God

They come out of the ruins and they begin to descend the path they had walked up previously. The man blind in one eye is still there.

«Are you still here?» asks Jesus pretending that He does not notice that his face is flushed because of the many tears he has shed.

«Yes, I am still here. I will follow You if You allow me. I have something to tell you…»

«Come with Me, then. What do you want to tell Me?»

«Jesus… I find that to have the strength to speak and to work the holy magic of changing myself, of conjuring up my dead soul as the necromancer evoked Samuel for Saul, I must pronounce Your Name, which is as sweet as Your eyes, and as holy as Your voice. You have given me a new life, but it lacks form and energy, like the life of a new-born baby after a difficult birth. It still struggles in the grip of wicked old habits. Help me to come out of my death.»

«Yes, My friend.»

«I… I have realised that there is still a little humanity in my heart. I am not entirely a beast, and I can still love and be loved, forgive and be forgiven. Your love, which is forgiveness, has taught me. Is it not so?»

«Yes, My friend.»

«Then… take me with You. I was Felix! What irony! But give me a new name. That my past may be really dead. I will follow You like a stray dog, which finally finds a master. I will be Your slave, if You wish so. But do not leave me alone…»

«Yes, My friend.»

«What name will You give me?»

«A name dear to Me: John. Because you are grace granted by God.»

«Will You take me with You?»

«Yes, for the time being. Later you will follow Me with My disciples. But what about your house?»

«I have no house any longer. I will leave what I have to the poor. Just give me love and bread.»

«Come.»

• Coming to God and Jesus
• God's mercy and forgiveness
• Mercy and forgiveness
• Name of Jesus Christ
• Repentance and contrition

Can the word of man change God’s judgement? Can human apology cancel what is written in the book of Life? No, it cannot. What has been judged is judged and what has been written is written.

• God's judgment
• Judgment
• Last Judgment
• Praise and acclaim
• Special judgment
• Words of wisdom

I would like to be able to help you all, also materially, but I cannot, and I am sorry for that. I can but point Heaven to you. I can only teach you the great wisdom of resignation and promise the future Kingdom to you. (...) It is better to be Lazarus than Dives, believe Me. Believe it and you will be blessed.

• Beatitudes
• God's promises
• Heaven - Paradiso
• Kingdom of God - Kingdom of Heaven
• Material wealth
• Poverty - Misery
• Resignation
• Saints and blessed
• The poor man
• Words of wisdom

Do not hate, never, for any reason whatsoever. Hatred is strong in the world. But it always has a limit. Love has no limit of power or time. Love therefore, to possess love, as a defense and comfort on the earth, and as a reward in Heaven.

• Comfort - Relief
• Hate
• Heaven - Paradiso
• Holy Spirit
• Love
• Power
• Words of wisdom
• World

In the desolation of these fields you cannot hear one word of hatred, even if facts could have justified it. Do not misunderstand the miracle. I am Love and I would not have struck. But seeing that Love could not bend cruel Doras, I abandoned him to Justice which avenged the martyr Jonah and his brothers. This is what the miracle teaches you. That Justice is always vigilant, even when it seems to be absent and that since God is the Master of creation, in pursuance of Justice, He can also make use of the lesser beings, such as caterpillars and ants, to punish the hearts of cruel and greedy people letting them die choked by a regurgitation of their own poison.

• Animals
• Ants
• Caterpillars
• Creation
• God's justice
• Jonas of Bethlehem (shepherd of the Nativity) and martyr of Esdrelon
• Justice and Mercy
• Miracles of Creation

«Here we are at the gate of Shechem. Go ahead with your brother and with Judas of Simon and look for accommodation. I will go to the market square and wait for you there.»

They part and Peter goes away looking for a shelter, while the others walk with difficulty in the streets crowded with people shouting and gesticulating, with donkeys, wagons, all going to Jerusalem for the oncoming Passover. The shouting, calling cursing of people, added to the braying of donkeys cause a noise that resounds very loudly under the vaults, which link one house to another, a noise that resembles the rumble of certain shells when placed near one’s ear. The echo travels from vault to vault where the shades become darker and the crowds, like an impetuous torrent, rush into the streets, insinuating themselves everywhere, looking for a roof, a square, a meadow in which to pass the night…

Jesus, holding the child by the hand, leaning against a tree, is waiting for Peter in the square, which, for the occasion, is always full of vendors.

«Let us hope that no one sees us and recognises us!» says the Iscariot.

«How can you recognise a grain of sand among the sands?» replies Thomas. «Don’t you see the crowds?»

Peter comes back: «Outside the town there is a shed with some hay. I could not find anything else.»

«Neither shall we look for anything else. It is even too much for the Son of man.»

• André (apostle)
• Jesus Christ - Son of Man
• Judas de Kérioth (apostle)
• Places - Sichem
• Simon-Pierre - Simon de Jonas (apostle)
• Thomas (apostle)
• Yabeç (Jabé) - Marziam (Margziam)

«You said that You will open the gates of Heaven. Are they not closed because of the great Sin? My mother used to say that no one could enter until forgiveness had come and the just were waiting for it in Limbo.»

«It is so. But preaching the word of God I will go to the Father and… having obtained forgiveness for you, I will say to Him: “Father, I have fulfilled Your will. Now I want My reward for My sacrifice. Let the just, who are waiting, come to Your Kingdom”. And the Father will say to Me: “Let it be done as You wish”. I will then come down and I will call all the just, and at the sound of My voice Limbo will open its gates and the holy Patriarchs, the bright Prophets, the blessed women of Israel will come out rejoicing. And do you know how many children? There will be children of all ages, as many as the flowers in a flowery meadow! And they will follow Me singing and will ascend to the beautiful Paradise.»

• Kingdom of God - Kingdom of Heaven
• Limbo - Sheol
• Redemption
• The righteous

«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.»

• Adam and Eve
• Commandments
• Creation
• God
• Jonas of Bethlehem (shepherd of the Nativity) and martyr of Esdrelon
• Lucifer - Satan
• Moses (biblical character)
• Sabbath
• Sunday rest
• Who is God?
• Word of God - Law of God
• You shall not take God's name in vain
• You will sanctify the feasts

God is an Eternal Spirit, One and Triune, and the Second Person became flesh for the sake of us, poor people.

• Holy Trinity
• Incarnation
• Jesus Christ - Word of God
• Man - God's creature
• The poor man
• Words of wisdom

«You did not tell Me who speaks of Me in the Book.»

«The Prophets, Lord. And even before, the Book speaks of You when Adam was expelled, and… then to Jacob, Abraham and Moses… Oh!… My father told me that he went to John — not this one other John, the one of the Jordan — and he, the great Prophet, called You the Lamb… Oh! Now I understand the lamb of Moses… You are Passover!»

• Abraham
• Adam and Eve
• Jean-Baptiste
• Lamb of God
• Moses (biblical character)