I
BEHELD the soul of our Lord between two angels, who were in the attire
of warriors: it was bright, luminous, and resplendent as the sun at
mid-day; it penetrated the rock, touched the sacred body, passed into
it, and the two were instantaneously united, and became as one. I then
saw the limbs move, and the body of our Lord, being reunited to his soul
and to his divinity, rise and shake off the winding-sheet: the whole of
the cave was illuminated and lightsome. At
the same moment I saw a frightful monster burst from the earth
underneath the sepulchre. It had the tail of a serpent, and it raised
its dragon head proudly as if desirous of attacking Jesus; and had
likewise, if I remember correctly, a human head. But our Lord held in
his hand a white staff, to which was appended a large banner; and he
placed his foot on the head of the dragon, and struck its tail three
times with his staff, after which the monster disappeared. I had had
this same vision many times before the Resurrection, and I saw just such
a monster, appearing to endeavour to hide itself, at the time of the
conception of our Lord: it greatly resembled the serpent which tempted
our first parents in Paradise, only it was more horrible. I thought that
this vision had reference to the prophetic words, that by the seed of
the woman the head of the serpent should be crushed,’ and that the whole
was intended to demonstrate the victory of our Lord over death, for at
the same moment that I saw him crush the head of the monster, the tomb
likewise vanished from my sight. I
then saw the glorified body of our Lord rise up, and it passed through
the hard rock as easily as if the latter had been formed of some ductile
substance. The earth shook, and an angel in the garb of a warrior
descended from Heaven with the speed of lightning, entered the tomb,
lifted the stone, placed it on the right side, and seated himself upon
it. At this tremendous sight the soldiers fell to the ground, and
remained there apparently lifeless. When Cassius saw the bright light
which illuminated, the tomb, he approached the place where the sacred
body had been placed, looked at and touched the linen clothes in which
it had been wrapped, and left the sepulchre, intending to go and inform
Pilate of all that had happened. However, he tarried a short time to
watch the progress of events; for although he had felt the earthquake,
seen the angel move the stone, and looked at the empty tomb, yet he had
not seen Jesus. At
the very moment in which the angel entered the sepulchre and the earth
quaked, I saw our Lord appear to his holy Mother on Calvary. His body
was beautiful and lightsome, and its beauty was that of a celestial
being. He was clothed in a large mantle, which at one moment looked
dazzlingly white, as it floated through the air, waving to and fro with
every breath of wind, and the next reflected a thousand brilliant
colours as the sunbeams passed over it. His large open wounds shone
brightly, and could be seen from a great distance: the wounds in his
hands were so large that a finger might be put into them without
difficulty; and rays of light proceeded from them, diverging in the
direction of his fingers. The souls of the patriarchs bowed down before
the Mother of our Saviour, and Jesus spoke to her concerning his
Resurrection, telling her many things which I have forgotten. He showed
her his wounds; and Mary prostrated to kiss his sacred feet; but he took
her hand, raised her, and disappeared. When
I was at some distance from the sepulchre I saw fresh lights burning
there, and I likewise beheld a large luminous spot in the sky
immediately over Jerusalem. THE
holy women were very near the door of Nicodemus’s house at the moment
of our Lord’s Resurrection; but they did not see anything of the
prodigies which were taking place at the sepulchre. They were not aware
that guards had been placed around the tomb, for they had not visited it
on the previous day, on account of its being the Sabbath. They
questioned one another anxiously concerning what would have to be done
about the large stone at the door, as to who would be the best person to
ask about removing it, for they had been so engrossed by grief that
they had not thought about it before. Their intention was to pour
precious ointments upon the body of Jesus, and then to strew over it
flowers of the most rare and aromatic kinds, thus rendering all the
honour possible to their Divine Master in his sepulchre. Salome, who had
brought more things than any one else, was a rich lady, who lived in
Jerusalem, a relation of St. Joseph, but not the mother of John. The
