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Who is Jesus?

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GRM 184.6-7 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Benjamin, did you like My story? Yes? Go Where is your mother?»
James of Alphaeus replies: «She went out at the end of the parable and ran along that road.»
«She may have gone to the seaside to see whether her husband is coming» says Thomas.
«No. She has gone to her old mother’s, to get the children. Mummy takes them there so that she can work» says the little boy, who is leaning familiarly on Jesus’ knees.
«And she keeps you here, my little man? You must be a handsome evil-doer if she keeps you here all by yourself!» remarks Bartholomew.
«I am the eldest, and I help her…»
«You help her to gain Paradise, poor woman! How old are you?» asks Peter.
«In three years’ time I will be a son of the Law» replies the urchin proudly.
«Can you read?» asks Thaddeus.
«Yes… but very slowly… because the teacher throws me out almost every day…»
«What did I say!» exclaims Bartholomew.
«But I behave like that because the teacher is old and ugly and says the same things all the time and makes you fall asleep! If he were like Him (and he points to Jesus) I would pay attention. Do You hit those who sleep or play?»
«I do not hit anybody. But I say to My pupils: “Pay attention for your own good and for My sake”» replies Jesus.
«Yes, that’s all right! Out of love, not out of fear.»
«But if you are good, the teacher will love you.»
«Do You love only those who are good? You just said that You were patient with this man here, who was not good…» The child’s logic is cogent.
«I am good with everybody. But when one becomes good, I love that one very much and I am very good, too.»
The boy is pensive… he then looks up and asks Matthew: «And what did you do to become good?»
«I loved Him.»
184.7
The boy becomes pensive again and then looking at the Twelve asks Jesus: «Are they all good?»
«Of course they are.»
«Are you sure? I sometimes behave as a good boy, but that is when… I am thinking of some big mischief.»
They all burst into laughter. Also the little fellow, who is in a confessing humour, laughs. Also Jesus laughs pressing him to His heart and kissing him.
The boy, who is now friendly with everybody, wants to play and says: «I will now tell You who is good» and he begins his selection. He looks at them all and goes straight to John and Andrew who are nearby and says: «You and you. Come here.» He then chooses the two Jameses and places them with the other two. He then takes Thaddeus. He is quite pensive in front of the Zealot and Bartholomew and says: «You are old, but good» and he joins them to the others. He examines Peter, who undergoes the examination, jokingly frowning at him, and finds him to be good. Also Matthew and Philip pass the test. He says to Thomas: «You laugh too much. I am in earnest. Don’t you know that my teacher says that he who always laughs fails in the test?» After all, Thomas too passes his examination, but with low marks. The boy then goes back to Jesus.
«Hey, you urchin! I am here, too! I am not a tree. I am young and handsome. Why don’t you examine me?» says the Iscariot.
«Because I don’t like you. My mother says that when you don’t like something, you must not touch it. You just leave it on the table, so that other people, who may like it, can take it. And she also says that if you are offered something you do not like, you must not say: “I do not like it”. But you say: “Thank you, but I am not hungry”. And I do not hunger for you.»
«Why not? Look, if you say that I am good, I will give you this coin.»
«What am I going to do with it? What can I buy with a lie? Mummy says that money which is the fruit of deceit, becomes straw. Once at my grandmother’s, I got them to give me a didrachma by telling a lie because I wanted to buy some honey-cakes, and during the night it turned into straw. I put it in that hole over there, under the door, to take it the following morning, but I found a handful of straw in its place.»
«But how can you see that I am not good? What is wrong with me? Am I lame? Am I ugly looking?»
«No. But you frighten me.»
«Why?» asks the Iscariot going near him.
«I don’t know. Leave me alone. Don’t touch me or I will scratch you.»
«What a hedgehog! You are silly.» Judas gives a forced laugh.
«I am not silly. You are bad» and the boy takes shelter in the lap of Jesus, Who caresses him without speaking.
The apostles make fun of the situation which is not very pleasant to the Iscariot.

Detail

Jesus has just given a parable and a child, Benjamin de Magdala, is present.

