The New Testament Fifteenth Part The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Golden Gate of the New Testament, and the Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ A) The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Golden Gate of the New Testament Book I Most Holy Anne and Joachim, Parents of the Divine Virgin Mary Chapter I Saint Anne and Saint Joachim 1. Most Holy Anne, mother of the Divine Virgin Mary, was born on the 9th of August in the year 5137, in the village of Sephoris, near the town of Nazareth. Saint Anne was daughter of the Levitical priest Eliud, from the tribe of Levi, and of Ismeria, from the tribe of Benjamin. Ismeria’s father was called Stolanus and her mother Emoroun; both were parents as well of Emerentia and Enoue. Of these three daughters Ismeria was the second. From Eliud’s marriage with Ismeria, besides Saint Anne, who was the second daughter, there were two other daughters: Sobe, who was the eldest, and Maraha, the youngest. Saint Anne, mother of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, was presanctified in her mother’s womb in the fourth month of her conception. Eliud and Ismeria, Saint Anne’s parents, were presanctified shortly before birth. All the other aforementioned blood relations of Saint Anne received the Grace of sanctification during their lives. 2. Most Holy Joachim, father of the Divine Virgin Mary, was born on the 23rd of April in the year 5115, in the village of Sephoris, near the town of Nazareth. Saint Joachim was son of Mathat, from the tribe of Judah, and of Susanna, a descendant of Patriarch Joseph through the tribe of Ephraim. Saint Joachim, father of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, was presanctified in the maternal womb in the fifth month of his conception. His parents Mathat and Susanna were presanctified shortly before birth. 3. Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, at the moment of Presanctification, received the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost in their souls, and by a singular privilege were freed from the impression of the ‘law of evil’ or ‘foment of sin’. As from their Presanctifications, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, among other privileges, also enjoyed the Grace of impeccancy in the most perfect degree. 4. In the year 5161, Most Holy Anne, at twenty-four years of age, married Most Holy Joachim, who was forty-six. Both were Essenian tertiaries. Chapter II Descendants of Saint Anne’s aunt Emerentia, Ismeria’s sister Emerentia married Aphras, and from their union two daughters were born: Elizabeth and Rose. Elizabeth married Zacharias, and from their union was born Saint John the Baptist, Christ’s Precursor. Rose married Cleophas, who after being widowed was to become Most Holy Anne’s second husband. From the marriage between Rose and Cleophas three children were born: Anne Cleophas, Eliud and Mara. Anne Cleophas married Tolome, and from their union was born Nathanael of Cana, Apostle Bartholomew. Eliud, by his first marriage, begot Apostle Philip; after his wife’s death, Eliud contracted marriage with Maroni, known later as the widow of Naim, and from their union was born Martial, the youth raised from the dead by Christ. Mara was mother of Apostle Peter’s wife Carmen; thus Mara was Apostle Peter’s mother-in-law, whom Jesus cured of fever. Book II Joseph Most Holy, Spouse of the Divine Virgin Mary Chapter I Saint Joseph predestined in the Divine Mind to be Head of the Holy Family and Universal Mediator of Grace 1. Joseph Most Holy was predestined from all eternity in the Divine Mind for the most high dignity of Virginal Father of Jesus and Virginal Spouse of Mary, and consequently to be Head of the Holy Family. These incomparable prerogatives, which constitute him member of the August Trinity of Earth, necessarily imply his priestly character, as likewise his Universal Mediation between Mary and all other creatures. 2. Though the ministry of Saint Joseph is, by divine decree, restricted to the work of Reparation and Redemption, nevertheless, this most just Man was taken into account in the work of Universal Creation, since God, considering the dignity that would correspond to Joseph Most Holy, by an ineffable providence, accomplished His works in such a way that all of them together, with the exception of Christ and Mary, would not attain the perfection of him who one day would be His Representative on Earth with respect to His Incarnate Son. 3. After the Redemption of the human race had been decreed in Paradise, although the Divine Joseph was not to exist until millennia later, nevertheless his Universal Mediation was necessary in the anticipated application of the fruits of Calvary; since God, in His inscrutable plans, disposed that the work of Redemption also depend on the will of him who was to be Virginal Spouse of the Mother of the Redeemer, the priestly Fiat of Saint Joseph being an