holy women came to the determination of putting down their spices on the
stone which closed the door of the monument, and waiting until some one
came to roll it back. The
guards were still lying on the ground, and the strong convulsions which
even then shook them clearly demonstrated how great had been their
terror, and the large stone was cast on one side, so that the door could
be opened without difficulty. I could see the linen cloth in which the
body of Jesus had been wrapped scattered about in the tomb, and the
large winding-sheet lying in the same place as when they left it, but
doubled together in such a manner that you saw at once that it no longer
contained anything but the spices which had been placed round the body,
and the bandages were on the outside of the tomb. The linen cloth in
which Mary had enveloped the sacred head of her Son was still there. I
saw the holy women coming into the garden; but when they perceived the
light given by the lamps of the sentinels, and the prostrate forms of
the soldiers round the tomb, they for the most part became much alarmed,
and retreated towards Golgotha. Mary Magdalen was, however., more
courageous, and, followed by Salome, entered the garden, while the other
women remained timidly on the outside. Magdalen
started, and appeared for a moment terrified when she drew near the
sentinels. She retreated a few steps and rejoined Salome, but both
quickly recovered their presence of mind, and walked on together through
the midst of the prostrate guards, and entered into the cave which
contained the sepulchre. They immediately perceived that the stone was
removed, but the doors were closed, which had been done in all
probability by Cassius. Magdalen opened them quickly, looked anxiously
into the sepulchre, and was much surprised at seeing that the cloths in
which they had enveloped our Lord were lying on one side, and that the
place where they had deposited the sacred remains was empty. A celestial
light filled the cave, and an angel was seated on the right side.
Magdalen became almost beside herself from disappointment and alarm. I
do not know whether she heard the words which the angel addressed to
her, but she left the garden as quickly as possible, and ran to the town
to inform the Apostles who were assembled there of what had taken
place. I do not know whether the angel spoke to Mary Salome, as she did
not enter the sepulchre; but I saw her leaving the garden directly after
Magdalen, in order to relate all that had happened to the rest of the
holy women, who were both frightened and delighted at the news, but
could not make up their minds as to whether they would go to the garden
or not. In
the mean time Cassius had remained near the sepulchre in hopes of
seeing Jesus, as he thought he would be certain to appear to the holy
women; but seeing nothing, he directed his steps towards Pilate’s palace
to relate to him all that had happened, stopping, however, first at the
place where the rest of the holy women were assembled, to tell them
what he had seen, and to exhort them to go immediately to the garden.
They followed his advice, and went there at once. No sooner had they
reached the door of the sepulchre than they beheld two angels clothed in
sacerdotal vestments of the most dazzling white. The women were very
much alarmed, covered their faces with their hands, and prostrated
almost to the ground; but one of the angels addressed them, bade them
not fear, and told them that they must not seek for their crucified Lord
there, for that he was alive, had risen, and was no longer an
inhabitant of the tomb. He pointed out to them at the same moment the
empty sepulchre, and ordered them to go and relate to the disciples all
that they had seen and heard. He likewise told them that Jesus would go
before them into Galilee, and recalled to their minds the words which
our Saviour had addressed to them on a former occasion: The Son of Man
will be delivered into the hands of sinners, he will be crucified, and
the third day rise again.’ The angels then disappeared, and left the
holy women filled with joy, although of course greatly agitated; they
wept, looked at the empty tomb and linen clothes, and immediately
started to return to the town. But they were so much overcome by the
many astounding events which had taken place, that they walked very
slowly, and stopped and looked back often, in hopes of seeing our Lord,
or at least Magdalen. In
the mean time. Magdalen reached the Cenaculum. She was so excited as to
appear like a person beside herself, and knocked hastily at the door.