Keywords

GRM 185.1-6 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

185.1 Now that everybody is asleep I am telling you my joy. I «saw» today’s Gospel. Mind you, this morning when I read it, I said to myself: «This is an episode of the Gospel which I will never see, because it is not very suitable for a vision.» Instead, when I was not thinking about it, it came to fill me with joy.
185.2 This is what I saw.
A sailing boat, not excessively large, nor very small, a fishing boat, on which five or six people can move comfortably, is ploughing the water of the beautiful deep blue lake of Gennesaret.
Jesus is sleeping in the stern. He is dressed in white as usual. He is resting His head on His left arm and under His arm and head He has placed His blue-grey mantle, which has been folded many times. He is sitting, not lying, on the bottom of the boat and His head is resting on the board that is at the very end of the stern. I do not know how sailors call it. He is sleeping peacefully. He is tired. He is placid.
Peter is at the rudder. Andrew is busy with the sails, John and two more people – I do not know who they are – are sorting out the ropes and nets at the bottom of the boat, as if they were preparing for a catch during the night. I would say that the day is drawing to its end because the sun is already setting in the west. All the disciples have pulled their tunics up, gathering them around their waists by means of belts, in order to be free in their movements, passing from one part of the boat to another, stepping over oars, seats, baskets and nets, without being hindered by their clothes. None of them is wearing a mantle.
185.3 I see that the sky is clouding over and the sun is hiding behind huge storm clouds, which have suddenly appeared from behind the top of a hill. The wind blows them fast towards the lake. The wind, for the time being, is high up, and the lake is still quiet, it is only becoming darker and its surface is no longer perfectly smooth. There are no waves as yet, but the water is beginning to ruffle.
Peter and Andrew watch the sky and the lake and are preparing to draw close to the shore. But the wind suddenly rages over the lake that in a few minutes surges foaming. The swelling waves clash one against the other, they strike the little boat, lifting it up, lowering it down, tossing it in all directions, thus preventing all manoeuvres of the rudder as the wind prevents manoeuvring the sail, which has to be lowered.
Jesus is sleeping. Neither the steps and excited voices of the disciples, nor the howling wind, nor the waves pounding on the sides of the boat and its prow, awake Him. His hair is blowing in the wind and drops of water reach Him. But He is sleeping. John runs from stern to stern and covers Him with his mantle, which he has taken from below a board. He covers Him with delicate love.
The storm rages more and more furiously. The lake is as black as if ink had been poured into it and is streaked by the foam of the waves. The boat lets in water and is driven farther and farther to the open sea by the wind. The disciples are perspiring in their efforts to manoeuvre the boat and baling out the water which the waves pour in. But to no avail. They are paddling in the water that reaches up to their knees and the boat is becoming heavier and heavier.
185.4 Peter loses his calm and patience. He hands the rudder over to his brother, staggers towards Jesus and shakes Him vigorously.
Jesus wakes up and raises His head.
«Save us, Master, we are going down!» Peter shouts to Him (he must shout to make himself heard).
Jesus stares at His disciple, looks at the others and then at the lake. «Do you believe that I can save you?»
«Quick, Master» shouts Peter, while a real mountain of water moves fast from the centre of the lake towards the poor little boat. It is so high and dreadful that it looks like a water spout. The disciples who see it coming kneel down and hang onto whatever they can, certain that it is the end.
Jesus gets up. He stands on the stern board: a white figure against the livid storm. He stretches His arms out towards the billow and says to the wind: «Stop and be quiet» and to the water: «Calm down. I want it.» And the billow dissolves into foam, which falls harmlessly with a last roar, which fades into a whisper, while the wind dies down changing into a whistle and then a sigh. And the sky becomes clear once again over the appeased lake, while hope and faith fill the hearts of the disciples.
I cannot describe Jesus’ majesty. One must see it to understand it. And I enjoy it internally because it is still present in my mind and I think of how placid was Jesus’ sleep and how imperious was His command to the winds and the waves.
185.5 Jesus then says:
«I will not expound the Gospel in the same way as everybody else does. I will illustrate the circumstances preceding the Gospel passage.
Why was I sleeping? Did I perhaps not know that there was going to be a storm? Yes, I knew. Only I knew. Why was I sleeping, then?
The apostles were men, Mary. They were full of goodwill, but still very much “men”. Man thinks he is always capable of everything. When he is really capable of doing something he is full of haughtiness and attachment to his “ability”. Peter, Andrew, James and John were good fishermen and consequently they thought they were unexcelled in handling a boat. As far as they were concerned I was a great “Rabbi”, but a mere nothing as a sailor. Thus they thought I was unable to help them, and when on the boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, they begged Me to sit down because I was not capable of doing anything else. Also their love for Me was behind their attitude, as they did not want Me to do any material work. But their attachment to their own ability was greater than their love.
I do not impose Myself, Mary, except in exceptional cases. I generally leave you free and wait. On that day, tired as I was and being requested to rest, that is to let them act, clever as they were, I went to sleep. My sleep also included the ascertainment of how man is “man” and wants to do things by himself without feeling that God asks but to help him. I saw in those “spiritual deaf men”, in those “spiritual blind men”, all the spiritual deaf and blind people, who throughout centuries would ruin themselves, because “they wanted to do by themselves”, although I was bent over their needs awaiting to be asked to help them.
When Peter shouted: “Save us!”, My bitterness dropped like a stone. I am not “man”, I am the God-Man. I do not behave as you do. When someone rejects your advice or your help, and you see him in trouble, even if you are not so bad as to rejoice at it, you are uncharitable enough to look at him disdainfully and indifferently, without being moved by his shouts for help. Your attitude means: “When I wanted to help you, you did not want me? Well, help yourself now”. But I am Jesus. I am the Saviour. And I save, Mary. I always save as soon as I am asked to.
185.6 The poor men might object: “In that case, why do You allow single or collective storms to break out?”. If by My power I should destroy Evil, you would consider yourselves the authors of Good, which in actual fact is a gift of Mine, and you would not remember Me any longer, You would never remember Me. My poor children, you are in need of sorrow to remember that you have a Father. As the prodigal son remembered he had a father when he was hungry.
Misfortunes convince you of your nothingness, of your ignorance, which is the cause of so many errors, of your wickedness, the cause of so much mourning and grief, of your faults, the cause of the punishments which you inflict upon yourselves, as well as of My existence, of My power and of My goodness.
That is what today’s Gospel teaches you. “Your” Gospel of the present time, my poor children. Call Me. Jesus does not sleep except when He is in anguish because He sees that He is not loved by you. Call Me and I will come.»

