Skip to content

Notes for this keyword

You will sanctify the feasts

Reading comfort

Aa

GRM 40.5

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

40.5 «Listen, Child. You said: ‘Remember to sanctify feast days. Not only for yourself, but also for your son and your daughter, your servant and your maidservant, even for your horse it is said that they must not work on Sabbaths’. Now tell me: if a hen lays an egg on a Sabbath or a sheep lambs on a Sabbath, will it be legal to use the fruit of its womb, or will it be considered as an opprobrium?»

«I know that many rabbis, Shammai is the last of them and is still alive, say that an egg laid on a Sabbath is against the precept. But I think that there is a difference between man and animals or whoever fulfils a natural act, such as giving birth. If I compel a horse to work I am responsible for its sin, because I force it to work with a whip. But if a hen lays an egg which has matured in its ovary or a sheep lambs a little one on a Sabbath, because it is ready to be born, no, such a deed is not a sin, neither is the egg laid or the lamb born on a Sabbath a sin in the eyes of God.»

«But why, if every kind of work is a sin on Sabbaths?»

«Because to conceive and give birth correspond to the will of the Creator and comply with the laws which He gave to every creature. Now, the hen does nothing but obey the law according to which after so many hours of growth an egg is complete and ready to be laid, and the sheep also obeys the laws laid by Him Who created everything, according to which laws twice a year when springtime is on the meadows in bloom, and when the trees in the forest lose their leaves and men muffle themselves up because of the intense cold, sheep should mate so that later they may give milk, meat and nourishing cheese in the opposite seasons of the year, that is in the months when the toil for the crops is harder or the bleakness is more painful because of frostbite. If therefore a sheep, when its time is up, gives birth to a little lamb, oh! the little lamb can certainly be sacred also on an altar, because it is the fruit of the obedience to the Creator.»

GRM 125

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Jesus is in Belle-Eau, giving a talk on the Commandment: "You shall keep holy the feasts". He talks about Sabbath rest - for us, it's the equivalent of Sunday rest. It's a physical, moral and spiritual order. Jesus also talks about work. He insists on honest work, driven by love of neighbor. Finally, when we rest on the seventh day, we must dedicate it to our family, to God, and take the opportunity to examine our conscience, so as to be better the following week. Finally, the Lord enjoins us to be like toddlers, and there's the beautiful physical healing of a child who was paralyzed after being run over by a herodian.

GRM 132.2

The Gospel as revealed to me

GRM 176.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«God’s will has held us in this place because had we gone any further, after the distance we had walked, we would have infringed the precepts and caused scandal. And may that never happen until the New Pact is written. It is right to sanctify feast days and praise the Lord in places of prayer. But the whole creation can be a place of prayer if man can make it thus through his elevation to the Father. Noah’s Ark adrift on the water was a place of prayer and likewise the belly of Jonah’s whale. Places of prayer were the house of the Pharaoh when Joseph lived in it, and the tent of Holofernes for the chaste Judith. And was not the corrupt place where the prophet Daniel lived as a slave, so sacred to the Lord, because of the holiness of His servant who so sanctified the place as to deserve the high prophecies[1] of Christ and of the Antichrist, which are a key to present and future times? All the more reason this place is holy as with its hues and scents, with its pure air and rich crops, with its dewy pearls it speaks to us of God, the Father and Creator and says: “I believe. And you ought to believe because we bear witness to God”. Let it therefore be our synagogue for this Sabbath and let us read the eternal pages on corollas and ears, with the sun as our lamp.

I mentioned Daniel. I said to you: “Let this place be our synagogue”. That reminds us of the joyful “bless the Lord” of the three holy young men in the flames of the furnace: Heavens and waters, dew and frost, ice and snow, fire and colours, light and darkness, lightning and clouds, mountains and hills, all germinated things, birds, fish and animals, praise and bless the Lord with humble holy-hearted men. We can pray and deserve Heaven everywhere. We deserve it when we do the Father’s will.

