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Sabbath

Theme: The Decalogue and the Old Testament Commandments

Reading comfort

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.»

Keywords

GRM 50.8

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Are You leaving tomorrow, Master?»
«Tomorrow, at dawn, if you do not mind.»
«I am sorry that You are going away. But I do not mind the hour. On the contrary, it suits me.»
«Are you going fishing?»
«Yes, tonight, when the moon rises.»
«You did well, Simon, not fishing last night. The Sabbath was not yet finished. Nehemiah in his reformation wants the Sabbath to be respected in Judah. Even nowadays too many people work on the Sabbath day at presses, carry wood, wine and fruit and buy and sell fish and lambs. You have six days for that. The Sabbath is of the Lord. Only one thing you may do on the Sabbath: you may do good to your neighbour. But all profit must be excluded from such help. He who infringes the Sabbath to make a profit will be punished by God. He makes a profit? He will lose it during the other six days. He makes no profit? He has fatigued his body for no purpose, because he did not grant it the rest that Intelligence prescribed for it, and thus he irritated his soul having worked in vain, and goes to the extent of cursing. The day of the Lord, instead, is to be spent with your hearts united to God in sweet prayer of love. You must be faithful in everything.»
«But… scribes and doctors, who are so severe with us… do not work on Sabbath days, they do not even give a piece of bread to their neighbours, to avoid the fatigue of handing it over, but they practise usury also on a Sabbath. As it is not a material work, is it legal to practise usury on a Sabbath?»
«No. Never. Neither on a Sabbath nor any other day. Those Who practise usury are dishonest and cruel.»
«The scribes and the Pharisees, then…»
«Simon: don’t judge. Do not do it.»
«But I have eyes to see…»
«Is there only evil to be seen, Simon?»
«No, Master.»
«Well, then, why look at evil deeds?»
«You are right, Master.»

Detail

Contextualization: Peter speaks to the Master, who then talks about the Sabbath.

Keywords

GRM 96.3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Translation in progress

Keywords

GRM 125.2-4

The Gospel as revealed to me

Translation in progress

Keywords

GRM 174.17-18 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Master, I would like to remind You that today is Friday and that these people… I do not know whether they will be able to get food in time for tomorrow or reach their homes» says Bartholomew.
«That’s true. It is Friday!» several of them say.
«It does not matter. God will provide. But we will tell them.»
Jesus stands up and goes to His new place, in the middle of the crowds spread in the thickets. «First of all I wish to remind you that today is Friday. I say that those who are afraid they cannot reach their homes in time and are not in a position to believe that God will provide food for His children tomorrow, should go away at once, so that they will not be still on the road at sunset.»
Of all the crowd there, about fifty people get up. All the others stay where they are.
174.18
Jesus smiles and begins to speak.

Detail

The scribe John is in the crowd mentioned in this extract (as he will confirm in the next chapter).

Annotation

It's the eve of the Sabbath, and the law of Sabbath rest forbids travel after 6 p.m., the start of the following day. The scribe John is among those who go, as he explains in the next chapter.

