Notes for this theme

Interactions with Jesus Christ

Page 7 of 7

Reading comfort

GRM 194.2-5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

They are now climbing a very steep hill, because they have left the dusty crowded main road and have taken this short cut through woods. And when they reach the summit, they can distinctly see in the distance a huge bright light shining above an agglomeration, perhaps whitewashed houses.
«Jabez» calls Jesus «come here. Can you see that golden spot? It is the House of the Lord. There you will swear to obey the Law. But do you know it well?»
«My mother used to speak to me about it and my father taught me the precepts. I can read… and… and I think I know what “they” told me before they died…» The boy, who had come smiling when Jesus called him, is now weeping with his head lowered and his trembling hand in Jesus’ hand.
«Do not weep. Listen. Do you know where we are? This is Bethel. Holy Jacob dreamt of the angels here. Do you know? Do you remember?»
«Yes, Lord. He saw a ladder that from the earth reached up to Heaven and the angels went up and down, and my mother used to say that when one dies, if one has always been good, one sees the same thing and goes up that ladder to the House of God. My mother used to tell me many things… But now she does not tell me anymore… I have them all in here and that is all I have of hers…» Tears stream down his little sad face.
«Do not weep like that! Listen, Jabez. I also have a Mother and Her name is Mary and She is holy and good and can tell many things. She is wiser than a teacher and more gentle and beautiful than an angel. We are going to see Her now. She will love you so much. And She will tell you many things. And then John’s mother is with her and she is very good, too, and her name is Mary. And there is the mother of my brother Judas, and she is as sweet as a honey cake and her name is Mary, too. They will love you so much. Because you are a clever boy and for My sake, because I love you so much. And you will grow up with them and when you are big, you will be a holy man of God, like a doctor you will preach Jesus Who has given you a new mother here and Who will open the gates of Heaven to your dead mother and to your father, and will open them also to you when your hour comes. You will not even need to climb the long ladder of Heaven when you die. You will have climbed it during your lifetime, being a good disciple, and you will find yourself up there, at the gate of Paradise, and I will be there and I will say to you: “Come, My friend and son of Mary” and we shall be together.» Jesus’ bright smile, while walking slightly bent to be closer to the raised face of the child who is walking beside Him with his hand held by Jesus, and the wonderful story wipe his tears and make him smile.
194.3
The boy, who is far from being dim of wit but is only stunned by grief and the hardships he has suffered, is interested in the story and asks: «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.»
«And will my mother be there?»
«Most certainly.»
«You did not say to me that she will be with You at the gate of Heaven when I am dead, too…»
«There is no need for her and for your father to be at that gate. Like bright angels they will fly continuously from Heaven down to the earth, from Jesus to their little Jabez, and when you are about to die, they will do what those two little birds over there, in that hedge, are doing. Can you see them?» And Jesus takes the boy in His arms to let him see better. «See how they are sitting on their little eggs. They are waiting for them to hatch, then they will spread their wings over the brood to protect them from all evils, and then, when they are grown and ready to fly, they will support them with their strong wings and will take them up, up, up… towards the sun. Your parents will do the same with you.»
«Will it be just like that?»
«Exactly like that.»
«But will You tell them to remember to come?»
«That is not necessary, because they love you, but I will tell them.»
«Oh! How I love You!» The child, who is still in Jesus’ arms, presses against His neck and kisses Him with such joyful effusion that is really moving.
Jesus kisses him, too, and puts him down.
194.4
«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.
194.5
Let us continue the examination. Now that you have recognised Me, do you know whether the Book mentions Me?»
«Oh! Yes, Lord. From the beginning to now. Everything speaks of You. You are the promised Saviour. Now I understand why You will open the gates of Limbo. Oh! Lord! Lord! And do You love me so much?»
«Yes, Jabez.»
«No, no longer Jabez. Give me a new name that means that You loved me and saved me…»
«I will choose a name together with My Mother. All right?»
«But a name that means just that. And I will have it as from the day I become a son of the Law.»
«You will have it as from that day.»
They pass Bethel and rest in a little cool valley, rich in water, to take some food. Jabez is half stunned by the revelation and eats in silence, accepting with veneration every mouthful that Jesus hands to him. But he slowly takes heart again, and after playing happily on the green grass with John while the others are resting, he goes back to Jesus together with his smiling friend John, and the three chat together.
«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!»
John teases him: «But which Prophet spoke best of Him?»
«Isaiah and Daniel. But I…I like Daniel more, now that I love You as my father. Can I say that? That I love You as I loved my father? Yes? Well, now I prefer Daniel.»
«Why? Who speaks most of the Christ is Isaiah.»
«Yes, but he speaks of the sorrows of the Christ. Daniel instead speaks of the beautiful angel and of Your coming. It is true… he also says that Christ will be sacrificed. But I think that the Lamb will be sacrificed with one single blow. Not as Isaiah and David say. I always wept when my mother read them and she did not read them anymore.» He is almost weeping even now while caressing Jesus’ hand.
«Forget about it for the time being. Listen. Do you know the precepts?»
«Yes, my Lord. I think I know them. I used to repeat them when I was in the wood, so that I would not forget them, also because I wanted to hear the words of my mother and my father. But now I will not weep anymore (tears, however, are shining in his eyes) because I have You.»
John smiles and embraces Jesus saying: «The same words as mine! All those who are children in their hearts speak the same language.»
«Yes. Because their words come from one wisdom only.»