Detail

It's dawn, the morning of the Sabbath (EMV 176.1). Jesus goes to the sleepers who are awakening, and to the crowd that has followed him, because he wishes to sanctify "this holy day with the word of God" (EMV 176.2).

Annotation

Having come so far, to go any further would have been to violate the precepts and scandalize. Out of respect for the precept limiting Sabbatical journeys, which finds its foundation in Exodus 16:29.

Noah's ark adrift on the waves was a place of prayer, as was Jonah's whale belly. Cf. Genesis 7:7 and Jonah 2:2.

Gen 7.7: "Noah entered the ark with his sons, his wife and his sons' wives to escape the waters of the flood."

Jon 2, 2 : And from the bowels of the fish Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God.

So did the house of Pharaoh when Joseph lived there, and so did the tent of Holofernes for the chaste Judith. Cf Genesis 39:2 and 41:40 as well as Judith 12:5 and Judith 13:4-5.

Gen 39:2 : Yahweh was with Joseph, who made all things prosper; he lived in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Gen 41, 40: And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have made you ruler over all the land of Egypt. "

Jdt 12, 5 : On entering, she asked to be allowed to go out at night and before daylight to pray and call upon the Lord.

Jdt 13, 4-5 : Holoferne was lying on his bed in a drunken stupor. Judith had told her maid to stand outside the room and keep watch.

And was it not truly sacred to the Lord, the corrupt place where the prophet Daniel lived as a slave, sacred by the holiness of his servant who sanctified the place to the point of meriting the lofty prophecies of Christ and Antichrist, keys to the present and the last times? Daniel 1, 21 | Daniel 7, 2-14 | Daniel 9, 24-27 | Daniel 12, 5-12.

Dan 1:21: Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Dan 7, 2-14 : Daniel spoke and said: "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were melting on the great sea, and four great beasts came up from the sea, different from each other. The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings. And I beheld, until his wings were plucked, and he was lifted up from the earth, and set upon his feet like a man, and a man's heart was given unto him. And behold another beast, a second, like a bear; it drew up one of its sides, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth, and they said to it, "Arise, eat much flesh! After this I looked, and behold another beast like a leopard; it had on its back four wings of a bird, and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I looked in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, terrible, fearful and extraordinarily strong; it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke, and the rest it trampled underfoot; it was different from all the beasts that had gone before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold another horn, small, arose in the midst of them, and three of the first horns were torn off by it; and behold this horn had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth that spoke great things.

I watched, until thrones were placed, and an old man sat down. His garment was white as snow, and the hair on his head was like pure wool. His throne was flames of fire; the wheels, blazing fire. A river of fire flowed out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and a myriad of myriads stood before him. The Judge sat down, and books were opened. I watched then, because of the noise of the great words that the horn uttered; I watched, until the moment when the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and delivered to the flame of fire. To the rest of the beasts, too, their dominion had been taken away, and the duration of their lives had been fixed until a time and a moment.

I looked into the visions of the night, and behold, there came on the clouds as it were a Son of Man; and he came up to the old man, and they brought him near before him. And he was given dominion, glory and reign, and all peoples, nations and languages served him. His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and his reign will never be destroyed.

Dn 9, 24-27 : Seventy weeks have been determined upon your people and upon your holy city to shut up prevarication, to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophet and to anoint the Holy of Holies. Know therefore and understand: from the going forth of a word commanding Jerusalem to be rebuilt until an anointed one, a leader, there are seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks; she will be rebuilt, places and pregnant, in the distress of times. And after sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off, and no one for him. And the people of a ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and its end will be in the flood, and to the end there will be war, which is decreed touching the devastation. He will make a firm covenant with a great number for a week; and in the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and on the wing of abominations will come a destroyer, and that until destruction and what has been decreed are poured out on the devastated.

Dan 12:5-12: I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two other men were standing, one on one bank of the river, the other on the other bank of the river. 6One of them spoke to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river: "How long will the end of these wondrous things be? "And I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters; he raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and he swore by him who lives forever that it would be in a time, times and half a time, and that, when they had finished breaking the strength of the holy people, then all these things would be fulfilled. And I heard, but did not understand, and said, "My lord, what will be the end of these things? "He said, 'Go, Daniel, for the words are tightened and sealed until the time of the end. There will be many who will be purified, made white and tested; and the wicked will do evil, and no wicked will understand; but the intelligent will understand. From the time when the perpetual sacrifice is interrupted, and the abomination of the destroyer is set up, there will be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits and comes to a thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!"

