The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ | Page 5

woman, and so to become our Brother, and
these sacred titles were not mere words in her mouth.
While yet a child, she used to speak with innocent candour and
simplicity of all that she saw, and her listeners would be filled with
admiration at the histories she would relate from Holy Writ; but their
questions and remarks having sometimes disturbed her peace of mind,
she determined to keep silence on such subjects for the future. In her
innocence of heart, she thought that it was not right to talk of things of
this sort, that other persons never did so, and that her speech should be
only Yea, yea, and Nay, nay, or Praise be to Jesus Christ. The visions
with which she was favoured were so like realities, and appeared to her
so sweet and delightful, that she supposed all Christian children were
favoured with the same; and she concluded that those who never talked
on such subjects were only more discreet and modest than herself, so
she resolved to keep silence also, to be like them.
Almost from her cradle she possessed the gift of distinguishing what
was good or evil, holy or profane, blessed or accursed, in material as
well as in spiritual things, thus resembling St. Sibyllina of Pavia, Ida of
Louvain, Ursula Benincasa, and some other holy souls. In her earliest
childhood she used to bring out of the fields useful herbs, which no one
had ever before discovered to be good for anything, and plant them
near her father's cottage, or in some spot where she was accustomed to
work and play; while on the other hand she would root up all poisonous
plants, and particularly those ever used for superstitious practices or in
dealings with the devil. Were she by chance in a place where some
great crime had been committed, she would hastily run away, or begin
to pray and do penance. She used also to perceive by intuition when she
was in a consecrated spot, return thanks to God, and be filled with a
sweet feeling of peace. When a priest passed by with the Blessed
Sacrament, even at a great distance from her home or from the place
where she was taking care of her flock, she would feel a strong
attraction in the direction whence he was coming, run to meet him, and
be kneeling in the road, adoring the Blessed Sacrament, long before he
could reach the spot.
She knew when any object was consecrated, and experienced a feeling
of disgust and repugnance when in the neighbourhood of old pagan

cemeteries, whereas she was attracted to the sacred remains of the
saints as steel by the magnet. When relics were shown to her, she knew
what saints they had belonged to, and could give not only accounts of
the minutest and hitherto unknown particulars of their lives, but also
histories of the relics themselves, and of the places where they had been
preserved. During her whole life she had continual intercourse with the
souls in purgatory; and all her actions and prayers were offered for the
relief of their sufferings. She was frequently called upon to assist them,
and even reminded in some miraculous manner, if she chanced to
forget them. Often, while yet very young, she used to be awakened out
of her sleep by bands of suffering souls, and to follow them on cold
winter's nights with bare feet, the whole length of the Way of the Cross
to Coesfeld, though the ground was covered with snow.
From her infancy to the day of her death she was indefatigable in
relieving the sick, and in dressing and curing wounds and ulcers, and
she was accustomed to give to the poor every farthing she possessed.
So tender was her conscience, that the slightest sin she fell into caused
her such pain as to make her ill, and absolution then always restored
her immediately to health.
The extraordinary nature of the favours bestowed on her by Almighty
God was no hindrance in the way of her devoting herself to hard labour,
like any other peasant-girl; and we may also be allowed to observe that
a certain degree of the spirit of prophecy is not unusually to be found
among her country men and women. She was taught in the school of
suffering and mortification, and there learned lessons of perfection. She
allowed herself no more sleep or food than was absolutely necessary;
passed whole hours in prayer every night; and in winter often knelt out
of doors on the snow. She slept on the ground on planks arranged in the
form of a cross. Her food and drink consisted of what was rejected by
others; she always kept the best parts even of that for the poor and