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The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
25. TRAIN TO MATAREA. AN IDOL FALLS AT THE FAMILY'S PASSING
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After staying in Heliopolis for a year and a half, until Jesus was
about two years old, the Holy Family left the city because of lack of
work and various persecutions. They moved southwards in the direction
of Memphis. When they passed through a small town not far from
Heliopolis and sat down to rest in the open porch of a heathen temple,
the idol fell down and broke in pieces. (It had the head of an ox with
three horns, and there were holes in its body in which sacrifices were
placed to be burnt.) This caused an uproar amongst the heathen priests,
who seized and threatened the Holy Family. As the priests were
consulting together, one of them said that for his part he thought it
wise to commend themselves to the God of these people, reminding them
of the plagues that had befallen their ancestors when they persecuted
the Israelites, and how in the night before their exodus the firstborn
had died in every Egyptian house. They followed his advice and
dismissed the Holy Family unmolested.
They made their way to Troja, a place on the east bank of the Nile,
opposite Memphis. It was a big town, but filthy. They thought of
staying here, but were not taken in; indeed, they could not even obtain
the drink of water or the few dates for which they asked. Memphis was
on the west bank of the Nile, which was here very broad, with islands.
Part of the city was on the east bank, and here in the time of Pharaoh
was a great palace with gardens and a high tower, to the top of which
Pharaoh's daughter used often to ascend to survey the country round. I
saw the place where the child Moses was found among the tall rushes.
Memphis was composed as it were of three different towns, one on each
side of the Nile, and another called Babylon which seemed to belong to
it. This was farther downstream on the east bank. Indeed, in Pharaoh's
time the whole region round the Nile between Heliopolis, Babylon, and
Memphis was so covered with canals, buildings, and stone embankments
that it all seemed to form one uninterrupted city. Now, at the time of
the Holy Family's visit, it had all become separated with great waste
spaces between. From Troja they went northwards down-stream towards
Babylon, which was ill-built, dirty, and desolate. They skirted this
city between it and the Nile, and retraced their steps for some
distance. They went down-stream, following an embankment along which
Jesus traveled later, when He journeyed through Arabia to Egypt after
the raising of Lazarus before meeting His disciples again at Jacob's
Well at Sychar. They traveled down-stream for some two hours; there
were ruined buildings at intervals all along their path. They had to
cross a small arm of the river or canal, and came to a place whose name
as it was at that time I cannot remember; afterwards it was called
Matarea, and was near Heliopolis. [169] This place, which lay on a
promontory surrounded by water on two sides, was very desolate. Its
scattered buildings were mostly very badly made of palm wood and thick
mud, roofed with reeds. Joseph found much work here in strengthening
the houses with wattles and building galleries onto them.
In this town the Holy Family lived in a dark vaulted room in a lonely
quarter at the landward side of the town, not far from the gate by
which they had entered. As before, Joseph built a room in front of the
vaulted one. Here, too, when they arrived, an idol fell down in a small
temple, and afterwards all the idols fell. Here, too, a priest pacified
the people by reminding them of the plagues of Egypt. Later, when a
little congregation of Jews and converted heathen had gathered round
the Holy Family, the priests handed over to them the little temple
where the idol had fallen, and Joseph arranged it as a synagogue. He
became, as it were, the father of the congregation, and introduced the
proper singing of the psalms, for their previous services had been very
disorderly. There were only a few very poor Jews living here in
wretched holes and ditches, though in the Jewish town between On and
the Nile there were many Jews and they had a regular temple there. They
had, however, fallen into dreadful idolatry; they had a golden calf, a
figure with an ox's head surrounded by little figures of animals like
pole-cats or ferrets with little canopies over them. These were animals
which protected people against crocodiles. They also had an imitation
Ark of the Covenant, with horrible things in it. They carried on a
revolting idolatrous worship, which consisted of immoral practices
performed in a subterranean passage and supposed to bring about the
coming of the Messiah. They were very obstinate and refused to amend
their lives. Afterwards many of them left this place and came to where
the Holy Family lived, not more than two hours' journey away. Owing to
the many dykes and canals, they could not travel direct but had to make
a detour round On.
The Jews in the land of Gessen had already become acquainted with the
Holy Family in the city of On, and Mary had done much work for them
knitting, weaving, and sewing. She would never work at things which
were superfluous or mere luxuries, only at what was necessary and at
praying garments. I saw women bringing her work to do which they
wanted, from vanity, to be made in a fashionable style; and I saw Mary
giving back the work, however much she needed the money. I saw, too,
that the women insulted her vilely.
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