Some of the disciples, were still sleeping, and those who were risen
were conversing together. Peter and John opened the door, but she only
exclaimed, without entering the house, They have taken away the body of
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him,’ and immediately
returned to the garden. Peter and John went back into the house, and
after saying a few words to the other disciples followed her as speedily
as possible, but John far outstripped Peter. I then saw Magdalen
reenter the garden, and direct her steps towards the sepulchre; she
appeared greatly agitated, partly from grief, and partly from having
walked so fast. Her garments were quite moist with dew, and her veil
hanging on one side, while the luxuriant hair in which she had formerly
taken so much pride fell in disheveled
masses over her shoulders, forming a species of mantle. Being alone,
she was afraid of entering the cave, but stopped for a moment on the
outside, and knelt down in order to see better into the tomb. She was
endeavouring to push back her long hair, which fell over her face and
obscured her vision, when she perceived the two angels who were seated
in the tomb, and I heard one of them address her thus: Woman, why
weepest thou?’ She replied, in a voice choked with tears (for she was
perfectly overwhelmed with grief at finding that the body of Jesus was
really gone), ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not
where they have laid him.’ She said no more, but seeing the empty
winding-sheet, went out of the sepulchre and began to look about in
other parts. She felt a secret presentiment that not only should she
find Jesus, but that he was even then near to her; and the presence of
the angels seemed not to disturb her in the least; she did not appear
even to be aware that they were angels, every faculty was engrossed with
the one thought, ‘Jesus is not there! where is Jesus?’ I watched her
wandering about like an insane person, with her hair floating loosely in
the wind: her hair appeared to annoy her much, for she again
endeavoured to push it from off her face, and having divided it into two
parts, threw it over her shoulders. She
then raised her head, looked around, and perceived a tall figure,
clothed in white, standing at about ten paces from the sepulchre on the
east side of the garden, where there was a slight rise in the direction
of the town; the figure was partly hidden from her sight by a palm-tree,
but she was somewhat startled when it addressed her in these words:
‘Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?’ She thought it was the
gardener; and, in fact, he had a spade in his hand, and a large hat
(apparently made of the bark of trees) on his head. His dress was
similar to that worn by the gardener described in the parable which
Jesus had related to the holy women at Bethania a short time before his
Passion. His body was not luminous, his whole appearance was rather that
of a man dressed in white and seen by twilight. At the words, Whom
seekest thou? she looked at him, and answered quickly, ‘Sir, if thou
hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him; and I will take
him away.’ And she looked anxiously around. Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’
She then instantly recognized
his beloved voice, and turning quickly, replied, Raboni (Master)!’ She
threw herself on her knees before him, and stretched out her hands to
touch his feet; but he motioned her to be still, and said, ‘Do not touch
me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren and
say to them: ‘I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and
your God.’ He then disappeared. The
reason of the words of Jesus, ‘Do not touch me,’ was afterwards
explained to me, but I have only an indistinct remembrance of that
explanation. I think He made use of those words because of the
impetuosity of Magdalen’s feelings, which made her in a certain degree
forget the stupendous mystery which had been accomplished, and feel as
if what she then beheld was still mortal instead of a glorified body. As
for the words of Jesus, ‘I am not yet ascended to my Father,’ I was
told that their meaning was that he had not presented himself to his
Father since his Resurrection, to return him thanks for his victory over
death, and for the work of the redemption which he had accomplished. He
wished her to infer from these words, that the first-fruits of joy
belong to God, and that she ought to reflect and return thanks to him
for the accomplishment of the glorious mystery of the redemption, and
for the victory which he had gained over death; and if she had kissed
his feet as she used before the Passion, she would have thought of
nothing but her Divine Master, and in her raptures of love have totally
forgotten the wonderful events which were causing such astonishment and
joy in Heaven. I saw Magdalen arise quickly, as soon as our Lord
disappeared, and run to look again in the sepulchre, as if she believed
herself under the influence of a dream. She saw the two angels still
seated there, and they spoke to her concerning the resurrection of our
Lord in the same words as they had addressed the two other women. She
likewise saw the empty winding-sheet, and then, feeling certain that she
was not in a state of delusion, but that the apparition of our Lord was
real, she walked quickly back towards Golgotha to seek her companions,
who were wandering about to and fro, anxiously looking out for her
return, and indulging a kind of vague hope that they should see or hear
something of Jesus. The
whole of this scene occupied a little more than two or three minutes.