Annotation

Now that everyone's asleep, I'd like to share my joy with you. I've "seen" today's Gospel. Maria Valtorta's daily catecheses, recorded in the "Cahiers" series, began in April 1943, but the Gospel visions didn't really start until January 1944. So this is one of the very first visions. The visions are not in chronological order.

Jesus is asleep at the stern. At the stern of the boat.

Jesus rises, standing on the table in the bow. His white face stands out against the livid storm. He stretches out his arms toward the waves and says to the wind, "Stop and be quiet," and to the water, "Calm down. I want you to." According to M.L. a reader, this episode of the calmed storm is to be compared with Psalm 106 (Hebrew 107), 23-30. This connection must have been present, after the fact, in the minds of the apostles who, like their contemporaries, knew the Psalms by heart. It also sheds additional light on Jesus' comments to Maria Valtorta.

Gospel of Matthew 8, 23-27

Mt 8, 23-27 : As Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, the sea became so rough that the boat was covered by the waves. But he was asleep. The disciples went to him and woke him up, saying, "Lord, save us! We are lost." But he said to them, "Why are you so fearful, men of little faith?" Then Jesus stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. The people were amazed, saying, "Who is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

Gospel of Mark 4, 37-41

Mk 4, 37-41 : A violent storm came up. The waves were crashing against the boat, so that it was already filling up. He was asleep on the cushion at the stern. The disciples woke him up and said, "Master, we're lost; don't you care?" Awakened, he threatened the wind and said to the sea, "Silence, be quiet!" The wind died down, and there was a great calm. Jesus said to them: "Why are you so fearful? Have you not yet faith?" Seized with great fear, they said to one another, "Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Gospel of Luke 8, 23-25

Lk 8, 23-25 : While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A storm came up on the lake. They were submerged and in great peril. The disciples went to him and woke him up, saying, "Master, master! We're lost!" And he, awakening, threatened the wind and the turbulent waves. They calmed down, and calm was restored. Then Jesus said to them, "Where is your faith?" Filled with fear, they were astonished and said to one another, "Who is this that he even commands the winds and waves, and they obey him?"

