The coming of the Holy Spirit. End of the messianic cycle.
There are no voices or noises in the house of the Cenacle. Nor are there any disciples (at least, I hear nothing that authorizes me to say that people are gathered in other rooms of the house). Only the presence and the voice of the Twelve and of the Blessed Virgin Mary are noted (gathered in the dining room).
The room seems larger because the furniture and belongings are arranged differently and leave the entire center of the room free, as well as two of the walls. The large table that was used for the Supper has been moved to the third wall. Between the table and the wall, and also on the two narrower sides of the table, are the triclinia used in the Supper and the stool used by Jesus for the washing of the feet. But these triclinia are not placed vertically with respect to the table,
as for the Supper, but parallel, so that the apostles can sit without occupying them all, even leaving one free, the only one vertical with respect to the table, only for the Blessed Virgin, who is in the center, in the place that Jesus occupied at the Supper.
There is no table linen or crockery on the table; it is bare, and the sideboards and walls are bare. The lamp does, the lamp shines in the center, although only with the central flame lit, because the ring of flames that make up the corolla of this picturesque lamp is extinguished.
The windows are closed and locked with the sturdy iron bar that crosses them. But a ray of sun filters, burning through a small hole and descends like a long, thin needle to the ground, where it puts a small ring of sun.
The Virgin, sitting alone in her seat, has Peter and John at her sides, in the triclinia (on the right, Peter; on the left, John). Matthias, the new apostle, is between James of Alphaeus and Jude Thaddaeus. The Virgin has in front of her a wide, low ark of dark wood, closed. Mary is dressed in dark blue. Her hair is covered by a white veil, in turn covered by the end of her mantle. All the others have their heads uncovered.
Mary reads attentively aloud. But, due to the little light that reaches her, I believe that rather than reading she repeats from memory the words written on the scroll she has open. The others follow her in silence, meditating. From time to time they respond, if that is the case.
Mary's face appears transfigured by an ecstatic smile. What will she be seeing, that has the ability to light up her eyes like two clear stars, and to blush her ivory cheeks, as if a pink flame were reflected in Her?!: it is, truly, the mystical Rose...
The apostles lean forward a little, and remain slightly sideways, to see Mary's face while she smiles and reads so sweetly (and her voice seems like an angel's song). It causes Peter so much emotion that two big tears fall from his eyes and, through a path of wrinkles carved on the sides of his nose, descend to get lost in the mass of his graying beard.
But John reflects the virginal smile and is ignited like Her with love, while he follows with his gaze what the Virgin reads, and, when she brings him a new scroll, he looks at her and smiles at her.
The reading is over. Mary's voice ceases. The rustle produced by unrolling or rolling up the parchments ceases.
Mary gathers herself in a secret prayer, joining her hands on her chest and resting her head on the ark. The apostles
imitate her...
A very loud and harmonious noise, with the sound of wind and harp, with the sound of human song and the voice of a perfect organ, suddenly resounds in the silence of the morning. It approaches, increasingly harmonious and strong, and fills the Earth with its vibrations, propagates them to the house and imprints them on it, on the walls, on the furniture, on the objects. The flame of the
lamp, until now motionless in the peace of the closed room, vibrates as if struck by the wind, and the thin chains of the
lamp tinkle, vibrating with the wave of supernatural sound that strikes them.
The apostles, frightened, raise their heads; and, as that most beautiful roar, which contains the most beautiful notes of the
Heavens and the Earth coming from the hand of God, gets closer and closer, some get up, prepared to flee; others huddle on the ground, covering their heads with their hands and their mantle, or beating their chests asking the Lord for forgiveness;
others, too frightened to maintain that composure that they always have with respect to the Most Pure, approach Mary.
The only one who is not frightened is John, and that is because he sees the luminous peace of joy that is accentuated on Mary's face, who raises her head and smiles at something that only She knows and then kneels, opening her arms, and the two blue wings of her mantle thus opened extend over Peter and John, who, like Her, have knelt.
But, everything that I have taken minutes to describe has been verified in less than a minute.
And then comes the Light, the Fire, the Holy Spirit, with a final melodic roar, in the form of a most luminous, most ardent globe; it enters this closed room, without any door or window moving; and remains suspended for a moment over Mary's head, about three spans from her head (which is now uncovered, because Mary, upon seeing the Paraclete Fire, has raised her arms as if to invoke it and has thrown her head back, emitting a cry of joy, with a smile of limitless love). And, after that moment in which all the Fire of the Holy Spirit, all the Love, is gathered over
his Spouse, the Most Holy Globe splits into thirteen singing and most luminous flames - its light cannot be described with any earthly comparison -, and descends and kisses the forehead of each of the apostles.
But the flame that descends on Mary is not a tongue of vertical flame on kissed foreheads: it is a crown that embraces and haloes the virginal head, crowning Queen the Daughter, the Mother, the Spouse of God, the incorruptible Virgin, the Full of Beauty, the eternal Beloved and the eternal Child; for nothing can tarnish, and in nothing, She to whom sorrow had aged, but who has risen in the joy of the Resurrection and has in common with her Son an accentuation of the beauty and freshness of her body, of her glances, of her vitality... already enjoying an anticipation of the beauty of her glorious Body
raised to Heaven to be the flower of Paradise.
The Holy Spirit scintillates its flames around the head of the Beloved. What words will He say to her? Mystery! The blessed face appears transfigured with supernatural joy and smiles with the smile of the seraphim, while beatific tears roll down the cheeks of the Blessed, which, affecting them with the Light of the Holy Spirit, seem like diamonds.
The Fire remains like this for a time... Then it dissipates... Of its coming remains, as a memory, a fragrance that no
earthly flower can emanate... it is the perfume of Paradise...
The apostles come to their senses... Mary remains in her ecstasy. She gathers her arms on her chest, closes her eyes, lowers her head... nothing more... she continues her dialogue with God... insensitive to everything... And no one dares to interrupt her.
John, pointing to her, says:
-She is the altar, and the Glory of the Lord has rested on her glory...
-Yes, let us not disturb her joy. Let us, rather, go and preach the Lord so that his works and words may be made manifest among the peoples - says Peter with supernatural impulsiveness.
-Let's go! Let's go! The Spirit of God burns in me - says James of Alphaeus.
-And it impels us to act. To all. Let's evangelize the people.
They leave as if pushed by a wave of wind or as if attracted by a vigorous force.