indispensable condition for the Incarnation of the Infinite Victim who was to make Redemption possible. Furthermore, this Most Holy Patriarch exercised his priestly mission on Calvary by delivering up to Saint John the whole finite sacrifice of the Church up till then, thus making possible the anticipated application of the merits of the Cross; that is to say that these merits were applied anticipatively, given that the future delivery of sacrifices by Saint Joseph was foreseen in the divine plans. Chapter II Saint Jacob and Saint Rachel, parents of Joseph Most Holy 1. Saint Joseph’s parents were Jacob and Rachel, both from the tribe of Judah and direct descendants of King David. Jacob was son of Mathan. Jacob and Rachel were presanctified in the maternal womb at their respective moments shortly before birth. 2. Saint Jacob was born in the town of Nazareth, and his wife Saint Rachel in the town of Bethlehem. Once married, the couple went to live in Nazareth; since the first part of the nuptial ceremony was held in Bethlehem, and the second in Nazareth, where the husband lived. Saint Joseph’s parents were Essenian tertiaries, of well-to-do family, and possessed houses and other properties in their respective towns of origin, living for spells in either place. Jacob and Rachel were outstanding models of spouses, eminent for their piety, charity, spirit of sacrifice, austerity of life, conjugal love and, above all, their devotion to God. This holy couple lived for many years without offspring owing to barrenness, for divine providence had disposed that their son Saint Joseph be earnestly besought by prayer. So both spouses prayed intensely for the Most High to grant them the longed-for fruitfulness, and made frequent visits to the Temple of God in Jerusalem for that purpose. Chapter III Joseph Most Holy’s Conception 1. On the 18th of October in the year 5171, in one of their visits to the Temple of God in Jerusalem, when Jacob and his spouse Rachel were at prayer, each in their corresponding courtyard, they were surprised by a most potent light that pervaded their whole being and translated them in vision to the interior of the Sanctum Sanctorum, where they saw a manly figure of most handsome aspect, who shone with dazzling radiance. This Celestial Personage was the Most Divine Soul of Christ, in human form, who displayed in His hands the Chalice containing the Sacrament of the Triple Benediction. To His right stood a feminine figure of inexpressible beauty, who was the Divine Soul of Mary under that human appearance. Both Heavenly Personages were dressed in regal attire of indescribable splendour and majesty, and were escorted by innumerable angels. The Most Divine Soul of Christ first blessed the holy spouses with the mysterious Sacrament. He then placed the Sacred Chalice containing It on the head of Saint Jacob, anointing him king, since by right he was King of the People of Israel, the Chosen People of God. The Divine Personage from Heaven told them that God had heard their entreaties, by which they had become worthy to have a son predestined for lofty mysteries, whose holiness would astonish the heavenly spirits, and whom men would praise forever; that they were to name him Joseph, since the Most High would crown him with the dignity of Father, Spouse and King. At that moment the Soul of Christ, by means of the Triple Benediction, purified the seeds of Jacob and Rachel so that they might conceive their son Joseph free from the guilt of original sin, though not from its stain. Then the light covering the spouses vanished and both found themselves again in the place where they were at prayer. After returning to their home in Bethlehem and having performed the conjugal act, the promise of the vision was fulfilled and Rachel conceived. 2. The conception of Joseph Most Holy took place on the 20th of October in the year 5171. The Triune God, considering the loftiest dignity of Saint Joseph, and by a most singular privilege, excluded this Most Just Man from part of the divine decree of Redemption, he being conceived in the grace of imperfect justice, by virtue of which at no time did he inherit the mortal sin of Adam nor the indwelling of Satan this implies. In this aspect, Saint Joseph is irredeemed, since being conceived in the friendship of God and thus never subject to the infernal enemy, he did not need to be redeemed or ransomed from his malign power. Furthermore, by this exalted prerogative, the Divine Joseph was vinculated to the Mystical Soul of the Church at the very instant of his conception. 3. Notwithstanding, Joseph Most Holy was indeed partly subject to the divine decree of Redemption in that he did inherit in his soul, on being conceived, the stain of original sin, which is the absence of the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost, since the lack of the Divine Paraclete’s light plunges the soul into supernatural obscurity, which is called stain.