Keywords

GRM 185.5-6 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

185.5
Jesus then says:
«I will not expound the Gospel in the same way as everybody else does. I will illustrate the circumstances preceding the Gospel passage.
Why was I sleeping? Did I perhaps not know that there was going to be a storm? Yes, I knew. Only I knew. Why was I sleeping, then?
The apostles were men, Mary. They were full of goodwill, but still very much “men”. Man thinks he is always capable of everything. When he is really capable of doing something he is full of haughtiness and attachment to his “ability”. Peter, Andrew, James and John were good fishermen and consequently they thought they were unexcelled in handling a boat. As far as they were concerned I was a great “Rabbi”, but a mere nothing as a sailor. Thus they thought I was unable to help them, and when on the boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, they begged Me to sit down because I was not capable of doing anything else. Also their love for Me was behind their attitude, as they did not want Me to do any material work. But their attachment to their own ability was greater than their love.
I do not impose Myself, Mary, except in exceptional cases. I generally leave you free and wait. On that day, tired as I was and being requested to rest, that is to let them act, clever as they were, I went to sleep. My sleep also included the ascertainment of how man is “man” and wants to do things by himself without feeling that God asks but to help him. I saw in those “spiritual deaf men”, in those “spiritual blind men”, all the spiritual deaf and blind people, who throughout centuries would ruin themselves, because “they wanted to do by themselves”, although I was bent over their needs awaiting to be asked to help them.
When Peter shouted: “Save us!”, My bitterness dropped like a stone. I am not “man”, I am the God-Man. I do not behave as you do. When someone rejects your advice or your help, and you see him in trouble, even if you are not so bad as to rejoice at it, you are uncharitable enough to look at him disdainfully and indifferently, without being moved by his shouts for help. Your attitude means: “When I wanted to help you, you did not want me? Well, help yourself now”. But I am Jesus. I am the Saviour. And I save, Mary. I always save as soon as I am asked to.
185.6
The poor men might object: “In that case, why do You allow single or collective storms to break out?”. If by My power I should destroy Evil, you would consider yourselves the authors of Good, which in actual fact is a gift of Mine, and you would not remember Me any longer, You would never remember Me. My poor children, you are in need of sorrow to remember that you have a Father. As the prodigal son remembered he had a father when he was hungry.
Misfortunes convince you of your nothingness, of your ignorance, which is the cause of so many errors, of your wickedness, the cause of so much mourning and grief, of your faults, the cause of the punishments which you inflict upon yourselves, as well as of My existence, of My power and of My goodness.
That is what today’s Gospel teaches you. “Your” Gospel of the present time, my poor children. Call Me. Jesus does not sleep except when He is in anguish because He sees that He is not loved by you. Call Me and I will come.»

Detail

Maria has just seen the storm subside.

Annotation

Gospel of Matthew 8, 23-27

Gospel of Mark 4, 37-41

Mk 4, 37-41 : A violent storm came up. The waves were crashing against the boat, so that it was already filling up. He was asleep on the cushion at the stern. The disciples woke him up and said, "Master, we're lost; don't you care?" Awakened, he threatened the wind and said to the sea, "Silence, be quiet!" The wind died down, and there was a great calm. Jesus said to them: "Why are you so fearful? Have you not yet faith?" Seized with great fear, they said to each other, "Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Gospel of Luke 8, 23-25

Keywords

GRM 185.5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

I am not “man”, I am the God-Man. I do not behave as you do. When someone rejects your advice or your help, and you see him in trouble, even if you are not so bad as to rejoice at it, you are uncharitable enough to look at him disdainfully and indifferently, without being moved by his shouts for help. Your attitude means: “When I wanted to help you, you did not want me? Well, help yourself now”. But I am Jesus. I am the Saviour. And I save, Mary. I always save as soon as I am asked to.

