The Two Cousins of St. Peter

St. Peter had two young cousins whom he sought to bring up in the

way of righteousness according to Christian doctrine[79]. As they were

very docile, and listened gladly to his word, he strove to lead them

in the way of all perfection; and to this end counselled them to give

themselves up entirely to serve God in a community of His handmaidens,

where they should live for the Divine spouse of their souls, and for

Him alone.

The work of the Church called St. Peter away from the East, and he

was already gone to establish the faith in Rome before the maidens

had decided as to their vocation. It was not till many years after

that St. Peter heard, to his surprise, on occasion of St. Timothy

coming to visit St. Paul in Rome, that while the youngest indeed had

fulfilled his expectations, and had given herself up to the religious

life, the elder had married and established herself in the world,

and become the mother of a large family.

During his long confinement in the dark dungeon of the Mamertine

prison, St. Peter's thoughts would often revert from the immense

cares of his sublime office to the quiet hours he had passed in the

lowly dwelling by the Lake of Tiberias, where his pious cousins had

so often sat at his feet listening to his instructions. And he found

a peaceful pleasure in recalling the way in which they had responded

to them; the spontaneity with which they had apprehended the maxims

of the new religion; their fervour in applying them to their own rule

of life; their readiness to go beyond what was bidden them, that so

they might testify their love for their Divine Master; their delight

in all that reminded them of God and His law.

"And to think that one of them should have gone back from

all this! should have been content to give up these exalted

aspirations! How sadly her ardour must have cooled! What could have

worked this change?" the apostle would muse, in his distress, and pray

silently for her forgiveness and guidance; but his thoughts would

revert with greater affection and satisfaction to the more favoured

state of the soul of the younger sister.

It was not long before the terrible decree of Nero consigning St. Peter

to the death of the cross was pronounced, and from the height of the

Janiculum he was received into the celestial mansion to keep the gate

of the Kingdom of Heaven.

He had not exercised this office many years when our Lord called him

to Him one day, and bid him open the gate of heaven to its widest

stretch and deck its approaches as for a high festival, for that one

of the holiest of earth and the dearest to Himself was to be received

into the abode of the Blessed.

"That must be my youngest cousin," said St. Peter, "there is no doubt;

she who generously gave up a world in which she was so well adapted

to shine, to live a life of perfection with God above only for its

object;" and he strained his eyes to see far along the approach to

Paradise, that he might catch the first glimpse of her glorified soul

and greet it with the earliest welcome.

How great was his surprise then, when roused by the melodious

strains of the angelic host escorting her, to hear in the refrain

of their chant the name of the Sorellona [80], not of the younger

of the sisters! Meantime the celestial cortége was wafted by, and

the beautiful spirit was welcomed by the Divine Master Himself,

and placed on one of the highest seats in His kingdom.

Not many days after our Lord called St. Peter to Him again, and

told him to open the gate a little, very little way, and to make no

preparations for rejoicing, for He had promised admission to a soul

who, though of his family, yet had only escaped being excluded by a

hair's breadth.

St. Peter went away perplexed, for he knew there was no one of his

family who could be coming to heaven just at that time except the

younger of the two cousins, and how could the Lord's words apply

to her?

He durst do no more than open the gate a very little way, but stationed

himself opposite that small cleft to obtain the earliest information

as to who the new comer really was.

Presently a solitary angel came soaring--the only escort of a

trembling soul--and, as he approached, without chorus or melody,

he begged admission for one whom, by the name, St. Peter discerned

was actually the Sorellotta [81] he had deemed so meritorious! With

great difficulty, and by the help of the angel who conducted her,

and of St. Peter himself, she succeeded in passing the sacred portal;

and after she had been led to the footstool of the Heavenly Throne in

silence, He who sat on it pointed to a very little, low, distant seat,

as the one assigned to her.

When St. Peter afterwards came to discourse with the Lord about His

dealings with the two souls, he learnt that she who performed her duty

with great exactness and perfection in the world was more pleasing

in His sight than she who, while straining after the fulfilment of

a higher rule, yet fell short of correspondence with so great a grace.

[79] I must beg my readers to apply the apology contained in

the note to the last story, in its measure to this one also.

[80] Sorella, sister; with the augmentative ona, the bigger or

elder sister.

[81] The little, or younger, sister.