too weak to explain the connection between her sufferings and
her spiritual labors." That afternoon as the Pilgrim and confessor sat in the
adjoining room, they were not a little startled on seeing the invalid suddenly
leave her bed, approach them with a firm step, and kneel before the latter, her
hands joined, saying: 'Give me a blessing! I need it for a certain person,'
Father Limberg blessed her and, though looking like a skeleton, she returned to
her bed as briskly as one in perfect health. At such moments her slightest
motions are singularly striking and impressive; she seems wholly unconscious of
her movements. Like the turning of a flower to the light, they appear to be
involuntary and they excite surprise in the beholder. After a short silence, she
exclaimed: "They are strewing the road with rose leaves; some one must be
coming!" and then she was shown how the sources of grace in the Sacred Heart
were cut off from many souls of good will by the suppression of devotional
exercises, by the closing and profanation of churches. In reparation for the
same, she was directed to make special exercises in honor of the Divine Heart.
"Great periods of suffering," she said, "begin with visions of roses and flowers
scattered over me; they signify my different pains. When I was seized with
rheumatism, I saw a pyramid of sharp thorns covered with roses. I groaned with
fright at the thought of climbing it." Once she uttered these prophetic words:
"I see the enemies of the Blessed Sacrament who close the churches and prevent
Its adoration, rushing to their own destruction! They fall sick, they die
without priest or Sacrament!"
From Quasimodo until the third Sunday after Easter, 1820, Sister Emmerich's
state became so aggravated in consequence of the attacks made by Wessenberg and
his party on the celibacy of the clergy and the scandals arising from the same,
that her friends, though long accustomed to such scenes, could scarcely bear the
sight of it.
Still, however, her physical pains were perhaps even more endurable to the poor
invalid than were the ill advised efforts, to relieve her and the disturbance
occasioned her little household. The Pilgrim's brother, Christian Brentano, was
in Dulmen at the time and, finding a noisy game of nine pins going on just
beneath Sister Emmerich's window one day, he resolved to have her removed to a
more retired neighborhood. For this end he sought to gain Father Limberg and Dr.
Wesener's approval, hoping to win through the latter the consent of the old
Abbe' Lambert, then sick and confined to his bed. But the old priest, weighed
down by infirmity and desirous of ending his days in peace, would by no means
consent to the change. "Full of sadness," as the Pilgrim says, he dragged
himself to the invalid's bedside and protested against a removal. Sister
Emmerich, anxious and annoyed by the repetition of such scenes, fell into a most
deplorable state. Then it was that all concerned urged the use of various
ineffectual remedies. They forgot the supernatural character of her sufferings
which, had they been other than they were, must have ended in death. In view of
this irritating commotion, we may readily understand the effort it cost the poor
invalid to preserve her patience unruffled and the earnestness with which she
longed for Dean Overberg's presence to lull the storm. The Pilgrim gives us the
following details:
April 15th: "I found Sister Emmerich quite unable to speak from excessive pain.
She had lain all night unable to stir on account of the violent suffering in her
left side. She could neither stretch out her hand to the tumbler at her side,
nor move her feet from the bottle of hot water that bad been placed in her bed;
and thus she spent the night, abandoning herself to the mercy of God. When her
confessor visited her next morning, he ordered the dreaded brandy lotions, which
only served to aggravate
April 16th: "The pains in the wound of her side are excruciating. They began by
a vision on St. Thomas's incredulity. To day, Sunday, as she was contemplating a
scene from the Gospel, the wound bled and she felt that with every breath she
drew the air blew through it. To prevent this she laid her hand over the wound.
The retention from which she suffers is very severe. To crown all, there is a
game of ninepins going on under her window. A friend is endeavoring to persuade
her to change her lodgings."
April 17th: "Her pains increase; she is all swollen, and the retention is so
sharp as sometimes to deprive her of consciousness. She lies like a corpse, like
one who had died from starvation. Sometimes her hunger for the Blessed Sacrament
becomes intolerable; her heart burns with desire, whilst her hands are icy
cold.'
