examination of the heart 558 same was done by the holy Magdalene who loved Him; by Mary of James and Salome; as well as by other devout matrons together with Christ’s closest friends. Finally, all of them went to the most mournful burial. With truly pious kindness, Nicodemus provided nearly a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes for that Divine Body; someone else, having bought a linen cloth, wrapped the Savior of the World in it. The remaining holy persons followed the sacred funeral all the way to the garden situated near the place of capital punishment, where they placed the King of angels in a new tomb (cf. Mt 27:5960; Mk 15:45-46; Lk 23:53-54; Jn 19:39-42). [f.183v] 3. Consider the inexpressible sadness, grief, and sorrow that tormented the Most Blessed Virgin as she deposited in the tomb all of her love, her delights, and her treasure. And going back home, as she noticed the marks and drops of the Most Precious Blood shed along the way, she undoubtedly collected them too. Stay with her, my soul, and see how she continuously considered the torments of her Son, and poured out many tears caused by the intensity of sorrow. Then, ask that she may obtain for you not only the true knowledge of your sins, but also abhorrence, sorrow, and swift penance for them, because they are the very sins for which the Son of God and her most beloved Son, and indeed she herself, suffered so much. 12. SATURDAY EVENING On the individual punishments of each of the damned, on the punishment of damnation and on their eternity. 1. You should consider this: just as the greatness of one’s rewards in Heaven corresponds to the greatness of one’s merits, so in the perennial prison of the damned, the greatness and multitude of one’s punishments match the multitude and greatness of one’s evil deeds. Therefore, in addition to torments common to all of the damned, individual torments are to be endured by each according to the nature and quantity of their faults, as the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==