The Burning Hand
In the village of Thaur, near Salzburg, there lived about two centuries
ago a good priest, who occupied his time in doing charitable works to
all around. In the ruins of the once huge and superb castle of Thaur a
hermit had founded his humble little cell, and both priest and hermit
were the most intimate of friends, and had vowed to each other that he
who should die the first, should appear to the other after death.
The poor hermit was very clever in making artificial flowers for the
altar, and one night when busy with his work a knock came to his little
window, and he saw the spirit of his friend who had died a few days
before. At first he was greatly terrified, but pricking up his courage,
he addressed the poor soul of the priest, who replied to him and said,
“You see I am dead in the body, but I have still to do penance,
although I have faithfully fulfilled the commands of God and the Holy
Church, have given alms according to my means, have instituted a
perpetual mass in the church of Thaur, and another in the chapel of St.
Romedius, and founded an everlasting fund for the poor. For three sins
have I this penance to perform, one of omission and two of vanity; out
of absence of mind I forgot to say a mass for which I had been paid,
and I have been too vain of my fine white hands and beautiful flowing
beard, and for this reason am I now compelled to suffer these torments.
I pray you therefore to say in my stead the neglected mass,” and the
unhappy spirit of the priest recounted to the hermit the names of all
those people for whom the mass was to be said, “Then, if out of charity
to me you will fast, pray, and flagellate yourself, and help me in
that way to do my penance, the time of my redemption will arrive much
sooner, as if I had completed them all myself. It will also be a work
of conciliation for me, if you will tell all I have just told you to my
parishioners, so that they and my successors may take a warning from
me, and think of me in their prayers.”
The hermit answered, “I will most willingly fulfil all you ask of me
and take upon myself every penance you desire; but if I tell all these
things to your parishioners they will never believe me, and will jeer
at me and say like the brothers of Joseph, ‘Here comes the dreamer.’”
“Well, then, I will give you a sign of proof which will back up your
words,” answered the poor spirit to the priest; “Give me something out.”
The hermit then handed out the cover of a flower-box, upon which the
shadow laid his hand, and returned it instantly to him; and lo! to his
astonishment he found, deeply branded upon it, the imprint of the hand
of the priest as though it had been done by a red-hot iron.
After this the hermit zealously commenced the charitable work of
redeeming the soul of his faithful friend, and continued it many a
month in saying masses, repeating prayers, and subjecting himself to
the most severe flagellations, whilst from time to time the troubled
spirit of the poor priest appeared to him in bodily form, but always
lighter and more brilliant than before. The pious hermit almost
succumbed under the dreadful effects of his severe penances, which he
still carried on for more than a year, when the night of All Saints
arrived, and again the poor soul of his friend appeared before him,
now no longer poor, but in the splendour of transfiguration, and said,
“I thank you, good friend. I am now redeemed; you too shall soon be
released from your earthly bondage, and will return to God penanceless.
I shall attend you there where there are no more sufferings,” and in
saying so he disappeared in the midst of a halo of glory.
Seven days afterwards the hermit died; and now in the charming little
pilgrims’ chapel of the holy Romedius, near Thaur, is to be seen,
framed beneath a glass case, the wooden board bearing the brand of the
burning hand, and with the duly attested inscription dated from 1679;
also the bust of the priest with the beautiful hands and flowing beard.
The imprint of the Burning Hand took place on the 27th October, 1659,
at midnight.