“I tell you that you are free to go whither you will,” said He, “if you will only let me know what is troubling you.” Then, at last, Saint Peter told our Lord why he was so unhappy. “I had an old mother,” said he, “and she died a few days ago.” “Now I know what distresses you,” said our Lord. “You suffer because your mother has not come into Paradise.” “That is true,” said Saint Peter, and at the same time his grief became so overwhelming that he began to sob and moan. “I think I deserved at least that she should be permitted to come here,” said he. But when our Lord learned what it was that Saint Peter was grieving over, He, in turn, became distressed. Saint Peter’s mother had not been such that she could enter the Heavenly Kingdom. She had never thought of anything except to hoard money, and to the poor who had knocked at her door she had never given so much as a copper or a crust of bread. But our Lord understood that it was impossible for Saint Peter to grasp the fact that his mother had been so greedy that she was not entitled to bliss. “Saint Peter,” said He, “how can you be so sure that your mother would feel at home here with us?” “You say such things only that you may not have to listen to my prayers,” said Saint Peter. “Who wouldn’t be happy in Paradise?” “One who does not feel joy over the happiness of others can not rest content here,” said our Lord. “Then there are others than my mother who do not belong here,” said Saint Peter, and our Lord observed that he was thinking of Him. And He felt deeply grieved because Saint Peter had been stricken with such a heavy sorrow that he no longer knew what he said. He stood a moment and expected that Saint Peter would repent, and understand that his mother was not fit for Paradise. But the Saint would not give in. Then our Lord called an angel and commanded that he should fly down into hell and bring Saint Peter’s mother to Paradise. “Let me see how he carries her,” said Saint Peter. Our Lord took Saint Peter by the hand and led him out to a steep precipice which leaned slantingly to one side. And He showed him that he only had to lean over the precipice very, very little to be able to look down into hell. When Saint Peter glanced down, he could not at first see anything more than if he had looked into a deep well. It was as though an endless chasm opened under him. The first thing which he could faintly distinguish was the angel, who had already started on his way to the nether regions. Saint Peter saw how the angel dived down into the great darkness, without the least fear, and spread his wings just a little, so as not to descend too rapidly.