of every heart, while the bystanders retired one by one to a distance
from the Cross. Then it was that Jesus gave his Mother to St. John, and
that she, overcome by grief, was carried away to a short distance. As
the darkness continued to grow more and more dense, the silence became
perfectly astounding; everyone appeared terror struck; some looked at
the sky, while others, filled with remorse, turned towards the Cross,
smote their breasts, and were converted. Although the Pharisees were in
reality quite as much alarmed as other persons, yet they endeavoured at
first to put a bold face on the matter, and declared that they could
see nothing unaccountable in these events; but at last even they lost
assurance, and were reduced to silence. The disc of the sun was of a
dark-yellow tint, rather resembling a mountain when viewed by
moonlight, and it was surrounded by a bright fiery ring; the stars
appeared, but the light they cast was red and lurid; the birds were so
terrified as to drop to the ground; the beasts trembled and moaned; the
horses and the asses of the Pharisees crept as close as possible to one
another, and put their heads between their legs. The thick fog
penetrated everything.

Stillness reigned around the Cross. Jesus hung upon it alone;
forsaken by all,--disciples, followers, friends, his Mother even was
removed from his side; not one person of the thousands upon whom he had
lavished benefits was near to offer him the slightest alleviation in
his bitter agony,--his soul was overspread with an indescribable feeling
of bitterness and grief,--all within him was dark, gloomy, and wretched.
The darkness which reigned around was but symbolical of that which
overspread his interior; he turned, nevertheless, to his Heavenly
Father, he prayed for his enemies, he offered the chalice of his
sufferings for their redemption, he continued to pray as he had done
during the whole of his Passion, and repeated portions of those Psalms