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The Snake; The Nun's Prayer; The Palm in the Desert · Legends of the Saints

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  Section sixteen of Legends of the Saints by Mary Seymour. This LibriVox recording is
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  in the public domain. Read by Marie Christian. Legend of the Snake.
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  In olden times, those far off times, when the sweet infant Jesus was
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  dwelling in the world, a group of merry children played together on the grass
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  while their mothers were busy with household duties. Though listening as they were to
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  the glad laughter which rang upon their ears, suddenly a piercing scream was heard.
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  The women stood motionless with fear, then ran to the little ones.
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  A terrible sight met their eyes. A child lay pale and motionless upon the
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  greensward, with a black snake coiled around his curly head, whose venomous bite
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  had poisoned the young life, his small hands still grasping the bright blossoms he
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  was gathering for a garland when the reple had silently and swiftly approached him.
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  In his unconscious happiness, bitterly, his mother wept, so bitterly that she
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  did not hear the quiet step of Mary leading by the hand her holy child.
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  A smile played upon the rosy lips of Jesus as he came to the
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  side of the dead child, and even as he advanced, the snake felt
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  the power of his presence and unwound itself from the fair little head. Oh
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  reptile, cried the Savior, who hath given thee power to slay this child
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  for this deed of cruelty. Thou shalt die, that all may see the
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  power of God my Father. In an instant, the snake was dead,
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  and the little child opened his eyes, and, smiling as his gaze met
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  that of Jesus, he rose and knelt in gratitude at the feet of that
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  divine Savior, who should one day say, from a more terrible doom the
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  race of man, and whose voice touch should give life and healing to those
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  who lay dead in sin. End of Legend of the Snake. Legend of
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  the Nun's prayer. In the olden time, there dwelt in an English convent
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  of the Benedictine rule, a nun who was filled with virtue and had a
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  great love for Mary Immaculate. And as she longed exceedingly to have a chapel
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  built in honor of her heavenly mother, she prayed unceasingly that she might live
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  to see one added to the church. Many a silent, solitary night she
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  spent in supplication, making her desire known to God. Through summer heat and
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  winter snow, she prayed on, always offering the same petition, and at
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  length the heavenly voice came to her while she was thus engaged, bidding her
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  in God's name begin the erection of the Lady Chapel. Dom Alice thought it
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  but a dream and took no heed of it. Yet before long the same
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  command was repeated, with so much grief and displeasure sounding in the tones of
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  that heavenly voice, that she awoke weeping very bitterly, and hastened to her
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  prioress to tell what had befallen her. She also believed it but a fantastic
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  dream, and bade the nun dismiss it from her mind. But after a
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  short interval, Mary herself appeared in vision to dom Alice, blaming her so
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  sharply for her neglect and mistrust, that she went again to the Prioress,
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  entreating her with many tears to believe in what she had to tell. The
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  prioress was touched by her distress and asked how much she had towards the cost
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  of the chapel only fifteen pence, replied dom Alice, casting her eyes upon
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  the ground. Then do not fear, said the prioress. Though it be
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  little, our sweet lady can increase it if she wills, if only your
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  prayers and faith are strong. So the nun turned with still more earnest supplication
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  to Heaven, asking that the way of obeying her blessed mother's commands might be
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  made known to her, And she was told in revelation that the chapel should
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  be built upon the northern side of the church, in a spot which should
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  be pointed out to her. It was harvest time then, the feast of
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  the Assumption had just passed. The earth was gay with flowers, and the
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  sun shone brightly over all. Yet on the morrow, when dom Alice went
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  to the place described, she found a certain space of ground covered with snow,
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  which remained from day dawn until noon. She was glad at heart then,
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  and immediately the masons were sent for the measurements taken, and the chapel
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  commenced. Dom Alice had no store of worldly wealth, but her faith grew
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  stronger and stronger, and she redoubled her prayers to Heaven for means to pay
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  the cost of this tribute to Mary, and not in vain. For as
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  each Saturday came round, she found upon the pathway sufficient silver to pay her
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  workmen, never any more and never any less. And thus it continued until
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  the chapel was completed. There under a stone leading into the choir. The
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  remains of dom Alice were interred when she passed away from Earth. But for
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  many generations the chapel stood as a memorial of her trustful prayer and fervent love
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  to the Immaculate Mother of God. End of Legend of the Nun's Prayer,
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  Legend of the Palm in the desert. Many a legend has been told of
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  that time when Mary and her holy child fled into a strange land under the
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  protection of Saint Joseph. Many a sweet story is known of that weary journey,
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  when the young fair mother clasped her babe in her arms, fearing for
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  him the hunger and the thirst and the sun's hot gleams. And thus we
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  hear that one day the Virgin was distressed by the suffering of her little one,
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  and she said, Oh, Joseph, what can we do for the
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  child? If our God will not bestow on us some help, Surely we
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  shall die in this wild desert. Fervently she prayed, and as her earnest
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  pleading went up to heaven, a sound like the trickling of water struck on
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  her ear, and turning her head to see from whence it came a stately
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  palm tree laden with fruit, rose before her, by whose root ran a
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  clear, cool spring of water. But who could reach the fruit so high
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  above their heads? And what had they with which to draw water from the
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  spring. The little Jesus opened his eyes, and at his glance, the
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  tall tree bent its branches within Saint Joseph's reach, and the spring threw up
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  its water like a fountain, clear and cold and bright. Thus were the
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  wayfarers refreshed. Even the ass was given some fresh grass, which sprang up
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  in the dreary desert at the will of Him who forgetteth no creature which he
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  has made. While angels hovered around their infant lord and his young mother,
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  the divine child had gone on his way, but a fruit he was eating,
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  and a drop of water he left there brought forth a growth of fresh
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  herbage on the desert to remain forever. That day a man was thinking of
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  the promised Messiah, longing hoping to see him, who was the desire of
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  all nations. A man who was loathsome and horrible even to his kindred,
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  for he was a leper and therefore an outcast. Yet he was not forgotten
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  of God, for it had been granted him to see in vision the three
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  Holy travelers depart upon their journey. And after that he loved to think he
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  was following far behind the mother and child, whom he could sometimes behold like
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  a speck upon the distant horizon. But at length this sight vanished from him,
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  and the soothing hope which had so cheered his heart seemed lost, while
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  the torments of thirst and heat troubled him sorely. Ah, could I but
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  see him? Could I but touch the hem of his garment? I should
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  be cleansed, sighed the leper, And falling down upon the shining sand,
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  he cried aloud, Infant Savior, I believe in THEE. I hope in
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  THEE. What is before him but a palm tree and a spring of water,
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  the very palm and spring which had a while before refreshed his Lord.
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  He rises and struggles on a few more paces, but he cannot reach the
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  water or the fruit, and once again he falls, but this time tis
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  upon the green herbage by the stream. O wonderful mystery. Jesus has rested
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  there, and that hallowed spot has power to heal, strength, vigor,
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  new life, animate the leprous form, and purified in heart, as by
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  the grace of baptism. He goes forth whole and well, crying praised be
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  God, end of Legend of the Palm in the Desert end of section sixteen,