Keywords

GRM 195.2-3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Jesus is God.»
«I know, and I believe it. More than you do. Because I have revived through His work, you have not. No matter how good He is, He is still God, and I, a poor wretch dare not treat Him with familiarity as you do. My soul speaks to Him… my lips dare not. My soul does, and I think that He perceives it weeping out of gratitude and repentant love.»
195.2 «That is true, John. I do perceive your soul.» Jesus comes into the conversation of the two. Judas blushes with shame, the man of Endor with joy. «I perceive your soul, that is true. And I perceive also the work of your mind. What you said is correct. When you have been formed in Me, your experience as a teacher and a diligent pupil will be of great help to you. Speak, do speak, also to yourself.»
«Once, Master, not long ago, you told me that it is wrong to speak to one’s ego» remarks Judas insolently.
«That is true, I did. But that was because you were grumbling with your ego. This man is not grumbling, he is meditating, and for a good purpose. He is not doing anything wrong.»
«In brief, I am wrong!» Judas is aggressive.
«No, your heart is impatient. But the weather cannot be always good. Farmers want rain. It is charity to pray that it may rain. And this is also charity. But look, there is a beautiful rainbow forming an arch from Ataroth to Ramah. We are already beyond Ataroth, we have passed the large sad valley, and here the country is cultivated and pleasant under the sun, which is breaking through the clouds. When we are in Ramah we shall be thirty-six stadia from Jerusalem. We shall see the Holy City again after that hill, which is the place of the horrid lewd crime committed by the men of Gibeah. What a terrible thing is the concupiscence of the flesh, Judas…»
Judas does not reply, instead he delays splashing angrily in the puddles.

Detail

Judas speaks to John of Endor.

Annotation

- That's right, I said it. In EMV 183.1.

Gibeah or Guibeah: In the days of the judges, an old man invited a Levite from Ephraim and his concubine to lodge with him for the night. Shortly afterwards, men from Gibeah, scoundrels, surrounded the house, demanding that the Levite be handed over to them so they could have relations with him. The old man offered them his daughter, but they refused. The Levite gave them his concubine. They abused her all night, so much so that she died in the morning. Pieces of her body were sent to the tribes of Israel as a token of infamy (Judges 19:15-30). As the tribe of Benjamin sided with the guilty men of Gibeah, the other tribes went to war with them. Twice, they suffered heavy losses before finally defeating the Benjaminites and delivering Gibeah to the fire (Judges 20).

Judges 19, 10-30

Jg 19, 10-30 : The husband did not consent to spend the night; he got up and left. He came as far as Jebus, which is Jerusalem, with the two pack donkeys and his concubine. By the time they were near Jebus, it was very dark. So the servant said to his master, "Come, please, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites, and spend the night there." His master replied, "We will not turn aside to a foreign city, where there are no children of Israel; we will go as far as Gibeah." again he said to his servant, "Come, let us try to reach one of these places to spend the night, either Gibeah or Ramah." They walked on, and the sun set when they were near Gabaa, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned this way, to spend the night at Gabaa.

When the Levite entered, he stopped in the town square, and there was no one to receive them into his house to spend the night. 16But, behold, an old man returned in the evening from working in the field; he was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, who sojourned in Gibeah, and the people of the place were Benjamites. When he looked up, he saw the traveler in the town square, and the old man said, "Where are you going and from where have you come?" He replied, "We are going from Bethlehem of Judah to the end of the mountain of Ephraim, where I come from. I had been to Bethlehem of Judah, and now I am going to Yahweh's house, and there is no one to receive me in his house. However, we have straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, for your maid and for the young man who is with your servants; we lack nothing." The old man said, "Peace be with you! Only I will provide for all your needs; but don't spend the night in the square." He let him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys; the travelers washed their feet, then ate and drank.

