THE BEGINNINGS OF THE GOSPELS WRITTEN BY THE EVANGELISTS; THE

PART WHICH THE MOST BLESSED MARY HAD IN THEIR COMPOSITION

I have described, as far as I was permitted, the exalted state of the great Queen and Lady
after the first council of the Apostles, and also her victories over the infernal dragon and
his demons. Although the wonderful works which She accomplished during these times
and at all times, cannot be recorded in a history, nor even summed up, I was nevertheless
given special light for the purpose of describing the beginnings of the Gospels and the
call of the Evangelists to undertake their writing, the part which Mary bore in their being
written, her solicitous care for the absent Apostles, and the miracles She wrought for
them. In the second part, and on many occasions I have stated, that the heavenly Mother
had a positive knowledge of all the mysteries of grace, of the Gospels and other holy
writings, which were to serve for the confirmation of the new Law. In this knowledge
She was confirmed many times, especially on the day of her ascension with her divine
Son into heaven. From that day on, without forgetting anything, She often prostrated
Herself in prayer before the Lord, asking Him to send his divine light upon the Apostles
and holy writers and to order them to write, when the opportune time should have come.

Afterwards, when the Queen returned from heaven and was put in charge of the Church
(as related in the sixth chapter of this book), the Lord made known to Her that the time
for beginning to write the holy Gospels had arrived and that She should make her
arrangements for this purpose as the Mistress and Instructress of the Church. But in her
profound humility and discretion She obtained the consent of the Lord, that this should be
attended to by saint Peter, his vicar and the head of the Church; and that he should be
specially assisted by divine enlightenment for a matter of such importance. All this was
granted by the Most High ; and when the Apostles met in the council mentioned by saint
Luke in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts, after they had settled the doubts about
circumcision, as I described in the sixth chapter, saint Peter proposed to them all the
necessity of recording in writing the mysteries of the life of Christ our Savior and
Teacher, so that they might be preached to all the faithful in the Church without variation
or difference, thus doing away with the old Law and establish the new.

Saint Peter had already consulted with the Mother of wisdom; and all the council having
approved of his proposal, they called upon the Holy Ghost to point out the Apostles and
disciples who should write the life of the Savior. Immediately a light was seen
descending upon saint Peter and a voice was heard saying: “The highpriest and head of
the Church shall assign four for recording the works and the teachings of the Savior of
the world” Saint Peter and all present prostrated themselves, giving thanks to the Lord for
this favor. When all of them had again risen, saint Peter spoke: “Matthew, our beloved
brother, shall immediately begin to write his Gospel in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Ghost. Mark shall be the second, who shall likewise write the Gospel in the
name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Luke shall write the third, in the name of
the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Our most beloved brother John shall be the
fourth and last to write the mysteries of our Savior and Teacher in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost.” This decision the Lord confirmed by permitting the
heavenly light to remain until these words were repeated and formally accepted by all
those appointed.

Within a few days saint Matthew set about writing the first Gospel. While praying in a
retired room of the Cenacle and asking to be enlightened for the inception of his history,
the most blessed Mary appeared to him seated on a throne of great majesty and splendor,
the doors of the room still remaining closed. The great Lady told him to arise, which he
did, asking for her benediction. Then She spoke to him and said: “Matthew, my servant,
the Almighty sends me with his blessing, in order that with it thou begin the writing of
the Gospel which thou hast the good fortune to be entrusted with. In this thou shalt have
the assistance of the Holy Ghost and I shall beg it for thee with all my heart. But
concerning myself it is not proper, that thou write anything except what is absolutely
necessary for manifesting the Incarnation and other mysteries of the Word made man,
and for establishing his faith in the world as the foundation of his Church. This faith
being established, the Almighty will find other persons, who, when the times arrive in
which it shall become necessary, shall reveal to the faithful the mysteries and blessings
wrought by his powerful arm in me.” Saint Matthew signified his willingness to obey the
mandate of the Queen ; and while he conferred with Her about composing his Gospel, the
Holy Ghost came down upon him in visible form; and in the presence of the Lady He
began to write the words as they are still extant in his Gospel. The blessed Mary then left
him and saint Matthew proceeded in his history, finishing it in Judea. He wrote it in the
Hebrew language in the year forty-two of our Lord.