I named you Daniel. I said to you, "Let this place be our synagogue. "He reminds us of the joyful "Bless" of the three holy children amid the flames of the furnace: cf. Daniel 3, 52-90.

Dn 3, 52-90 : Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, worthy to be praised, glorified and exalted forever. Blessed is your holy and glorious name, worthy of supreme praise and exaltation forever. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, worthy of supreme praise and glory forever. Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, worthy of supreme praise and exaltation forever. Blessed are you, whose gaze penetrates the abyss, and who sit upon the Cherubim, worthy of supreme praise and exaltation forever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, worthy of praise and glory forever.

Bless all the Lord, works of the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Waters and all that is above the heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Powers of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise him and exalt him forever.

Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Rain and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Winds unleashed by God, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Cold and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Dew and frost, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Frost and frost, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

Nights and days, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Light and darkness, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Lightning and dark clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever!

Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Plants that grow on the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Fountains, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

Monsters and everything that moves in the waters, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Wild beasts and flocks, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Children of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever!

Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Spirits and souls of the righteous, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Saints and humble of heart, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever. Ananias, Azarias and Misael, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

For he has brought us out of Sheol, and delivered us from the power of death; he has rescued us from the midst of the furnace of burning flame, and drawn us out of the midst of the fire. Celebrate the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. All you godly men, bless the Lord, the God of gods; praise and celebrate him, for his mercy endures forever.

GRM 194.4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Well! Let us go on. Towards the Holy City. We must arrive there tomorrow, towards evening. Why such a hurry? Can you tell me? Is it not the same if we arrive the day after tomorrow?»

«No. It would not be the same. Because tomorrow is Parasceve and after sunset one can walk only for six stadia. You are not allowed to go farther because the Sabbath and its rest have begun.»

«So one idles about on the Sabbath.»

«No. You pray to the Most High Lord.»

«What is His name?»

«Adonai. But saints can pronounce His name.»

«Also good children. Tell Me if you know.»

«Jaave» (the boy pronounces it thus: a very soft G, which is almost a J, and a very long ‘a’).

«And why does one pray to the Most High Lord on the Sabbath?»

«Because He told Moses, when He gave him the tables of the Law.»

«Oh! Did He? And what did He say?»

«He said that we must keep it holy. “For six days you shall labour, but on the seventh day you shall rest and make others rest, because that is what I did, too, after the creation”.»

«What? Did the Lord rest? Did He become tired creating? And was it He Who created? How do you know? I know that God never tires.»

«He was not tired, because God does not walk and does not move His arms. But He did it, to teach Adam and us, and to have a day on which we think of Him. And He created everything, most certainly. The Book of the Lord tells us.»

«But was the Book written by Him?»

«No. But it is the Truth. And one must believe it unless one wants to go to Lucifer.»

«You said that God does not walk and does not move His arms. How did He create then? What is He like? A statue?»

«He is not an idol: He is God. And God is… God is… let me think and remember what my mother said, and even better than she did, that man who, in Your name goes to visit the poor people at Esdraelon… My mother used to say, to make me understand God: “God is like my love for you. It has no body, but it exists”. And that little man, but with such a gentle smile, would say: “God is an Eternal Spirit, One and Triune, and the Second Person became flesh for the sake of us, poor people, and His name is… “ Oh! My Lord! Now that I think of it… it’s You!» The child, dumbfounded, prostrates himself on the ground adoring.

They all run thinking that he has fallen, but Jesus with His finger on His lips beckons them to be silent and then says: «Stand up, Jabez. Children must not be afraid of Me!»

The boy looks up reverently and looks at Jesus with a changed expression, almost of fear.

But Jesus smiles and stretches out His hand saying: «You are a wise little Israelite.»