The Jewish Passover was nigh. The Messiah was at the table with eleven of His disciples; Judas had already taken his leave. The Mother of Jesus together with some holy woman who had never abandoned the Lord were seated close by.
The Last Supper was over. Our Lord made a sign to the Apostles to wait a moment. He wanted to bid Mary Most Holy farewell.
“My Mother, the great moment has come! I go to do the will of my Father, but, once again, I ask for your consent.”
Her eyes filled with tears, but with an unwavering Heart, Our Lady replied:
“Go, my Son. Accomplish the Redemption of humanity!”
As He looked upon His Mother, the Saviour became deeply moved. The two embraced with overflowing love, and at this moment of poignant farewell, they wept.
“God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Rv 7:17). These tear drops, more precious than diamonds, could not fall to the earth where the worst of sins would be committed, the deicide. Therefore, the Eternal Father called one of the mightiest of the Angels, handed him a chalice and commanded:
“Go and gather up the tears flowing from the eyes of Jesus and Mary.”
The heavenly spirit swiftly departed and soon returned with the precious liquid, saying:
“Thy servant has fulfilled Thy orders, almighty Lord.”
Then God the Father solemnly responded:
“Human sorrows are to be united to those of the Passion of my Divine Son. The separation from loved ones is one of man’s heaviest trials. It shall therefore be your mission to gather the tears they weep with resignation and love for my divine designs. But do not accept the tears that fall with bitterness.”
Filled with awe for God’s plans, the Angel retired from His presence to fulfil the divine orders. With a spirit of service and utmost diligence, he lost no opportunity to fill the chalice.
One of the most important days of his mission was the Assumption of the Immaculate Virgen into Heaven. There She lay, seemingly in a deep sleep, while St. John the Evangelist kept vigil. Gradually, the other Apostles began to arrive to take their leave of their Mother who had sustained the faith of the newly-founded Church. Seeing Her so still and serene, they understood that the moment of physical separation was nigh. Some sobbed quietly, and, finally, everyone was shedding abundant tears. Despite their suffering, they were at peace.
The Angel gathered their tears with profound contentment.
On another occasion, he watched a unique scene unfold. St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was about to enter the arena and be devoured by wild beasts. Some of his followers were among the spectators to witness this final moment. One young man who had been converted by the holy prelate could not stifle his tears. He thought to himself: “How will we get on now without the help of Ignatius? Why did God allow this tragedy?”
The Angel was at his side. Perceiving his inward struggle, he inspired the youth with words of comfort and strength, but he rejected them, preferring to wallow in his sadness. For this reason, his tears could not be added to the chalice and the Angel spirit departed.
The centuries coursed along as he remained at his post. The Angel once flew to Montecasino, Italy. He came upon a group of people shedding floods of tears. Why? A married couple from Roman high society was placing their son in the care of St. Benedict. The lad had finished his studies and a promising future awaited him. But he felt drawn to religious life, which was something still new in the Church, and nothing or no one could deter him from his ideal.
His parents were good Christians, but even so, the decision of their firstborn was hard for them. However, placing their hopes on heavenly things, they permitted him to enter the monastery.
The venerable abbot comforted them: “Rejoice; you will have a great reward for the offering you make.” Father and mother bowed their heads and wept, bidding farewell to their son whom they would only see again in Paradise. The Angel gathered the tears of these good parents into the chalice.
A few more centuries went by. In a room lay the gravely ill father of three children, the oldest of whom was a boy of four. His wife prayed for a miracle. But Divine Providence had other plans, and a few days later He called the man from this life into the next.
The woman refused to resign herself: “Our marriage was too short, and now I am a widow with young children! We always fulfilled the Law of God; what did I ever do to deserve the tragedy of losing my husband?” Her tears flowed in torrents down her embittered face, but they all ran down to the ground, for inconformity with the divine will made them unworthy of falling into the chalice.
The heavenly spirit witnessed another episode. Two blood brothers had joined the crusades, dedicating their lives to fighting for the Redeemer. The bugle summoned the troops for a last-minute briefing:
“We leave for the Holy Land! The Holy Sepulchre of Christ is in danger. Make haste, warriors for we depart today!”
Following this, the commander spoke stirring words of encouragement to those souls ablaze with courage, and finally he gave some practical instructions:
“The troops will be divided into three battalions. The first will follow the path to the north, then turning to enter the city at the eastern side; the second will take the southern route, crossing Macedonia; the third will go by the Mediterranean Sea, land at Gaza, and head to Jerusalem.”
The two brothers would be separated; one would march northward and the other would go by sea. Knowing that they might never see each other again, they bid each other farewell with a manly spirit, yet feeling the pain of the separation. As the journey began, both wept, begging the Queen of Victories for the courage to never abandon the field of battle.
The Angel brought the vessel close to their faces and the tears of both streamed into it.
Yet more centuries passed, and the end of the world arrived. Moments before the trumpet sounded the resurrection of the dead, God the Father called His angelic servant.
“Where is the chalice?”
“Here it is Lord,” the Angel replied. “It contains all the tears shed with resignation and with love of Thee.”
God took the vessel and looked upon it with pleasure. Then He tipped the chalice, spilling the liquid, which became a roaring river in Empyrean Heaven. Its waters were clean, bright, pure and fragrant, a symbol of the reward reserved for those who faithfully accept the trial of separation from loved ones. The joy of remaining with God forever and ever will far surpass the sorrow they experienced on earth.
Therefore, let not the perspective of separation disturb us. If we unite our sufferings with those of Jesus and Mary, we will have sweet and everlasting joy in eternal glory! ◊
