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 HEN MARY HAD CARESSED the little Child for a while, she asked Him quite fearfully,
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'My Jesus, will You really love me, Your handmaiden, as much in return as Your handmaiden will eternally love You?'
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And the little Child smiled at Mary in a most friendly way and answered,
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'Now that was indeed a frail human question!
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If I did not love you more than you love Me, verily, verily, what would you be?
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'Behold, if you loved Me with the fire of all the suns, your love would still be nothing against that love of Mine with which I love even the most wicked human being in My anger.
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And My anger is in itself more love than your greatest love.
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What all the more then is My actual love which I have for you?
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How indeed would I ever have chosen you as the one to give Me birth if I had not loved you - more than eternity will ever comprehend?
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See, how humanly frail your question is! - Now I say to you: Go and bring Tullia -
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for I have some very important matters to discuss with her.'
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Here Mary quickly obeyed and brought the wife of Cyrenius.
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When Tullia quite fearfully stepped into the side chamber where the little Child sat up and addressed Tullia as follows,
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'Tullia, whom I have recalled to life, listen! Once there was a great king who was single and full of manly grace and filled with divine wisdom.
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This king said to himself: I will go and seek me a wife in a strange land where no one knows me-
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for I want to take a wife for my own sake, and the woman shall love me because I am a wise man, but not because I am a great king!
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'Thereupon he departed from his kingdom into a faraway, strange land and came into a city where he soon became acquainted with a house.
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The daughter of the house was chosen and she was filled with joy, for she soon recognized the great wisdom of her suitor.
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'And the king thought: Now you do indeed love me because you see me, and my form and my wisdom captivate you -
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but I want to see whether you really love me! Therefore I shall disguise myself as a beggar and bother you thus from time to time.
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But you shall not know nor have reason to suspect that I am incognito in the beggar.
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The beggar, to be sure, shall carry a token of me as if he were my intimate friend, but otherwise poor in this alien land like his friend.
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And it then shall become manifest whether this daughter really loves me! -
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'And as the great king had thought the matter through, so also did he promptly carry it out.
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After a while, since the king had seemingly gone on a journey, the beggar came to the daughter and said to her:
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Dear daughter of this wealthy house, see, I am very poor and know that you possess great riches!
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I sat at the gate as your glorious betrothed went on a journey, and asked him for a charity.
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Thereat he stopped and said: Friend, I have nothing here that I could give you except this keepsake from my betrothed who is very rich.
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Go to her soon and show this to her in my name, and she will give you what you have need of as surely as she would give it to me.
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And when I shall speedily return, I shall make everything good to her a thousand-fold!
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'When the daughter heard this, she was full of joy and imparted to the beggar.
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Thereat the beggar left and returned in a few days and had himself announced to the daughter.
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The daughter sent him word to call another time, since she now had company.
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The beggar came another time and had himself announced.
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There it was said: The daughter has gone out with a few friends. And the beggar sadly turned back.
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'As he, while leaving, came to the house door, he was encountered by the daughter in the midst of her friends, but she hardly paid any attention to him.
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The beggar of course inquired: Dear betrothed of my friend, how can you love him when you do not hear his friend?
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But the daughter replied: I want amusement - when your friend returns, I shall no doubt love him again.
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'Thereupon the beggar again went to the daughter the following day and found her full of gayety; for she had a very lively company.
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And the beggar asked her: Do you really love your betrothed - and are so gay, since he is away in matters concerning you?
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At this the daughter conveyed the beggar outside and retorted: That is asking too much! Is it not enough if I love him when he is here? Why should I also love him in his absence? Who knows whether he loves me?
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'Here the beggar tore his outer garment, threw it from him and declared to the astonished daughter:
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See, he who was on a journey was always here to observe your love!
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But you hardly thought of him, and he who showed you the token of your oath was rejected and ridiculed, since the company of the world suited you better.
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And behold, the same is none other than he who now stands before you, and is that great king to whom all the world belongs!
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And the same now gives back to you a thousand-fold what you gave him - but to you he turns his back forever and you shall never see his face!
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'Tullia! Do you know this King and this Beggar? See, it is I, and you are the daughter! In the world you shall be happy -
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but this parable tells you what will be afterwards.
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I gave you life and great happiness, and you are capable of forgetting Me?
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Oh you blind-born Romaness! I gave you light, and you did not recognize Me.
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I gave you a husband from the heavens, and you wanted to take that part of his love which belonged to Me for yourself.
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'Thereat you died - I have reawakened you, for which you accepted the homage of the world and paid no attention to Me.
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And now that I had you called, you quake before Me like an adulteress.
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Tell Me, just what shall I do with you?
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Shall I continue to beg before your door?
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No, that I shall not do, but I shall give you your portion, and then we shall be quits!' -
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These words filled the entire house of Joseph with dread.
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Hereupon the little Child requested to go out into the open with no one but His James and did not return until late in the evening.
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