While they were gladdening their hearts, behold, men from the city, perverse people, surrounded the house and, knocking loudly at the door, they said to the old man, master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may know him." The master of the house went out to them and said, "No, my brothers, please don't do evil; since this man has entered my house, don't commit this infamy. Here is my daughter, who is a virgin, and her concubine; I will bring them out to you, and you shall do violence to them and treat them as you please; but do not commit such an infamous deed upon this man." The men would not listen. So the man took his concubine and brought her outside. They got to know her and abused her all night until morning, then sent her away at dawn.

Towards morning, the woman fell at the door of her husband's house, and stayed there until daylight. Her husband got up in the morning and, having opened the door of the house, went out to continue his journey. And behold, the woman, his concubine, was lying at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Get up and let's get out of here." But no one answered. So the husband put her on his donkey and set off for his home.

When he got home, he took a knife and, seizing his concubine, cut her limb from limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel. All who saw this said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen since the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day; ponder it, consult and pronounce."

Keywords

GRM 198.1-4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Jesus is walking fast with His disciples towards Lazarus’ town, along a shady road which links the Mount of Olives to Bethany. One could say that the green ramifications of the mountain stretch as far as the countryside of Bethany. Jesus is recognised even before entering the town and voluntary messengers run in all directions to inform people of His arrival. Thus Lazarus and Maximinus arrive running from one side, Isaac with Timoneus and Joseph from another, and the third group to arrive is Martha with Marcella, who lifts her veil to bend down and kiss Jesus’ tunic. Immediately after Mary of Alphaeus and Mary Salome reach the spot, they greet the Master and then embrace their sons. Little Jabez, still held by the hand by Jesus, is tossed about by so much rushing and watches everything dumbfounded. John of Endor, feeling like a stranger, withdraws to the end of the group and stands aside. Suddenly, in the lane leading to Simon’s house, Jesus’ Mother comes forward.
Jesus drops Jabez’ hand and gently pushes His friends to one side to hasten towards Her. The well-known words resound in the air, like a solo of love above the whispering of the crowd: «Son!»; «Mother.» They kiss each other and in Mary’s kiss there is the anguish of a mother who has been afraid for a long time and now that the terror, which had seized her, is dissolving, she feels the tiredness of the effort she made and evaluates the risks He has run…
Jesus, Who understands, caresses Her saying: «Beside My angel I had Yours, Mother, watching over Me. No harm could have befallen Me.»
«May the Lord be praised for that. But I suffered so much!»
«I wanted to come sooner, but in order to obey You, I had to come a different way. But it was a good thing, because Your order, Mother, bore good fruit, as usual.»
«It was Your obedience, Son!»
«It was Your wise order, Mother… » They smile at each other like two lovers.
Is it possible that this Woman is the Mother of this Man? Where are the sixteen years of difference in age? The freshness and grace of Mary’s face and of Her virginal body make Her a sister of Her Son, Who is in the fullness of a handsome manliness.
«Are You not asking Me why it bore good fruit?» asks Jesus smiling all the time.
«I know that My Jesus conceals nothing from Me.»
«My dear Mother!» He kisses Her again…
People have kept away a few yards pretending not to be watching the scene. But I bet that there is not one of all the eyes that seem to be looking elsewhere that does not cast sidelong glances at the loving scene.
198.2
The one who is most keen in watching is Jabez, whom Jesus left when He ran to embrace His Mother, and who has been left all alone, because owing to the quick succession of questions and answers, everybody’s attention was diverted from the poor boy… He looks, then bends his head, endeavours to restrain his tears… but he cannot and bursts out weeping, moaning: «Mummy! Mummy!»
Everybody turns around, Jesus and Mary are the first, and everybody endeavours to help or find out who the boy is. Mary of Alphaeus rushes towards him with Peter – they were together – and they both ask: «Why are you crying?»
But before Jabez can catch his breath and speak while shedding so many tears, Mary has run towards him and taken him in Her arms saying: «Yes, my little child, your Mother! Do not cry anymore… and excuse Me if I did not see you before. My friends, here is My little son…» It is obvious that Jesus, in the few seconds approaching the boy, must have said to Her: «He is a little orphan brought with Me.» Mary realised the rest.
The boy is still weeping, but not so disconsolately, and as Mary is holding him in Her arms and kissing him, he ends up by smiling while his face is still wet with tears.
«Let me dry those tears of yours. You must not cry any more! Give Me a kiss…» Jabez was expecting nothing but that and after being caressed by bearded men, he is overjoyed in kissing Mary’s smooth cheek.
198.3
3Jesus has been looking for John of Endor and when He sees him, He goes to get him in his remote corner. And while all the apostles are greeting Mary, Jesus comes towards Her, holding John of Endor by the hand and He says: «This is the other disciple, Mother. Your command gained these two sons for You.»
«It was Your obedience, Son» repeats Mary and She greets the man saying: «Peace to you.»
The man, the coarse restless man of Endor, who has changed so much since that morning when Judas’ whim took Jesus to Endor, completely divests himself of his past while bowing to Mary. I think it is so, because his face, after bowing, looks really serene and truly «at peace».
They all set out towards Simon’s house: Mary with Jabez in Her arms, Jesus holding John of Endor by the hand, and then, around them and behind them, Lazarus and Martha, the apostles with Maximinus, Isaac, Joseph, and Timoneus.

