and he said nothing more except that he praised God who in so many ways giveth to the men that love Him, when He is besought. Then she spake again: ' Now, Zosimus, abide, as I said before, in thy minster; for verily, though thou shouldst desire to come hither sooner, thou mayest not. Then on the holy eve of the holy festival, that is to say, on the holy Thursday before the Lord's Easter-day, put into a sacred vessel a certain portion of the divine Body and of the life-giving blood, and bring it with thee, and wait for me on the side of Jordan pertaining to the world, until I come to thee to receive the quickening mysteries. "Verily, since I partook of the Lord's Body and Blood in the church of His holy forerunner, before I crossed over Jordan, I have never since enjoyed or tasted the holy elements; wherefore I pray thee not to despise my request, but bring me at any rate the divine and life-giving mysteries at the hour when the Saviour distributed to His disciples the divine feast. Tell also John, the abbot of the minster in which thou art, diligently to take heed to himself and to his flock also, because that there are some customs there for him to set right and to improve. But I desire that thou wilt not tell him these things at this present time, before God bid thee.' Thus saying, she also asked the old man for a prayer, and quickly hastened to the inner part of the wilderness. Then Zosimus prostrated himself on the ground, kissing the spot on which her feet had stood, praising God, and giving many thanks; and so returned, praising and blessing our Lord Jesus Christ. And he returned by the very same path through the wilderness whereby he had before come thither, and came to the minster at the very same hour, at which it was their custom of Easter to assemble together. All that year he was diligently silent about the vision, [not] daring to say any of the least things which he saw there, but continually and earnestly prayed to God in private, that He would again shew him the desired presence. With manifold sighs he awaited the slowness of the year's circuit. When the holy season of the Lenten fast arrived, on the Lord's day which we call the Holy-Day[1],
- ↑ It means — the first Sunday in Lent.