The Evangelist Mark wrote his gospel four years later, in the forty-sixth year after the
birth of Christ. He likewise wrote it in Hebrew and while in Palestine. Before
commencing he asked his guardian angel to notify the Queen of heaven of his intention
and to implore her assistance for obtaining the divine enlightenment for what he was
about to write. The kind Mother heard his prayer and immediately the Lord commanded
the angels to carry Her with the usual splendor and ceremony to the Evangelist, who was
still in prayer. The great Queen appeared to him seated on a most beautiful and
resplendent throne. Prostrating himself before Her, he said: “Mother of the Savior of the
world and Mistress of all creation, I am unworthy of this favor, though I am a servant of
thy divine Son and of Thyself.” The heavenly Mother answered: “The Most High, whom
thou servest and lovest, sends me to assure thee, that thy prayers are heard and that his
holy Spirit shall direct thee in the writing of the Gospel, with which He has charged
thee.” Then She told him not to write of the mysteries pertaining to Her, just as She had
asked of saint Matthew. Immediately the Holy Ghost, in visible and most refulgent shape,
descended upon saint Mark, enveloping him in light and filling him with interior
enlightenment; and in the presence of the Queen he began to write his Gospel. At that
time the Princess of heaven was sixty-one years of age. Saint Jerome says, that saint
Mark wrote his short Gospel in Rome, at the instance of the faithful residing there; but I
wish to call attention to the fact, that this was a translation or copy of the one he had
written in Palestine; for the Christians in Rome possessed neither his nor any other
Gospel, and therefore he set about writing one in the Roman or Latin language.
Two years afterwards, in the year forty-eight and of the Virgin the sixty-third, saint Luke
wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. To him also, as to the others, Mary appeared
when he was about to begin it. Having represented to the heavenly Mother, that, in order
to manifest the Incarnation and life of her divine Son, it was necessary to touch upon the
manner of the actual conception of the Word made man and upon other things concerning
her dignity as the natural Mother of Christ, and having received orders from Her to pass
over in silence the other mysteries and wonders connected with her dignity as Mother of
God, saint Luke obtained her permission to write somewhat more freely of the heavenly
Mary in his Gospel. The Holy Ghost descended upon him and in the presence of the great
Queen he began to write his Gospel, drawing his information principally from direct
inspiration of her Majesty. Saint Luke continued a most devoted servant of the Lady and
never permitted the image of the sweetest Mother seated on the throne of majesty, as he
had seen Her on this occasion, to be effaced from his mind. Thenceforward he lived
continually in her presence. Saint Luke was in Achaia, when this apparition happened to
him, and there also he wrote his Gospel.

The last of the four Evangelists who wrote the Gospels, was the apostle saint John in the
year fifty-eight of the Lord. He wrote his in the Greek language, during his stay in Asia
Minor after the glorious transition and assumption of the most blessed Mary. His Gospel
was directed against the heresies and errors, which, (as indicated above), the devil
immediately after the transition of the Virgin Mother began to sow for undermining the
faith in the Incarnation of the divine Word. For as Lucifer had been humiliated and
vanquished by this mystery, he at once directed the onslaught of heresy against it. For
this reason the evangelist saint John writes so sublimely and adduces so many arguments
for the true and undoubted Divinity of Christ our Savior, far surpassing the other
Evangelists in this regard.

Although when the Evangelist was about to begin his Gospel the most blessed Mary was
already in heaven, She descended in person, resplendent with ineffable glory and majesty
and surrounded by thousands of angels of all choirs and hierarchies. Appearing to saint
John She said: “John, my son and servant of the Most High, now is the proper time for
writing the life and mysteries of my divine Son, so that all mortals may know Him as the
Son of the eternal Father, as true God and at the same time as true man. But it is not yet
the opportune time for recording the mysteries and secrets which thou knowest of me; nor
shall they as yet be manifested to a world so accustomed to idolatry, lest Lucifer abuse
them for disturbing those who are to receive the faith in their Redeemer and in the
blessed Trinity. The Holy Ghost will assist thee and I desire thee to begin writing in my
presence.” The Evangelist worshipped the great Queen of heaven and was filled with the
divine Spirit as the others had been. Assisted by the kind Mother, he immediately set
about writing his Gospel. Before She departed to the right hand of her divine Son, She
gave him her benediction and promised him her protection for all the rest of his life. Such
were the beginnings of the sacred Gospels, all of them having been commenced with the
assistance and by the intervention of the most blessed Mary, giving the Church to
understand, that all these benefits have been vouchsafed at her hands. After having thus
anticipated the history of the Evangelists, in order to account for the beginnings of the
Gospels, we shall now return to our narrative.