Keywords

GRM 186.2.5-8 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Jesus, after crossing the lake from north-west to south-east, asks Peter to land near Hippos. Peter obeys without objection and takes the boat down to the mouth of a little river, which is in flood because of the springtime rains and of the recent storm and flows into the lake through one of the wild rocky gorges common to this coastal area. The assistants – there is one in each boat – fasten the boats and are ordered to wait until evening to go back to Capernaum.
«And be as dumb as an ox» suggests Peter. «If they ask you where the Master is, reply without hesitation: “I don’t know”. And if anyone wants to know where He is going to, give the same reply. In any case it is the truth, for you don’t know.»
They part and Jesus begins to ascend a steep path which climbs the almost upright cliff. The apostles follow Him along a very hard path up to the top of the cliff which levels over to a tableland strewn with oak-trees under which there are many pigs pasturing.
«Stinking animals!» exclaims Bartholomew. «They prevent us from passing…»
«No, they do not. There is room for everybody» replies Jesus calmly.
In any case the swineherds, when they see the Israelites, endeavour to gather the pigs under the oak-trees, leaving the path free. And the apostles pass by, making endless grimaces, among the filth left by the grouting animals, which fat as they are, seem anxious to become even fatter.
Jesus passes without any fuss, saying to the swineherds: «May God reward you for your kindness.»
The swineherds, poor people not much cleaner than their pigs but infinitely thinner, look at Him amazed and then whisper to one another. One of them says: «Is He perhaps not an Israelite?» And the others reply to him: «Don’t you see that His tunic is fringed?»
The group of the apostles gather together, now that they can proceed in one group along a fairly wide path. (...)
186.5
But what are these ruins?»
«They all move away from the side of the mountain because stones and earth are rolling down and bouncing on the slope and they all look around amazed.
«There, there! Over there! Two men completely naked… are coming towards us gesticulating. Mad…»
«Or demoniacs» replies Jesus to the Iscariot, who was the first to see the two demoniacs come towards Jesus.
They must have come out of some cave on the mountain side. They are howling. And one, who is running faster, rushes towards Jesus. He is running so fast and moving his arms up and down so much as if they were wings, that he looks like a strange ugly big bird stripped of its feathers. He collapses at Jesus’ feet shouting: «You are here, Master of the world? What have I got to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Has the hour of our punishment already come? Why have You come to torture us before the time?» The other demoniac, both because his tongue is tied and because he is possessed by a demon who causes him to be dullwitted, does nothing but throw himself on the ground, face down, and weep. He then sits up, remains inert, playing with little stones and his bare feet. The demon continues to speak through the lips of the other man who writhes on the ground in a paroxysm of terror. I would say that he wants to react, whereas he can but worship, attracted and rejected at the same time by Jesus’ power. He howls: «I entreat You in the name of God, stop tormenting me. Let me go.»
«Yes. But out of this man. Unclean spirit, go out of them and tell Me your name.»
«Legion is my name because we are many. We have possessed these men for years and through them we break bonds and chains, and there is no strength of man capable of holding them. They are a terror, because of us, and we make use of them to have You cursed. We revenge ourselves on them for Your anathema. We degrade man below a beast to mock at You and there is no wolf, jackal, hyena, vulture or vampire like these whom we possess. But don’t cast us out. Hell is too horrid!…»
«Go out! In the name of Jesus, go out!» Jesus’ voice thunders and His eyes fire splendour.
«At least let us go into the herd of pigs You met.»
«Go.»
With a beastly howl the demons part from the two wretched men and in a sudden whirlwind, which causes the oak-trees to sway like reeds, they run into the large herd of pigs that with real demoniac cries begin to run, as possessed beings, through the oak trees, pushing, wounding, biting one another and hurl themselves into the lake, when, after reaching the edge of the cliff, they have but the water below as a shelter. The swineherds are overwhelmed and dumbfounded and while they shout seized by fear, hundreds of animals fall headlong into the calm water in a succession of splashes, causing the water to surge and foam; they sink, refloat, showing in turn their round bellies or their pointed snouts with terrified eyes, and in the end drown.
186.6
The swineherds run towards the town howling.
The apostles go towards the place of the disaster and come back saying: «Not one of them is saved! He has done them a bad turn.»
Jesus replies calmly: «It is better if two thousand pigs perish than one man. Give them some clothes. They cannot stay like that.»
The Zealot opens his bag and gives one of his tunics. Thomas another one. The two men are still somewhat stunned as if they were just awaking from a sound sleep full of nightmares.
«Give them some food. Let them go back to the normal life of men.»
Jesus watches them while they eat the bread and olives given to them and they drink out of Peter’s flask.
At last they speak: «Who are You?» asks one.
«Jesus of Nazareth.»
«We don’t know You» says the other.
«Your souls know Me. Get up now and go home.»
«We have suffered very much, I think, but I cannot remember very well. Who is this man?» asks the one who spoke on behalf of the demon, and he points at his companion.
«I do not know. He was with you.»
«Who are you? Why are you here?» he asks his companion.
The one who was dumb, and is still more inert, says: «I am Demetrius. Is this Sidon?»
«Sidon is on the sea, man. Here you are beyond the lake of Galilee.»
«Why am I here?»
Nobody can reply.
186.7
Some people are arriving followed by the swineberds. They look frightened and curious. When they see the two men dressed and tidy, their astonishment increases.
«That is Mark of Josiah!… And that is the son of the heathen merchant!…»
«And He is the one who cured them and caused our pigs to perish, because they became mad when the demons entered them» say the swineherds.
«Lord, You are powerful, we admit it. But You have already caused us too much harm! A damage of many talents. Go away, please, lest Your power should bring the mountain down and hurl it into the lake. Go away…»
«I will go. I do not impose Myself on anybody» and Jesus without further discussion goes back the way He came.
The demoniac who spoke follows Him, behind the apostles. Farther back, at some distance, there are many citizens watching whether He is really leaving.
186.8
They go down the steep path back to the mouth of the little rent, near the boats. The citizens remain on the terrace watching. The demoniac who has been cured goes down behind Jesus.
In the boats the assistants are terrified. They saw the pigs raining into the lake and are still contemplating their bodies which surface more and more numerous, more and more swollen, with their round bellies in the air and their stiff short legs like four pegs stuck into a huge fat bladder. «What happened?» they ask.
«We will tell you later. Loosen the boats and let us go… Where, my Lord?»
«To the gulf of Tarichea.»
The man who has followed them, now that he sees them getting into the boats, implores: «Take me with You, Lord.»
«No. Go home: your relatives are entitled to have you. Speak to them of the great things the Lord has done to you and tell them how He had mercy on you. This area is in need of faith. Light the flames of faith out of gratitude to the Lord. Go. Goodbye.»
«Comfort me at least with Your blessing, that the demon may not possess me again.»
«Be not afraid. If you do not want, he will not come. But I bless you. Go in peace.»
The boats depart from the shore westwards. Only then, when the boats are ploughing through the waters strewn with the swine victims, the inhabitants of the town, which did not want the Lord, withdraw from the terrace and go away.

