he, "the choice were given to each one of you, at what hour and in what place would you like to die?" At this question one mentioned a certain feast, another such an hour, others, again, at such a place. When it came to the saint's turn to express his thoughts, he said that there was no place where he would more willingly end his life than in the Monastery of Clairvaux, governed by St. Bernard, in order that he might immediately enjoy the benefit of the sacrifices of those fervent Religious; and as to the time, he preferred, he said, the day of All Souls, that he might have part in all the Masses and all the prayers offered throughout the entire Catholic world for the faithful departed.
This, his pious desire, was gratified in every point. He was on his way to Rome to visit Pope Eugenius III., when, arriving at Clairvaux a little before All Saints, he was overtaken by a serious malady, which obliged him to remain in that holy retreat. He soon understood that God had heard his prayers, and cried out with the prophet, This is my rest for ever and ever; here will I dwell, for I have chosen it. [1] In fact, the day following, All Saints', whilst the whole Church was praying for the departed, he rendered his soul into the hands of his Creator.
"We have known," says the Abbe" Postel, "a holy Religious, Sister Zenaide, who, afflicted with a frightful malady for several years, asked our Lord the grace to die on the Feast of All Souls, towards whom she had always had great devotion. Her desire was granted. On the morning of November 2, after two years of suffering endured with truly Christian courage, she began to sing a hymn of thanksgiving, and calmly expired a few moments before the celebration of the Masses."
We know that in the Catholic liturgy there is a special Mass for the dead; it is celebrated in black vestments, and is called Mass of Requiem. It may be asked whether
- ↑ Ps. cxxxi.