Keywords

GRM 198.11 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

…It is late in the night when Jesus can speak to His Mother in peace. They have gone up to the terrace, and sitting one beside the other, hand in hand, they speak and listen to each other.
Jesus is the first to tell the story of the things that happened. Then Mary says: «Son, after Your departure, immediately after, a woman came to Me… She was looking for You. A great misery. And a great redemption. But the poor creature needs to be forgiven by You so that she may persevere in her decision. I entrusted her to Susanna saying that she had been cured by You. That is true. I could have kept her with Me if our house were not like a sea-port, where all the boats come in… and many with evil intentions. And the woman is disgusted with the world by now. Do You want to know who she is?»
«She is a soul. But tell Me her name that I may receive her without any mistake.»
«She is Aglae. The Roman mime and sinner whom You began to save at Hebron, who looked for You and found You at the Clear Water and she has already suffered because of her revived honesty. How much she has suffered!… She told Me everything… How horrible!…»
«Her sin?»
«That… and I would say how much more: how horrible the world is. Oh! My Son! Do not trust the Pharisees in Capernaum! They wanted to use the unhappy creature to harm You. They would have used even her…»
«I know, Mother… Where is Aglae?»
«She will be coming with Susanna before Passover.»
«Very well. I will speak to her. I will be here every evening and with the exception of Passover evening, which I am reserving for the family, I will wait for her. All You need do is tell her to wait, if she comes. It is a great redemption, as You said. And such a spontaneous one! I solemnly tell You that in few hearts My seed took root with the same strength as it did in this unhappy soil. And later Andrew helped it to grow until it was fully formed.»
«She told Me.»
«Mother, what did You feel when that ruin approached You?»
«Disgust and joy. I seemed to be on the brink of a hellish abyss, and at the same time I felt as if I were being carried into the blue sky. You are God indeed, My Son, when You work such miracles!»
They remain silent, under the very bright stars and the pale light of the first quarter of the moon, which is tending to become full. Silent, loving each other and resting in each other’s love.