It was about half-past three when our Lord appeared to Magdalen, and
John and Peter entered the garden just as she was leaving it. John, who
was a little in advance of Peter, stopped at the entrance of the cave
and looked in. He saw the linen clothes lying on one side, and waited
until Peter came up, when they entered the sepulchre together, and saw
the winding-sheet empty as has been before described. John instantly
believed in the Resurrection, and they both understood clearly the words
addressed to them by Jesus before his Passion, as well as the different
passages in Scripture relating to that event, which had until then been
incomprehensible to them. Peter put the linen clothes under his cloak,
and they returned hastily into the town through the small entrance
belonging to Nicodemus. The
appearance of the holy sepulchre was the same when the two apostles
entered as when Magdalen first saw it. The two adoring angels were
seated, one at the head, and the other at the extremity of the tomb, in
precisely the same attitude as when his adorable body was lying there. I
do not think Peter was conscious of their presence. I afterwards heard
John tell the disciples of Emmaus, that when he looked into the
sepulchre he saw an angel. Perhaps he was startled by this sight, and
therefore drew back and let Peter enter the sepulchre first; but it is
likewise very possible that the reason of his not mentioning the
circumstance in his gospel was because humility made him anxious to
conceal the fact of his having been more highly favoured than Peter. The
guards at this moment began to revive, and rising, gathered up their
lances, and took down the lamps, which were on the door, from whence
they cast a glimmering weak light on surrounding objects. I then saw
them walk hastily out of the garden in evident fear and trepidation, in
the direction of the town. In
the mean time Magdalen had rejoined the holy women, and given them the
account of her seeing the Lord in the garden, and of the words of the
angels afterwards, whereupon they immediately related what had been seen
by themselves, and Magdalen wended her way quickly to Jerusalem, while
the women returned to that side of the garden where they expected to
find the two apostles. Just before they reached it, Jesus appeared to
them. He was clothed in a long white robe, which concealed even his
hands, and said to them, All hail.’ They started with astonishment, and
cast themselves at his feet; he spoke a few words, held forth his hand
as if to point out something to them, and disappeared. The holy women
went instantly to the Cenaculum, and told the disciples who were
assembled there that they had seen the Lord; the disciples were
incredulous, and would not give credence either to their account or to
that of Magdalen. They treated both the one and the other as the effects
of their excited imaginations; but when Peter and John entered the room
and related what they likewise had seen, they knew not what to answer,
and were filled with astonishment. Peter
and John soon left the Cenaculum, as the wonderful events which had
taken place rendered them extremely silent and thoughtful, and before
long they met James the Less and Thaddeus, who had wished to accompany
them to the sepulchre. Both James and Thaddeus were greatly overcome,
for the Lord had appeared to them a short time before they met Peter and
John. I also saw Jesus pass quite close to Peter and John. I think the
former recognised him, for he started suddenly, but I do not think the
latter saw him.
Father Gabriele Amorth’s very first exorcism remained especially impressed in his mind. He spoke of it in various interviews and in his book The Last Exorcist: My Battle against Satan, in which he narrates in depth what happened with so many other important exorcisms.
His first solo exorcism was very particular, because he immediately
clashed with Satan himself. After having assisted Father Candido
Amantini for many years, he exorcised a simple man. The man was very
young and slim and came accompanied by a priest and a third person, a
translator.
Initially, Father Amorth did not understand the reason for the
translator, so the priest explained to him that when the demoniac was
under possession, he spoke in English, and therefore it would be useful
to have the translator present in order to understand what he was
saying.
Once the exorcism began, the young peasant did not communicate with
words or gestures; it was as if nothing affected him, not even when
Father Amorth invoked the help of the Lord. But after the invocation,
when the exorcist priest asked specifically for the help of Jesus, the
young man fixed his gaze on him and began to yell in English.
His curses and threats were aimed solely at the exorcist; then he
began spitting at him and preparing to attack him physically; only when
Father Amorth arrived at the prayer Praecipio tibi (I command
you), did the demon seem to placate himself a bit. But then, screaming
and howling, the demon burst forth and looked straight at him, drooling
saliva from the young man’s mouth. The exorcist, at that point,
continued with the rite of liberation, asking and ordering the demon to
tell him his name and reveal who he was. Because this was his first
exorcism,
Father Amorth did not expect to receive such a terrifying response: “I am Lucifer.”
