(While the child Jesus is living with his parents in Egypt, the child
John wanders through the desert with his mother Elizabeth)
After five years the pious and blessed old mother
Elizabeth passed away, and the holy John sat weeping over her, as he did
not know how to shroud her and bury her, because on the day of her death
he was only seven years and six months old. And Herod also died the
same day as the blessed Elizabeth.
The Lord Jesus Christ who with his eyes sees heaven
and earth saw his kinsman John sitting and weeping near his mother, and
he also began to weep for a long time, without anyone knowing the cause
of his weeping. When the mother of Jesus saw him weeping, she said
to him: "Why are you weeping? Did the old man Joseph or any other one chide
you?" And the mouth that was full of life answered: "No, O my mother,
the real reason is that your kinswoman, the old Elizabeth, has left
my beloved John an orphan. He is now weeping over her body which is lying
in the mountain."
When the Virgin heard this she began to weep over
her kinswoman, and Jesus said to her: "Do not weep, O my Virgin mother,
you will see her in this very hour." And while he was still speaking with
his mother, behold a luminous cloud came down and placed itself between
them. And Jesus said: "Call Salome and let us take her with us." And they
mounted the cloud which flew with them to the wilderness of ‘Ain Karem
and to the spot where lay the body of the blessed Elizabeth, and where
the holy John was sitting.
The Saviour said then to the cloud: "Leave us here
at this side of the spot." And it immediately went, reached that
spot, and departed. Its noise, however, reached the ears of Mar*
John, who, seized with fear, left the body of his mother. A voice reached
him immediately and said to him: "Do not be afraid. O John. I am Jesus
Christ, your master. I am your kinsman Jesus, and I came to you with my
beloved mother in order to attend to the business of the burial of the
blessed Elizabeth, your happy mother, because she is my mother's kinswoman."
When the blessed and holy John heard this, he turned back, and Christ the
Lord and his virgin mother embraced him. Then the Saviour said to
his virgin mother: "Arise, you and Salome, and wash the body." And
they washed the body of the blessed Elizabeth in the spring from which
she used to draw water for herself and her son. The the holy virgin
Mart* Mary got hold of the blessed (John) and wept over him, and cursed
Herod on account of the numerous crimes which he had committed. Then
Michael and Gabriel came down from heaven and dug a grave; and the Saviour
said to them: "Go and bring the soul of Zacharias, and the soul of the
priest Simeon, in order that they may sing while you bury the body."
And Michael brought immediately the souls of Zacharias and Simeon who shrouded
the body of Elizabeth and sang for a long time over it ....
And Jesus Christ and his mother stayed near the
blessed and the holy John seven days, and condoled with him at the death
of his mother, and taught him how to live in the desert. And
the day of the death of the blessed Elizabeth was the 15th of February.
Then Jesus Christ said to his mother: "Let us now
go to the place where I may proceed with my work." The Virgin Mary wept
immediately over the loneliness of John, who was very young, and said:
"We will take him with us, since he is an orphan without anyone." But Jesus
said to her: "This is not the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
He shall remain in the wilderness till the day of his showing unto Israel.
Instead of a desert full of wild beasts, he will walk in a desert full
of angels and prophets, as if they were multitudes of people. Here
also is Gabriel, the head of the angels, whom I have appointed to protect
him and to grant to him power from heaven. Further, I shall render the
water of the spring of water as sweet and delicious to him as the milk
he sucked from his mother. Who took care of him in his childhood? Is it
not I, O my mother, who love him more than all the world? Zacharias also
loved him, and I have ordered him to come and inquire after him, because
although his body is buried in the earth, his soul is alive...."
These words the Christ our Lord spoke to his mother,
while John was in the desert. And they mounted the cloud, and John
looked at them and wept, and Mart Mary wept also bitterly over him, saying:
"Woe is me, O John, because you are alone in the desert without anyone.
Where is Zacharias, your father, and where is Elizabeth, your mother?
Let them come and weep with me today."
And Jesus Christ said to her: "Do not weep over
this child, O my mother. I shall not forget him." And while he was
uttering these words, behold the clouds lifted them up and brought them
to Nazareth. And he fulfilled there everything pertaining to humanity
except
sin.
(Translation of A. Mingana in BJRL, Manchester,
11, 1927, pp. 446-449)
*Mar = "Saint"
*Mart = feminine form of "Saint"