Anne Catherine Emmerich · 61 of 113

XIII. THE JOURNEY OF THE THREE HOLY KINGS TO BETHLEHEM · 11. JOSEPH CELEBRATES THE FEAST OF THE CONSECRATION OF THE TEMPLE.

[December 10 th:] Yesterday, Sunday, December 9 th, I did not see the nurse coming to the cave any more. Joseph lights his little lamps for the Consecration feast every morning and evening. It is very quiet here since the feast began in Jerusalem.

Today a manservant came from Anna. He brought the Blessed Virgin, amongst other things, materials for making a girdle, and a most beautiful little basket of fruit, covered over with fresh roses among the fruit. The basket was high and narrow, and the color of the roses different from ours: it was paler, almost flesh-colored. There were also big yellow and white roses, some open, and some in bud. Mary seemed delighted with them and placed the basket beside her.

[Journey of the kings:] In the last few days I often saw the kings on their journey. The road was more hilly, and they came over the hills which I had seen covered with little pieces of stone like broken pottery. I should very much like to have some of them; they are so beautifully smooth. On other mountains in that region are many white transparent stones like birds’ eggs, and a quantity of white sand. I saw the kings now in the place where they afterwards lived when Jesus visited them in the third year of His ministry. They were not in the city of tents, for at that time it did not exist.