Keywords

GRM 199.7-9 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

… And once again, in the evening, we are in the little house in Bethany. Many have already withdrawn, because they were tired. Peter is walking up and down the path, often looking up to the terrace where Jesus and Mary are sitting talking. John of Endor, instead, is speaking to the Zealot sitting under a pomegranate-tree in full blossom.
Mary has already spoken a great deal because I can hear Jesus say: «Everything You told Me is just and I will bear in mind its justice. And I say that Your advice concerning Annaleah is also right. It is a good sign that the man has accepted it so readily. It is true that the people high up in Jerusalem are dull-minded and envious, I could also say that they are filthy. But in the humble people there are pearls of unknown value. I am glad that Annaleah is happy. She belongs more to Heaven than to the earth, and perhaps the man, who has now understood the concept of the spirit, realises that and he respects her almost religiously. His intention to go elsewhere, so that no human sentiment may upset the pure vow of his girl, proves it.»
«Yes, My Son, Man perceives the perfume of virgins… I remember Joseph, I did not know which words to use. He was not aware of My secret… And yet he helped Me to disclose it with the intuition of a saint. He had perceived the scent of My soul… Also John, see?… How peaceful he is! And everybody seeks him. Even Judas of Kerioth, although… No, Son. Judas has not changed. I know and You know. We do not speak because we do not want to start a war. But even if we do not speak, we know… and even if we do not speak, the others realise… Oh! My Jesus! The younger apostles told Me today, at Gethsemane, the episode at Magdala and the other one of Sabbath morning… Innocent children speak… because they see through the eyes of their angels. But also old people have an idea… They are not wrong. He is an elusive being… Everything is elusive in him… and I am afraid of him and I have on My lips the same words of Benjamin at Magdala and of Marjiam at Gethsemane, because I feel the same disgust for Judas as children do.»
«Not everybody can be John!…»
«I do not demand that! In that case, it would be paradise on the earth. But, see, You told Me about the other John… A man who killed… but I only feel sorry for him. Judas frightens Me.»
«Love him, Mother! Love him, for My sake!»
«Yes, Son, I will. But not even My love will serve. It will only make Me suffer and make him guilty, Oh! Why did he come to You? He upsets everybody, he offends Peter who deserves all respect.»
199.8
«Yes. Peter is very good. I would do anything for him, because he deserves it.»
«If he heard You, he would say with his good frank smile: “Ah! My Lord, that is not true!” And he would be right.»
«Why, Mother?» But Jesus smiles, because He has already understood.
«Because You are not satisfying him by giving him a son. He told Me all his hopes, his desires… and Your refusals.»
«And did he not tell You the reasons justifying them?»
«Yes, he did and he added: “It is true… but I am a man, a poor man. Jesus persists in seeing a great man in me. But I know that I am a poor fellow, and so… he could give me a child. I got married to have them… and I will die without any”. And he said — pointing at the boy who, delighted because of the lovely dress bought by Peter, had kissed him, saying: “Beloved father” — he said: “See, when this little creature, whom only ten days ago I did not know, says that to me, I feel that I become softer than butter and sweeter than honey and I weep, because… every day that goes by, takes this child away from me”.»
Mary becomes silent, watching Jesus, studying His face, waiting for a word… But Jesus has placed His elbow on His knee, resting His head in His hand and is silent, looking at the green expanse of the orchard.
Mary takes His hand and caressing it She says: «Simon has this great desire… When I went with him, he did nothing but speak to Me about it, and his reasons are so good that… I could say nothing to keep him quiet. They are the same reasons that all women and mothers think of. The boy is not strong. If he were as strong as You were… oh! he could have faced the life of a disciple without any fear. But he is so thin!… He is very intelligent, very good… but nothing more. When a little dove is so delicate, you cannot throw it in the air to let it fly very early, as you do with strong ones. The shepherds are good… but they are still men. Children need women. Why do You not leave him with Simon? While You refuse him a son of his own, born of him, I understand the reason. A son is like an anchor. And Simon, who is destined to such a great task, cannot be hindered by anchors. But You must agree that he is to be the “father” of all the sons You will be leaving him. How can he be a father if he has had no training with a child? A father must be sweet. Simon is good, but not sweet. He is impulsive and intolerant. Only a little creature can teach him the fine art of being indulgent to whoever is weak… Consider Simon’s destiny… He is Your successor after all! Oh! I must say that cruel word! But for all the sorrow it causes Me saying it, listen to Me. I would never advise You anything unless it were good. Marjiam… You want to make a perfect disciple of him… But he is only a boy. You… You will be going before he is a man. To whom then can You give him, to complete his formation, better than Simon? Finally, poor Simon, You know how much trouble he has had, with his mother-in-law, also because of You. And yet he has not picked up a tiny part of his past, of his freedom of a year ago, to be left in peace by his mother-in-law, whom not even You have been able to change. And his poor wife? She is longing so much to love and be loved. Her mother… oh! Her husband? A dear domineering man… No affection is ever given to her without exacting too much… Poor woman!… Leave her the boy. Listen, Son. For the time being we will take him with us. I will come to Judaea, too. You will take Me to one of My companions of the Temple, who is almost a relative, because she is of the House of David. She lives at Bethzur. I will be pleased to see her, if she is still alive. Then, when we go back to Galilee, we will give him to Porphirea. When we are near Bethsaida, Peter will take him. When we come here, so far, the boy will stay with her. Ah! You are smiling now! So You are going to please Your Mother. Thank You, My Jesus.»
«Yes, let it be done, as You wish.»
199.9
Jesus stands up and calls out loud: «Simon of Jonas: come here.»
Peter starts and rushes up the steps. «What do You want, Master?»
«Come here, you usurper and corrupter!»
«Me? Why? What have I done, Lord?»
«You have corrupted My Mother. That is why you wanted to be alone. What shall I do with you?»
But Jesus smiles and Peter recovers confidence. «Oh!» he says. «You really frightened me! But now You are laughing… What do You want from me, Master? My life? I have but that, because You have taken everything… But if You want, I will give it to You.»
«I do not want to take anything from you. I want to give you something. But do not take advantage of your victory and do not disclose the secret to the others, you most artful fellow who defeats the Master by means of the weapon of His Mother’s word. You will have the boy, but…»
Jesus can say no more, because Peter, who had knelt down, bounces to his feet and kisses the Master with such delight that he makes the words die on His lips.
«Thank Her, not Me. But remember that this must be of assistance to you, and not an impediment…»
«My Lord, You will not have to repent of the gift… Oh! Mary! May You be always blessed, You are holy and good…» And Peter, who has fallen on his knees again, weeps, kissing Mary’s hand…

