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Translation 49 women had taken the same road, they met each other at the spot where the Abe River flows. Izaberuna, greatly surprised when she saw her friend, leaped backwards and then bowed with her head to the ground, and uttered the words: “Maruya, full of grace, to you I bow. The Lord is with you and blessed are you among all other women. Precious is the Jisûsu who is in your womb.” Maruya listened and said, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed is your name. He will come and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. From heaven give us our daily nourishment.”41 From Maruya’s womb the child heard the words both women had spoken to each other. That is why after his birth the Lord made their words into two prayers: the Hail Mary and the Our Father. Because these prayers were both composed at the Abe River, they are called the Abe Maruya as a single unit of prayer.42 At that time by the river, the two women, Maruya and Izaberuna , had a lot of stories to tell each other. Afterward, they returned by separate roads each to her own home. 5. The Tribulations of Santa Maruya When Santa Maruya arrived home that day, for the first time her parents detected that their daughter was pregnant. Furious, they spoke harshly, berating her, “You who spurned the king, where and from what kind of person is this child that fills your belly?43 We can’t understand your debauchery. If word of this should reach the king we will all be destroyed. Not another minute will you be allowed to traipse around this house like that.” They continued to scold her, trembling with anger all the while. “Get out of here this very minute” were their last words. Maruya had no choice but to leave her home sobbing. She wandered, and stayed for awhile now here and now there, and lay 50 The Beginning of Heaven and Earth down in the fields and at the foot of mountains. Under the eaves of strangers’ homes she lingered. Nothing can really compare to the difficulties she experienced. At last, in the middle of the eleventh month, she wandered into the country of Beren.44 Heavy snows had begun to fall there, and thinking how much she would like shelter for just a little while, she entered a stable. There among the cows and horses she crouched down and sheltered herself. In that stable from noon until midnight she observed zeshin.45 Then at midnight she gave birth. This was the birth of the Holy One. On account of the intense cold in the stable, the Holy One’s body was in danger of freezing. But the cows and horses that surrounded the mother and child breathed their warm breath on the newborn. Thanks to them the holy body was warmed and endured the winter cold. In a manger in that stable the newborn also took his first bath.46 Because of the great compassion that the horses and cattle showed, we are not allowed to eat meat or poultry on Wednesdays .47 As dawn arrived, the stable owner’s wife and others came out of the house to see. “Well, just imagine, in a sty like this you had a safe delivery,” said the owner’s wife. “Come into our house,” she urged Maruya, and guided her inside where they took care of Maruya in various ways and treated her kindly. After three days had passed, Maruya requested a bath. When the bath was over she said to the lady of the house, “Please, let your son bathe in the same water.” But the woman answered, “I am grateful for your thoughtfulness, but my son is diseased and his life is hanging by a thread. Excuse my rudeness if I refuse.” But Maruya encouraged her, saying, “Please, let him get in.” So the boy’s mother put her sickly son in the bath and his disease vanished and he was cured instantly. The power of that water had restored his very life.48 On the eighth day the Holy One—reflecting on this transient world with its desires, cruelty, and the lingering attachments of the heart—underwent shirukushisan.49 When his blood flowed out, the Holy Mother, Santa Maruya, was extremely shocked and cried while she clung to him. [18.225.234.234] Project MUSE (2024-04-18 14:27...

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