here was her son
consecrating such deeds of kindness till they became a covenant between
her and Him, a bond of memory for mother and child when parted from
each other. Now that He had appealed to her love, she did not feel so
lonely; she felt once more at one with Him, and had a sort of
presentiment that in future times her bleeding mother's heart would be
satisfied beyond measure.

Once again Jesus went through His native land to see if the seed of His
teaching had sprung up anywhere. But the earth was barren. He was not
so much troubled by the passionate enmity with which many regarded Him,
or the angry murmurings against Him and His word, as by indolence of
mind, by obstinate, stupid adherence to commonplace inanities, by
entire lack of perception, by indifference towards spiritual life. At
first the novelty and strangeness of His appearance had compelled
attention, but that was over. Whether the Prophet was old or new, it
was all one to them. One was just like another, they declared, and
they remained indifferent. "The hot and the cold," Jesus exclaimed one
day, "I can accept, but those who are lukewarm I cast from Me. Had I
preached in heathen lands, or in the ruined seaports of Tyre and Sidon,
they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. Had I taught in Sodom
and Gomorrah, those towns would still be standing. But these places
here in Galilee are sunk in a quagmire of shame; they scorn their
Prophet. When the day of reckoning comes, it will go worse with this
land than with those towns. My poor Bethsaida, and thou, fair Magdala!
And thou, Capernaum the beautiful! How I loved you, My people, how
highly did I honour you; I desired to lift you to Heaven. And now you
sink in the abyss. Pray to him, your Mammon, in the days of your need;
there will be no other consolation for you. Carouse, laugh, and be
cruel to-day; to-morrow you will be hungry and you will groan: Ah, we
have delayed too long! Believe me a day will come when you fain would
justify your lives to Me, crying: 'Lord, we would willingly have given
you food, drink, and lodging, but you did not come to us.' But I did
come to you. I came in the starving, the thirsty, the homeless, only
you would not recognise Me. I will not accuse you to the Heavenly
Father, but Moses, whose commandments you have broken, will accuse you.
And when you appeal to the Father, He will say: 'I know you not.'"

The disciples trembled and were terrified in mi