Annotation

The employees tie up the boats - there is one per boat - and are ordered to wait until evening for the return to Capernaum. They are two anonymous figures, obviously carrying out maneuvers. They were undoubtedly present in EMV 185.

At least, let me into this herd of pigs: The original text speaks in the singular here: Lasciami. This singular request will be ingenuously interpreted by Peter in EMV 203.3.

Gospel of Matthew 8, 28-34

Mt 8, 28-34 : As Jesus reached the other side of the river, in the land of the Gadarenes, two possessed men came out from among the tombs to meet him; they were so aggressive that no one could pass by that way. Behold, they cried out, "What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the appointed time?" Now there was a large herd of pigs in the distance, looking for food. The demons begged Jesus, "If you expel us, send us into the herd of swine." He replied, "Go." They went out and into the pigs; and behold, from the top of the cliff, the whole herd rushed into the sea, and the pigs died in the waves. The guardians fled and went into the city to report all this, and in particular what had happened to the possessed. And behold, the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, the people begged him to leave their territory.

Gospel of Mark 5:1-20

Mk 5, 1-20 : They came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, in the country of the Gerasenes. As Jesus got out of the boat, immediately a man possessed by an unclean spirit came forward from the tombs to meet him; he lived in the tombs and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain; indeed he had often been bound with leg irons and chains, but he had broken the chains, broken the irons, and no one could restrain him. Constantly, night and day, he was among the tombs and on the hills, shouting and hurting himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from afar, he ran to him, bowed before him and cried out in a loud voice: "What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!" For Jesus was saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of this man!" And he asked him, "What is your name?" The man said to him, "My name is Legion, for there are many of us." And they begged Jesus insistently not to drive them out of the country.

Now, on the hillside there was a large herd of pigs looking for food. So the unclean spirits begged Jesus, "Send us to these swine, and we will enter them." He allowed them to do so. They came out of the man and entered the pigs. From the top of the cliff, the herd rushed into the sea: there were about two thousand pigs, and they were drowning in the sea. Their guardians fled and spread the news in town and country, and people came to see what had happened.

When they came to Jesus, they saw the demon-possessed man sitting up, clothed, and coming to his senses, he who had had the legion of demons, and they were seized with fear. Those who had seen all this told them the story of the demon-possessed man and what had happened to the pigs. So they began to beg Jesus to leave their territory.