Annotation

As for Annalia, I think your advice is right. It's a good sign that the man accepted her so promptly. Samuel her fiancé. Annalia took a vow of virginity, the first of the Consecrated Virgins. Cf. EMV 156.3/5.

Oh, my Jesus! The young people told me today, in Gethsemane, about the Magdala episode and the Sabbath morning. Two children's words about Judas "frightening them": Benjamin of Magdala in EMV 184.7 and Marziam in EMV 196.6.

I too will come to Judea. You will take me there with you to one of my Temple companions - almost a relative, since she is a descendant of David. She lives in Bet-çur. I'd love to see her again, if she's still alive. She is Elisede Bet-çur.

199.9 Jesus stands up and calls out in a loud voice:

"Simon, son of Jonah, come here!"

Peter is startled and hurries up the stairs:

"What do you want, Master?

- Come here, you usurper and corrupter!

- Me? Why? What have I done, Lord?

- You've corrupted my Mother. That's why you wanted to be alone. What should I do to you?"

But Jesus smiles and Peter is reassured.

Oh," he says, "you really scared me! But now you're laughing... What do you want from me, Master?

JESUS PLEASING: This passage has caused controversy among some:

- some couldn't imagine Jesus joking in the way one does with best friends (seeming to accuse them of the antithesis of what they obviously are).

- The others have a partial reading that interprets corruption in isolation as an unworthy and shocking practice.

MARY MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES :

On the first point, the joke, it should be noted that Jesus does not use the vulgarity usually associated with this type of joke, but draws a holy lesson from it: Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces. He "evangelizes" our humanity.

As for the other, a reading of the context removes any doubt as to Peter's intention: finding his deepest desire denied, he asks for Mary's help and mediation.