April 18th: "Her condition is truly pitiable! Father Limberg begged the Parish
Priest of Haltern to come and give her his benediction, which he did apparently
to her relief. This evening a brandy lotion was again prescribed, to which the
poor invalid submitted with a groan. 'I have
Page 343:
On the evening of Jan. 15, 1822, Sister Emmerich
vomited blood freely, and then suddenly exclaimed: "Ah! a pious, Parish Priest
has just died in Rome of old age! I received the general absolution with him!
His soul went straight to purgatory, but he will very soon be released. We must
pray for him. He was greatly attached to the Pope during whose captivity he did
much good in secret. The Pope himself has not long to live."
And again she said: "That good old priest was
one of the twelve unknown Apostles whom I always see supporting the Church and
of whom I have often spoken. He is, the second that has died. There are now only
ten; but I see others growing up. He was a friend and counsellor of the Holy
Father, but he would never give up his parish for a higher position."
Page 344:
19. CORONATION OF A POPE.
January 27, 1822, Feast of St. Paul's Conversion (Munster). Sister Emmerich
suddenly fell into ecstasy during which which she prayed fervently. That evening
she said to the Pilgrim: "There has been a thanksgiving feast in the Spiritual
church. It was filled with glory, and a magnificent throne stood in the middle
of it. Paul, Augustine, and other converted saints figured conspicuously. It was
a feast in the Church Triumphant, a thanksgiving for a great, though still
future grace, something like a future consecration. It referred to the
conversion of a man whom I saw of slight figure and tolerably young, who was one
day to be Pope. I saw him below in the church among other pious men; he had been
connected with the good old priest whose death I saw the other day in Rome. I
saw many Christians returning to the bosom of the Church, entering through the
walls. That Pope will be strict, he will remove from him lukewarm, tepid
Bishops; but it will be a long time before this happens. All whose prayers have
been instrumental in obtaining this grace were present in the church. I saw also
those men eminent in prayer whom so often see. The young man was already in
Orders and it seemed as if he were receiving some new dignity. He is not Roman,
though an Italian from a place not far from Rome. I think he is of a pious noble
family. He travels sometimes. But before his time there will be many struggles.
It was an indescribably beautiful and joyous festival, and I was so happy! The
church is still there; I want to go back to it!" and at these words she relapsed
into ecstasy, during which she rose in her bed to pray until ordered by her
confessor to lie down.
Page 348:
"I saw a church sailing on the waters and in great danger of sinking, for it had
no foundation; it rolled on the sea like a ship. With mighty efforts I had to
help to restore its balance, and we sent many people into it, chiefly stationing
them around on the beams and planks. In the three aisles of the church lay
twelve men prostrate and motionless in fervent prayer, and there were crowds of
children at the entrance prostrate before an altar. I saw no Pope, but a Bishop
prostrate before the High Altar. In this vision I saw the church bombarded by
other vessels, but we hung wet cloths before it and it received no damage. It
was threatened on all sides; it seemed as if its enemies wanted to hinder its
landing. When by the help of extra weight it was again righted, it sank a little
in the sand. Then we laid down planks to the shore. Instantly all sorts of bad
ecclesiastics ran in with others, who had given no assistance in time of need,
and began to mock the twelve men whom they found in prayer and to box their
ears; but the latter were silent and went on praying. Then we brought great
stones which we stuck all around for a foundation which began to increase as if
it were growing of itself. The stones came together, and it seemed as if a rock
sprang up and all became solid. Crowds of people, among them some strangers,
entered by the door, and the church was again on land."
This vision lasted several nights and was accompanied
by hard labor. Once Sr. Emmerich, still in ecstasy, uttered the following words:
"They want to take from the shepherd his own pasture grounds! They want to fill
his place with one who will hand all over to the enemy!"
Then she shook her hand indignantly, crying
out: "0 ye German cheats! Wait awhile! You will not succeed! The Shepherd
stands upon a rock! 0 ye priests! You stir not, ye sleep, and the sheepfold is
everywhere on fire! You do nothing! 0 how you will bewail this some day! If you
had said only one Our Father! The whole night have I seen the enemies of the
Lord Jesus drag Him around and maltreat him upon Calvary! I see so many
traitors! They cannot bear to hear said: 'Things are going badly!' All is well
with them if only they can shine before the world!"