Keywords

GRM 175.3-5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

The people throng around the Master, forming a circle which does not want to open at any cost. But the sun has set and the Sabbath rest begins. The villages are far away. But the people do not pine for their villages, their food or anything else. But the apostles are worried about it and they tell Jesus. Also the elder disciples are worried. There are women and children, and while the night is mild and the grass of the meadow is soft, the stars are not bread. Neither do stones become food.
Jesus is the only one who does not trouble. The people in the meantime eat the remains of their food without any worry and Jesus points it out to His apostles: «I solemnly tell you that these people are worth more than you are! Look how thoughtlessly they are finishing everything. I said to them: “Those who cannot believe that God will provide food for His children tomorrow, may go away”, and they stayed. God will not belie His Messiah and will not disappoint those who hope in Him.»
The apostles shrug their shoulders and do not show concern for anything else.
It is nightfall after a placid, beautiful red sunset and the silence of the country spreads over everything after the last choir of birds. There is a light whispering of the wind and then the first mute flight of a night bird, the first star appears and a frog croaks.
The children are already asleep. The adults are talking among themselves and now and again someone goes to the Master asking for clarification of some point or other.
175.4
So no one is surprised when a person, imposing by look, garments and age, is seen coming from a path between two corn fields. Some men are following him. Everybody turns around to look at him and they point him out to one another whispering. The whispering spreads from one group to another, it revives and fades away. The groups that are farther away come near drawn by curiosity.
The noble looking man reaches Jesus, Who is sitting at the foot of a tree listening to some men, and bows down before Him. Jesus stands up at once and responds with equal respect to the greeting. The people present are watching attentively.
«I was up on the mountain and perhaps You thought that I did not have faith as I went away for fear of having to fast. But I went away for another reason. I wanted to be a brother among brothers, the eldest brother. I would like to speak to You aside. Can You listen to me? Although a scribe, I am not Your enemy.»
«Let us move away a little…» and they go into the corn field.
«I wanted to provide some food for the pilgrims and I came down to tell the baker to bake bread for a large crowd. You can see that I am at a legal distance, because these fields belong to me, and it is lawful to walk from here to the top on a Sabbath. It was my intention to come up tomorrow with my servants. But I found out that You are here with the crowd. I beg You to allow me to provide for the Sabbath. Otherwise I would be very sorry that I had to forego Your words for nothing.»
«For nothing, no, never, because the Father would have compensated you with His light. But I thank you and will not disappoint you. I only wish to point out that the crowd is very large.»
«I asked them to heat all the ovens, also the ones used to dry foodstuffs and I will succeed in having bread for everybody.»
«I did not mean that. I was referring to the quantity of bread…»
«That does not trouble me. Last year I had a good crop of corn. You have seen what the ears of corn are like this year. Let me do it. It will be the greatest protection for my fields. After all, Master… You gave me such bread today… You really are the Bread of the spirit!…»
«Let it be done as you wish. Let us go and tell the pilgrims.»
«No. You said so.»
«Are you a scribe?»
«Yes, I am.»
«May the Lord take you where your heart deserves.»
«I understand what You mean but do not say, You mean: to the Truth. Because great are our errors… and our ill-will.»
«Who are you?»
«A son of God. Pray the Father for me. Goodbye.»
«Peace be with you.»
175.5
Jesus goes slowly back to His apostles while the man goes away with his servants.
«Who was he? What did he want? Did he say something unpleasant to You? Has he sick people?» Jesus is flooded with questions.
«I do not know who he is. Or rather, I know that he is goodhearted and that…»
«He is John, the scribe» says one of the crowd.
«Well, I know now, because you said so. He only wanted to be the servant of God with His children. Pray for him because tomorrow we shall all have food, thanks to his goodness.»
«He is really a just man» says one.
«Yes, indeed. I do not know how he can be the friend of others» remarks another one.
«He is swathed in scruples and rules like a baby, but he is not a bad man» concludes a third one.
«Do these fields belong to him?» ask many who are not from this part of the country.
«Yes, they do. I think that the leper was one of his servants or peasants. But he allowed him to stay around here and I think that he also fed him.»
The comments continue but Jesus does not pay attention to them. He calls the Twelve near Him and asks them: «And what should I say now with regards to your incredulity? Did the Father not put bread for all of us into the hands of one who, by caste, is an enemy of Mine? Oh! men of little faith!… Go into the soft hay and sleep. I am going to pray the Father that He may open your hearts and to thank Him for His kindness. Peace be with you.»
And He goes to the lower slopes of the mountain. He sits down and collects His thoughts in prayer. When He raises His eyes He sees the myriad of stars crowding the sky, when He lowers them. He sees the crowd of people sleeping on the meadows. Nothing else. But such is the joy in His heart that His face seems to become transfigured by a bright light…

Detail

Jesus has come down from the Mount of Beatitudes and a crowd is following him. The apostles are worried about how to feed them. This chapter shows a practical case of trusting in Providence and in the goodness of the Father.

Annotation

Meanwhile, the sun has gone down. This is the beginning of Sabbatical rest. Sabbatical rest begins at 6 p.m. on Friday. From the horns of Hattin to the plain, they covered 5 to 6km, or about an hour and a half's walk. We determined in the previous chapter that they left at around 3.00 pm / 3.30 pm. So it's about 5 p.m.

I said to them: "Let those who cannot believe that tomorrow God will give food to his children, withdraw", and they stayed. God will not deny his Messiah or disappoint those who hope in him." Cf. previous chapter. Maria Valtorta even notes that only about fifty people left at the time.

I am not hostile to you, even though I am a scribe. Scribes who are not hostile to Jesus are rare. Of the 24 members of this college, only 5 were secretly in favor of Jesus. The other 19 were overwhelmingly hostile or indifferent.