Keywords

GRM 202.1-4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

It is the eve of Passover. Jesus is alone with His apostles, because the women have not joined the group, and He is waiting for Peter, who has taken the lamb of Passover to be sacrificed. While they are waiting and Jesus is speaking to Marjiam of Solomon, Judas crosses the large yard. He is with a group of young men speaking, gesticulating ostentatiously and assuming an inspired attitude. He shakes his mantle continuously, then drapes it round himself posing skilfully. I do not think that Cicero looked so stately when delivering his orations…
«Look, Judas is over there!» says Thaddeus.
«He is with a group of saforim» remarks Philip.
And Thomas says: «I am going to hear what he is saying» and he runs away before Jesus may express a foreseeable «don’t».
Oh! Jesus’ countenance! A countenance of suffering and of severe judgement. Marjiam, who was looking at Him while He was speaking kindly and somewhat sadly of the great king of Israel, notices, the sudden change, is almost frightened by it and shakes Jesus’ hand to call Him back to His senses exclaiming: «Don’t look! Don’t look! Look at me, for I love You.»…
202.2
Thomas is successful in reaching Judas without being seen by him and follows him for a few steps. I do not know what he hears, but I know that he bursts into a sudden thundering exclamation. which causes many people to turn around, and in particular Judas, who becomes livid with rage: «How many rabbis there are in Israel! I congratulate you, new light of wisdom!»
«I am not a flint-stone. I am a sponge. And I absorb. And when the desire of those starving for wisdom demands it, I squeeze out all my juices of life to give them…» Judas is pompous and contemptuous.
«You sound like a perfect echo. But an echo can only exist, if it is near the Voice. Otherwise it fades away, my friend. You seem to be going away from it. He is over there. Are you not coming?»
Judas changes colour, with the rancorous disgusting countenance of his worst moments. But he controls himself. He says: «Goodbye, my friends. Here I am with you, Thomas, my dear friend. Let us go to the Master at once. I did not know that He was here in the Temple. If I had known, I would have looked for Him» and he clasps Thomas’ shoulders with his arm, as if he were very fond of him.
But Thomas, who is placid but not foolish, is not deceived by such protestations… and asks rather astutely: «What? Don’t you know that it is Passover? And do you think that the Master is not faithful to the Law?»
«Oh! Never on your life! But last year He went about, and spoke… I remember this very day. He attracted me by means of His royal authoritativeness… Now… He looks to me like one who has lost vigour. Don’t you think so?»
«No, I don’t. I think He looks like one who has lost esteem.»
«Yes, in His mission, you are quite right.»
«No. You have misunderstood. He has lost men’s esteem. And you are one of those responsible for that. Shame on you!» Thomas no longer smiles. He is serious and his words lash Judas like a whip.
«Watch how you speak!» threatens the Iscariot.
«Watch how you behave. We are two Jews here, with no witnesses. And that is why I am speaking to you. And I say once again: “Shame on you!”. And now be quiet. Don’t feign tragedy and don’t start lamenting, otherwise I will speak in front of everybody.
202.3
There is the Master and your companions. Control yourself.»
«Peace to You, Master…»
«Peace to you, Judas of Simon.»
«It is a great pleasure for me to find You here… I would like to speak to You…»
«Do so.»
«You know… I wanted to tell You… Can You not listen to me aside?»
«You are among your companions.»
«But I wanted You only.»
«At Bethany I am alone with those who want Me and look for Me, but you do not look for Me. You avoid Me…»
«No, Master. You cannot say that.»
«Why did you offend Simon and Me yesterday, and Joseph of Arimathea, your companions and My Mother and the other women as well?»
«I did? But I did not see you!»
«You did not want to see us. Why did you not come, as we had arranged, to bless the Lord because of an innocent child who was being accepted by the Law? Tell Me! You did not even feel the need to inform us that you were not coming.»
«There is my father!» shouts Marjiam who sees Peter coming back with his lamb, which has been slaughtered, eviscerated and wrapped once again in its skin. «Oh! Micah and the others are with him! I am going, can I go and meet them and hear of my old father?»
«Yes, son, go» says Jesus caressing him. And touching John of Endor on his shoulder, he says to him: «Please, go with him and… keep them there for a little while.» And He addresses Judas once again: «Tell Me! I am waiting for your reply.»
«Master… a sudden obligation… an unbreakable one… I was very sorry… But…»
«But was there not one person in Jerusalem who could bring your justification, supposing you had one? And even that would have been a fault. I remind you that recently a man did not bury his father to follow Me, and that these brothers of Mine left their father’s house, amongst imprecations, to follow Me, and that Simon and Thomas, and Andrew, James, John, Philip and Nathanael with them, left their families and Simon Cananean left his wealth to give it to Me and Matthew his sins to follow Me. And I could go on mentioning one hundred more names. There are people who leave their lives, their very lives, to follow Me to the Kingdom of Heaven. But since you are so selfish, at least be polite. You have no charity, at least be courtly. Since you like them, imitate the false Pharisees who betray Me, who betray us behaving like well-bred people. It was your duty to be free to be with us yesterday, so as not to offend Peter, for whom I demand respect from everybody. But if you had at least sent notice…»
«I made a mistake.
202.4
But now I was coming to You on purpose, to tell You that for the same reason I cannot come tomorrow. You know… I have friends of my father and…»
«That is enough. Go with them. Goodbye.»
«Master… are You angry with me? You told me that You would act as my father… I am a reckless son, but a father forgives…»
«I forgive you. But go away. Do not keep your father’s friends waiting, as I do not keep waiting the friends of holy Jonah .»
«When are You leaving Bethany?»
«At the end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Goodbye.»
Jesus turns around and goes towards the peasants who are in an ecstasy over Marjiam who is so changed. He takes a few steps then stops because of Thomas’ remark: «By Jehovah! He wanted to see in You the authoritativeness of a King! He got what he wanted!…»
«I beg you all to forget the incident, as I am striving to forget it. I order you to make no mention of it to Simon of Jonah, John of Endor and the little one. For reasons which you can easily understand, it is better not to grieve or scandalise those three. And no word about it at Bethany, with the women. My Mother is there, do not forget it.»
«Do not be concerned, Master.»
«We will do all we can to make amends.»
«And to comfort You» they all say.
«Thank you…»

Annotation

Jesus tells the child about Solomon: It's probably King Solomon.

He is with a group of saforim. Saforim (sopherîms): scribes.

I won't keep the friends of the holy Jonah waiting any longer. Jonah of Esdrelon.

By Jéovêh! He wanted to see you with your royal violence! Geovà in the original text. See the pronunciation of the divine name.

