In the morning, while the Apostles were engaged at Jerusalem in
preparing for the Pasch, Jesus, who had remained at Bethania, took an
affecting leave of the holy women, of Lazarus, and of his Blessed
Mother, and gave them some final instructions. I saw our Lord
conversing apart with his Mother, and he told her, among other things,
that he had sent Peter, the apostle of faith, and John, the apostle of
love, to prepare for the Pasch at Jerusalem. He said, in speaking of
Magdalen, whose grief was excessive, that her love was great, but still
somewhat human, and that on this account her sorrow made her beside
herself. He spoke also of the schemes of the traitor Judas, and the
Blessed Virgin prayed for him. Judas had again left Bethania to go to
Jerusalem, under pretence of paying some debts that were due. He spent
his whole day in hurrying backwards and forwards from one Pharisee to
another, and making his final agreements with them. He was shown the
soldiers who had been engaged to seize the person of our Divine
Saviour, and he so arranged his journeys to and fro as to be able to
account for his absence. I beheld all his wicked schemes and all his
thoughts. He was naturally active and obliging, but these good
qualities were choked by avarice, ambition, and envy, which passions he
made no effort to control. In our Lord's absence he had even performed
miracles and healed the sick.

When our Lord announced to his Blessed Mother what was going to take
place, she besought him, in the most touching terms, to let her die
with him. But he exhorted her to show more calmness in her sorrow than
the other women, told her that he should rise again, and named the very
spot where he should appear to her. She did not weep much, but her
grief was indescribable, and there was something almost awful in her
look of deep recollection. Our Divine Lord returned thanks, as a loving
Son, for all the love she had borne him, and pressed her to his heart.