Thus, with great stupor, Father Amorth discovered that who he had in
front of him in those moments was Lucifer in person, but at that point,
he certainly could not give up or end the exorcism, so he engaged
himself even more. He was convinced that he had to keep going as long as
he had the strength.
So, while he continued with the prayers of liberation, the demon
resumed his shrieks, making the possessed turn his head back and his
eyes roll; and he remained like this with his back arched for a quarter
of an hour. Who could imagine what Father Amorth felt in those moments?
Changes also occurred in the environment. All of a sudden, the room
became extremely cold and ice crystals formed on the windows and the
walls. The exorcist, refusing to give up, ordered Lucifer to abandon
the peasant. But almost in response, the young man’s body stiffened so
much that he became hard and at a certain point began to levitate; and
for several minutes, he remained hovering three feet in the air.
Meanwhile, the exorcist continued with the prayers of liberation. Then,
at a certain point, the possessed fell down onto a chair, and a little
before disappearing, Lucifer announced the day and the exact hour that
he would leave the body of the peasant.
Father Amorth continued to exorcise the young man each
week until the fatal day arrived. Then he let another week pass, and he
rescheduled him. Upon his arrival, the young man seemed very tranquil, and in
the course of the exorcism, he did not make any objections to the liberations,
and indeed, he prayed tranquilly. Father Amorth asked him to explain how
Lucifer left him, and he replied that on the day and at the hour that the devil
had indicated he would leave, he began to howl like never before. Then, at the
end of this, he felt new and light.
Father Amorth Speaks of the Good Angels
Since
exorcism must also be understood in the context of the good angels, Father
Amorth wrote one of his columns in the weekly Credo
on
the good angels:
The
angelic creatures who chose to remain faithful to their nature and to
the goal for which they were created — that is, to praise God eternally
— did a very simple thing: they remained obedient. They accepted being
submissive to God the Creator, and they made their choice in the just
view, not the diabolical view of feeling humiliated by this act of
submission. To the contrary, in choosing to remain faithful to God, the
angels were true to their nature and their end. It was an act of
fidelity to the truth for which they were created by God, which is to
love Him. This attitude does not humiliate them, because it does not
infer a lack of something; rather, it reflects a fullness. The angels
have continued to be faithful to their nature, which refers them
directly to God the Creator, the one who has inscribed in creation the
laws that He considers best for the good of the creature. Thus, the way
we read it in the book of Revelation (12:7 and further on) is the way it
occurred. There was a giant war between the angels who remained
faithful to God and those who rebelled against Him; in other words, the
[good] angels against the demons. In those passages, the Bible tells us
that the Archangel Michael led the angels into battle, and the rebel
angels were guided by the dragon (the devil) and at the end were
defeated. As a result, and I cite from memory, “for them there was no
longer a place in heaven.”
Something happened here that the Bible does not declare, but that I
have no reason to doubt: the demons created hell — that is, they put
themselves in a situation, in a state, that placed them in opposition to
God, and in doing so, harmed themselves. Their new condition, known in
the Bible as “hell,” means that the devils are forever excluded from
paradise — that is, the vision of God, and the goals of enjoyment and
eternal happiness for which they were created.
Therefore, the demons are definitively condemned; for them, there is
no longer any possibility of salvation. Why? Because their intelligence,
which is much superior to ours, since they are pure spirits, makes
their choice definitive, because it was done with full awareness and is
therefore not retractable. But the demons do not wish to take back such a
choice.
The same is true, but to the contrary, for the angels who have chosen
God and enjoy Him in eternity; and it is also true for the saints,
those who are already admitted to the eternal vision of God. And this is
true also for us, who are called to sanctity here on earth and, if
necessary, in purgatory.
How the Demon Enters Souls
The
journalist Marco Tosatti asked Father Amorth which are the paths preferred by
the devil when entering the soul of men. Amorth responded:
“Oh,
how pleasing to God is the soul that follows faithfully, the
inspirations of His grace!
I gave the savior to the world; as for you,
you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the
world for His Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful
savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day!
Determined is
the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it.
Speak to souls about this great mercy while there is still
time for granting mercy, if you keep silent now, you will be answering
for a great number of souls on that terrible day.
Christ to the world
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