You see I'm in the legal space because these fields belong to me, and from here to the top it's a path you can make on the Sabbath. So they're right at the entrance to the plain, about 1 km from the summit of Arbel. The practical rules for applying the Sabbath distance were, and remain, complex. However, the basic condition, laid down in Solomon's time, remains the prohibition on moving more than 2,000 cubits (around 900 meters) from the limits of one's property or a town. As Maria Valtorta points out, the summit is the last acceptable limit for the scribe.

Keywords

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.

Keywords

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.»

Keywords

GRM 217.3-4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

« But in the meantime, since You say that You are a saint, why do You allow certain things? Since You say that You are a Master, why do You not teach Your apostles before anybody else? Look at them, behind You!… They still have in their hands the instrument of their sin! Can You see them? They have picked corn and this is the Sabbath. They have picked ears of corn, which do not belong to them. They have infringed the Sabbath and they have stolen.»
«They were hungry. In the village where we arrived yesterday evening, we asked for bread and lodgings. They drove us away. Only an old woman gave us some of her bread and a handful of olives. May God give her one hundredfold, because she gave us everything she had, and she only asked for a blessing. We walked for a mile and then we stopped, complying with the law, and we drank the water of a stream. Then, at sunset, we went to that house… They rejected us. You can see that we were willing to obey the Law», Peter replies.
«But you did not. It is not legal to do manual work on Sabbaths and it is never legal to take what belongs to other people. My friends and I are scandalised.»
«But I am not. Have you not read[1] how David at Nob took the consecrated bread of the Proposition for himself and his companions? The sacred loaves belonged to God, in His house, and by a perpetual order were to be kept for the priests. It is written[2]: “They will belong to Aaron and his sons, who shall eat them in a holy place, because they are a most holy thing”. And yet David took them for himself and his companions, because he was hungry. If, therefore, the holy king entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Proposition on a Sabbath, although it was not legal for him to eat it, and yet it was not imputed to him as a sin, because also after that event God continued to love him, how can you say that we have sinned it we pick on the soil of God the ears of corn that have grown and ripened through His will, the ears that belong also to birds, and you deny that men, the sons of the Father, may eat?»
«They asked for those loaves, they did not take them without asking. And that makes the difference. In any case it is not true that God did not impute that sin to David. God struck him very hard!»
«Not because of that. It was because of his lewdness, of the census, not because…»
«Oh! That’s enough. It is not legal, and that is all. You have no right to do it and you shall not do it.
217.4
Go away. We do not want you on our land. We do not need you. We do not know what to do with you.»
«We shall go.»
«And forever, remember that. Let Jonathan of Uziel never find you again in his presence. Go!»
«Yes, we will go. But we will meet again. And then it will be Jonathan who wants to see Me to repeat his judgement, and to rid the world of Me forever. But then it will be Heaven that will say to you: “It is not legal for you to do it”, and that “it is not legal” will resound in your heart like the sound of a bugle-horn throughout your life and beyond. As on Sabbaths the priests in the Temple infringe the Sabbath rest but do not commit sin, so we, servants of the Lord, can attain love and help from the Most Holy Father, without thus committing sin, since man denies us his love. There is One here Who is by far greater than the Temple and can take anything He wants of what exists in creation, because God has made everything a footstool for the Word. And I take and give. And that applies both to the ears of corn of the Father, laid on the immense table of the Earth, and to the Word. I take and give. Both to the good and to the wicked. Because I am Mercy. But you do not know what is Mercy. If you knew what My being Mercy means, you would also know that I want nothing but mercy. If you knew what Mercy is, you would not have condemned innocent people. But you do not know. You do not even know that I do not condemn you, you do not know that I will forgive you and, more than that, I will ask the Father to forgive you. Because I want mercy and not punishment. But you do not know. You do not want to know. And that is a greater sin than the one you impute to Me, it is greater than the one you say these innocent men have committed. You must know that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath and that the Son of man is also master of the Sabbath. Goodbye…»
He turns to His disciples: «Come. Let us go and look for a place where to lie down among the sands that are now near. The stars will keep us company and dew will refresh us. God, Who sent manna to Israel, will provide nourishment also for us, His poor faithful servants.» And Jesus leaves the rancorous group and goes away with His disciples, while night is falling with its first violet shadows…
They find at last a hedge of Indian figs, on the top leaves of which, bristling with thorns, is some fruit which is beginning to ripen. Anything is good when one is hungry. And stinging themselves, they pick the ripest ones and proceed thus until the fields become sandy dunes. The noise of the sea can be heard in the distance.
«Let us rest here. The sand is soft and warm. Tomorrow we will go to Ashkelon» says Jesus and tired as they are, they all lie down at the foot of a high dune.

