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THE CORONATION 205
them not to be disheartened on account of persecutions,
nor to give up preaching Christ crucified and
; they faith
fully continued their preaching in Judea, Samaria and
other provinces. In their labors She comforted and as
sisted them through her holy angels, inspiring them with
courage and bearing them to different localities, when
ever necessary. The latter according to saint Luke, hap
pened to Philip on the way to Gaza, when he baptized
the Aethiopian, the servant of Queen Candace. In order
to assist the faithful in the hour of death, She likewise
and after death She took
was wont to send her angels,
care to assist the souls, who went to purgatory.
209. The cares and labors of the Apostles in this per
secution were much greater than those of the other faith
ful; for as the founders and masters of the Church it
behooved them to extend their solicitude to all as well in
as outside of Jerusalem. Although they were full of
knowledge and of the gifts
of the Holy Ghost, yet the
work was so arduous and the opposition so powerful,
that without the counsel and direction of their Mistress
they would often have felt dejected and oppressed. On
this account they frequently consulted Her, and She
called them to the meetings and conferences which she
arranged for transacting the necessary business. For
She alone fully understood the present affairs and fore
saw clearly those of the future. By her orders they went
forth to attend upon matters wherever necessary outside
of Jerusalem, as when saint Peter and saint John went
to Samaria on hearing that it had accepted the word of
God (Acts 8, 14). Amid all these occupations of her own
and the tribulations of the faithful, whom She loved as
her children, the great Lady retained all the serenity and
tranquil peace of her spirit, without falling away in the
least point from utmost perfection.
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