The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich 9. NAZARETH. THE HOLY WOMEN PUT THINGS IN ORDER AND LEAVE JOSEPH'S HOME.

[March 2 ^nd:] Early in the morning I saw Mary Heli with her little boy going to Anna's house and sending the master of the house and a manservant to Nazareth, after which she went to her own house. I saw Anna putting everything in order in Joseph's house and packing away many things. In the morning there came two men from Anna's house; one of them was dressed in nothing but a sheepskin, and had on his feet thick sandals strapped round his legs. The other had a long robe on; he seemed to me to be Anna's present husband. They helped to arrange everything in Joseph's house, and to pack up what was movable and take it to Anna's house. [148]

Figure 21. The holy family flees from Nazareth.

During the night of the Holy Family's flight from Nazareth, I saw them passing through various places and resting in a shed before dawn. Towards the evening, when they could go no farther, I saw them stopping at a village called Nazara in the house of people who lived apart and were rather despised. They were not proper Jews, and their religion had something heathen about it. They worshipped in the Temple on Mount Garizim, near Samaria, approached by a difficult mountain path several miles long. [149] They were oppressed by many hard duties, and were obliged to work like slaves at forced labor in the Temple at Jerusalem and other public buildings. These people gave a warm welcome to the Holy Family, who remained there the whole of the following day. On their return from Egypt the Holy Family once more visited these good people, and again when Jesus went to the Temple in His twelfth year and returned thence to Nazareth. [150]

This whole family later received baptism from John and became followers of Jesus. This place is not far from a strange town, high up, the name of which I can no longer remember. I have seen and heard the names of so many towns in this district, among them Legio and Massaloth, between which, I think, Nazara lies. I believe that the town whose situation I thought so strange is called Legio, but it has another name as well. [151]