Detail

The apostles were hungry and began to pick ears of wheat from the fields when the locals did not provide them with food (EMV 217.1). Jesus then encounters a group of Pharisees, including Jonathas ben Ouziel, a member of the Sanhedrin. He is hostile toward Jesus and reproaches the Master for the disciples’ behavior. Simon Peter and Jude intervene briefly in 217.3.

Annotation

Have you never read how David, at Nob, took the consecrated bread to feed himself and his companions? The consecrated bread belonged to God, in His house, set aside by an eternal decree for the priests. It is written: “They shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who shall eat them in a holy place, for it is a most holy thing.” See 1 Samuel 21:1–4 and Leviticus 24:9.

God punished David severely for his lust and for his census: regarding his lust, see 2 Samuel 12:9–14 (see also 94.7). For the census, see 2 Samuel 24:1–17 and 1 Chronicles 21:1–17.

To the good as well as to the wicked, for I am Mercy. But you do not know what mercy is. If you knew what it means, you would also understand that I desire nothing but it. Cf . Hosea 6:6, also quoted in Matthew 9:13.

They finally come upon a hedge of prickly pears, at the tops of which, bristling with thorns, figs are beginning to ripen. This mention is intriguing: the prickly pear, or Barbary fig, is said to have been imported from Mexico by Christopher Columbus. Is this a glaring anachronism or a rare piece of knowledge on Maria Valtorta’s part? See the commentary.

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Leviticus 24:9

Lev 24:9: They shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who shall eat them in a holy place; for it is a most holy thing to them among the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is a perpetual statute.

First Book of Samuel 21:1–7

1 Sam 1–7: David got up and left, and Jonathan returned to the city. David went to Nob, to the high priest Ahimelech; and Ahimelech came running out to meet David in fear and said to him, “ ‘Why are you alone, and is there no one with you?’” David replied to the priest Ahimelech, “The king gave me an order and said, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter for which I am sending you, and I have given you an order.’ I have appointed a meeting place for my men. Now, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you have.” ” The priest replied to David, saying, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread—provided your men have abstained from women.” ” David replied to the priest and said, “We have abstained from women for the three days since I set out, and the vessels of my men are holy; and even if the journey is profane, is not the vessel itself sanctified?” ” Then the priest gave him consecrated bread, for there was no other bread there except the showbread, which had been removed from before the Lord and replaced with fresh bread at the time it was taken away.

2 Samuel 12:9–14

2 Sam. 12:9–14: “Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you took his wife to be your own, and you killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. And now the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife. Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring disaster upon you from within your own house; I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you acted in secret, but I will do this in the sight of all Israel and in broad daylight.”

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord has forgiven your sin; you will not die. But because by this deed you have made the Lord a laughingstock to his enemies, the son born to you will die.”

2 Samuel 24:1–17

2 Sam. 24:1–17: The anger of the Lord was kindled again against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, take a census of Israel and Judah.” ” The king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba; take a census of the people, so that I may know the number of the people.” ” Joab said to the king, “May Yahweh your God add to the people a hundred times as many as there are now, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it! But why does my lord the king take pleasure in doing this? ” But the king’s command prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army; so Joab and the commanders of the army set out from the king’s presence to take a census of the people of Israel.

After crossing the Jordan, they camped at Aroer, on the right side of the city, which is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and then at Jazer. They came to Gilead and to the land of Tachthim-Hodsi; then they came to Dan-Jaan and to the vicinity of Sidon. They went to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and they reached the Negev of Judah, at Beersheba. When they had thus surveyed the entire land, they returned to Jerusalem after nine months and twenty days. Joab presented the king with the census report: there were eight hundred thousand men of war in Israel who could wield a sword, and five hundred thousand in Judah. David’s heart was troubled after he had counted the people, and David said to Yahweh: “I have committed a great sin in what I have done! Now, O Yahweh, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

The next day, when David arose, the word of the LORD came to Gad, the prophet, David’s seer, saying: “Go and tell David: Thus says the LORD: I set before you three things; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.” ” Gad came to David and told him the word of the Lord, saying: “Shall there be a famine of seven years in your land, or shall you flee for three months before your enemies who will pursue you, or shall there be a plague for three days in your land? Now consider and see what I should answer the one who sent me.” ” David replied to Gad, “I am in great distress. Oh, let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hands of men! ” And the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning of that day until the appointed time; and seventy thousand men of the people died, from Dan to Beersheba. The angel was stretching out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it. But the Lord relented from this disaster and said to the angel who was striking down the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now.” ” The angel of Yahweh was standing near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to Yahweh: “Behold, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who is guilty. But these sheep—what have they done? Let your hand fall on me and on my father’s house!”