As Jesus climbed back into the boat, the possessed man begged him to be allowed to be with him. He did not consent, but said to him, "Go home to your family, and tell them all that the Lord has done for you in His mercy." So the man went away, and began to proclaim in the Decapolis region what Jesus had done for him, and everyone was in awe.

Gospel of Luke 8, 26-39

Lk 8, 26-39 : They landed in the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As Jesus disembarked, a demon-possessed man from the city came to meet him. For some time he had not put on clothes, nor lived in a house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell at his feet and said in a loud voice: "What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please don't torment me." Indeed, Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of this man, for the spirit had taken hold of him many times. He was then kept bound in chains, with fetters on his feet, but he broke his bonds and the demon dragged him away to deserted places. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion". Indeed, many demons had entered him. And these demons begged Jesus not to order them to go into the abyss. Now, there was a sizeable herd of pigs foraging on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs, and he did. They went out of the man and into the pigs. From the top of the cliff, the herd rushed into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled; they spread the news in the town and in the countryside, and people went out to see what had happened.

When they came to Jesus, they found the man whom the demons had left, seated, clothed and restored to his senses, at Jesus' feet. And they were seized with fear. Those who had seen told them how the demon-possessed man had been saved. Then all the people in the territory of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their home, because they were in great fear. Jesus got back into the boat and sailed away.

The man the demons had left asked if he could be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Go back home and tell everyone what God has done for you." So the man set off to proclaim throughout the town all that Jesus had done for him.

Keywords

GRM 186.5-6

The Gospel as revealed to me

Translation in progress

Keywords

GRM 187.2 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

My friends! I am so anguished and disgusted… Do not increase My grief with your pettiness! Let Me seek some comfort in things which do not know how to hate…

Keywords

GRM 187.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Where are we going exactly?» asks Peter.
«To give Passover to those who suffer. I have been wanting to do it for a long time. But I could not. I would have done it going back to Galilee. Now that they compel us to go along roads that we have not chosen, I am going to bless Jonah’s poor friends.»
«We will be wasting a lot of time! Passover is near! There are always delays for various reasons.» Another chorus of complaints rises to the sky. I do not know how Jesus can be so patient…
Without reproaching anyone He says: «Please, do not hinder Me! Endeavour to understand My need to love and to be loved. I have but this solace on the earth: to love and do the will of God.»
«And are we going from here? Was it not better to go from Nazareth?»
«If I had suggested that, you would have rebelled. No one will suspect that I am here… and I am doing it for you… because you are afraid.»
«Afraid? Ah! No! We are ready to fight for You.»
«Pray the Lord not to put you to the test. I know that you are quarrelsome, resentful, anxious to offend those who offend Me and to humble your neighbour. I know all that. But I do not know you to be brave. As far as I am concerned, I would have also gone by Myself and along the main road and nothing would have happened because it is not yet the time. But I feel sorry for you. I have to obey My Mother, yes, but I do not want to upset Simon the Pharisee. I will not disgust them. But they will disgust Me.»
«And where do we go from here? I am not familiar with this area» says Thomas.
«We will reach Tabor, we will coast part of it and will go to Nain via Endor; from there to the plain of Esdraelon. Be not afraid!… Doras, the son of Doras, and Johanan are already in Jerusalem.»

Keywords

GRM 187.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Endeavour to understand My need to love and to be loved. I have but this solace on the earth: to love and do the will of God.

Detail

Jesus said to the apostles:

Keywords

GRM 187.4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«I wish to go onto the infinite sea… towards other lands beyond it. I wish to go and speak of You. I am dreaming… of going towards Rome, towards Greece, towards dark places to take the Light there… so that those living in darkness may get in touch with You and may live in communion with You, Light of the world… I am dreaming of a better world… to be bettered through the knowledge of You, that is, through the knowledge of the Love that makes people good, pure, heroic, of the Love that makes the world love and raise Your Name, Your Faith, Your Doctrine above hatred, sin, flesh, above the vices of the mind, above gold, above everything… and I dream of going with my brothers on the sea of God, on the road of light to take You… as Your Mother once brought You down to us from Heaven… I dream that I am a child, who knowing nothing but love, is happy also when facing trouble… and sings to comfort the adults who ponder too much, and moves forward… facing death smiling… towards glory with the humility of one who does not know what he is doing, but knows only that he is coming to You, Love…»

Detail

John of Zebedee speaks.