That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” David went up, as Gad had said, just as the Lord had commanded. When Araunah looked up, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him; Araunah went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground, saying, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David replied: “To buy this threshing floor from you, so that I may build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be lifted from the people.” Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take the threshing floor and offer whatever sacrifice he deems fit! Here are the oxen for the burnt offering, along with the sleds and the ox yokes for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said further to the king, “May the Lord your God be gracious to you!” ” But the king said to Areuna, “No! I want to buy it from you for a price in silver, and I will not offer to Yahweh, my God, burnt offerings that cost me nothing. ” And David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built an altar to Yahweh there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

Thus the Lord was appeased toward the land, and the plague was lifted from Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:1–17

1 Chr 21:1–17: Satan stood against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. And David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and report the number to me, so that I may know how many there are.” ” Joab replied, “May Yahweh add to his people a hundred times as many as there are! O king, my lord, are they not all servants of my lord? Why then does my lord ask this? Why bring sin upon Israel?” But the king’s word prevailed over Joab. Joab set out and traveled throughout all Israel, and he returned to Jerusalem. And Joab presented to David the results of the census of the people: there were in all Israel eleven hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, and in Judah four hundred seventy thousand men who could handle a sword. He did not count the Levites and the Benjamites among them, for Joab was reluctant to carry out the king’s command.

God was displeased with this matter, and He struck Israel. Then David said to God, “I have committed a great sin in doing this. Now, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” ” Yahweh spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying: “Go and speak to David, saying: Thus says Yahweh: I set before you three things; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.” Gad came to David and said to him: “Thus says Yahweh: Choose either three years of famine, or three months during which you will be swept away before your adversaries and struck down by the sword of your enemies, or three days during which the sword of the LORD and the plague will be in the land, and the angel of the LORD will bring destruction throughout the territory of Israel. Now see what I should answer the one who sent me.” David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Oh, that I might fall into the hands of the Lord—for his mercy is very great—rather than into the hands of men!”

And the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men in Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as the angel was destroying it, the Lord saw what was happening and relented from this disaster, and He said to the angel who was destroying it, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now.” ” The angel of Yahweh was standing near the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand, pointed toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded that the people be counted? It is I who have sinned and done wrong; but these—these sheep—what have they done? Yahweh, my God, let your hand be against me and against my father’s house, but not against your people to bring about their ruin.”

Book of Hosea 6:6

Hos 6:6: She became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhama (that is, ‘Not Loved’), for I no longer love the house of Israel and will no longer forgive them.”

Gospel of Matthew 9:13

Mt 9:13: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Gospel of Matthew 12:1–8

Mt 12:1–8: At that time, on a Sabbath, Jesus was walking through the wheat fields; his disciples were hungry, so they began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him: “Look, your disciples are doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath!” But he said to them: “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? He entered the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence; yet neither he nor those with him had the right to eat it, but only the priests. Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath rest without being guilty of a sin? But I tell you: there is one here who is greater than the temple. If you had understood what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned those who have committed no offense. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Gospel of Mark 2:23–28

Mk 2:23–28: One Sabbath, Jesus was walking through the grain fields; and as they went along, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look what they are doing on the Sabbath! That is not permitted.” And Jesus said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, both he and those with him? During the time of the high priest Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which no one is allowed to eat except the priests, and he also gave some to those who were with him. ” He also said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Gospel of Luke 6:1–5

Luke 6:1–5: One Sabbath, Jesus was walking through the fields; his disciples were plucking heads of grain and eating them after rubbing them in their hands. Some of the Pharisees then said, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?” Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? He went into the house of God, took the bread of the Presence, ate it, and gave some to those who were with him—even though only the priests are allowed to eat it.” He also said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Keywords

GRM 553.5

The Gospel as revealed to me

Translation in progress

Keywords

Sabbath