Keywords

GRM 204.1-3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

In the peace of the Sabbath Jesus rests near a flax field in bloom belonging to Lazarus. Rather than «near» I should say that He is «immersed» in the tall flax, and sitting on the edge of a furrow He is engrossed in thought. Only an odd silent butterfly flutters near Him or a lizard rustles nearby, looking at Him with its jet-black eyes, raising its little triangular head with its light throbbing throat. There is nothing else. In the late afternoon, the least sigh of wind has also become silent among the tall stalks.
From far away, perhaps from Lazarus’ garden, the song of a woman can be heard and the joyful shouting of the boy who is playing with someone. Then one, two, three voices call: «Master! Jesus!»
Jesus arouses Himself and stands up. Although the fully grown flax is very tall, Jesus emerges a good height above the blue-green sea.
«There He is, John!» shouts the Zealot.
And John in turn calls: «Mother! The Master is here, in the flax field.»
And while Jesus approaches the path leading to the houses, Mary arrives.
«What do You want, Mother?»
«My Son, some Gentiles have come with some ladies. They say that they heard from Johanna that You were here. They also said that they have been waiting for You all these past days near the Antonia…»
«Ah! I know! I will come at once. Where are they?»
«At Lazarus’ house, in his garden. He is loved by the Romans and does not feel the repugnance towards them that we do. He let them go into the large garden with their carts, so that no one would be scandalised…»
«All right, Mother.
204.2
They are Roman soldiers and ladies. I know.»
«And what do they want from You?»
«What many in Israel do not want: light.»
«But how and what do they believe You are? God perhaps?»
«Yes, in their way of thinking. It is easier for them to accept the idea of the incarnation of a god in mortal flesh, than it is for us.»
«So they believe in Your faith…»
«Not yet, Mother. I must destroy theirs, first. For the time being they consider Me a wise man, a philosopher, as they say. But both their desire to become acquainted with philosophical doctrines and their inclination to believe the incarnation of a god as possible, are of great help to Me in leading them to the true Faith. Believe Me, they are more ingenuous in their way of thinking, than many Israelites.»
«But are they sincere? It is rumoured that the Baptist…»
«No. Had it been for them, John would be free and safe. Non-rebellious people are left in peace. On the contrary I can assure You that for them to be a prophet – they say a philosopher because the loftiness of supernatural wisdom is still philosophy to them – is a guarantee of respect. Do not worry, Mother. No harm will come to Me from that end…»
«But the Pharisees… if they find out, what will they say also about Lazarus? You are You… and You are to bring the Word to the world. But Lazarus!… They already offend him so much…»
«But they cannot touch him. They know that he is protected by Rome.»
«I leave You, Son. Here is Maximinus, he will take You to the Gentiles» and Mary, Who had walked beside Jesus all the time, withdraws quickly, and goes towards the Zealot’s house. Jesus on the other hand, goes through a little iron door in the garden wall, into a distant part of the garden, where it actually becomes an orchard and precisely near the place where Lazarus will be buried later.
Lazarus is also there, but no one else. «Master, I took the liberty of giving them hospitality…»
«You did the right thing. Where are they?»
«Over there, in the shade of the boxes and laurels. As You can see they are at least five hundred steps from the house.»
«That is all right…
204.3
May Light come to you all.»

Keywords

GRM 206.15-17 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Lazarus congratulates Jesus. He says: «Oh! I am sorry to see You go away. But I am happier than I would have been, had I seen You go away the day before yesterday!»
«Why, Lazarus?»
«Because You looked so tired and sad… You did not speak, and You hardly ever smiled… Yesterday and today You have become once again my kind holy Master, and that makes me so happy…»
«I was so even if I was quiet…»
«You were. But You are serenity and word. That is what we want from You. We drink our strength at those sources. And now those sources seemed to be dried up. Our thirst was painful… You see that also the Gentiles are amazed, and they have come looking for them…»
The Iscariot, whom John of Zebedee had approached, dares to speak: «Of course, they also inquired of me… Because I was very often at the Antonia, hoping to see You.»
«You knew where I was» replies Jesus briefly.
«I did. But I was hoping You would not disappoint those who were expecting You. Also the Romans were disappointed. I do not know why You behaved like that…»
«And you are asking Me? Are you not aware of the humours of the Sanhedrin, of the Pharisees, and of others as well, with regards to Me?»
«What? Were You afraid?»
«I was disgusted.
206.16
Last year, when I was alone — all by Myself against the whole world, which did not even know whether I was a prophet — I bore evidence that I was not afraid. And you were a conquest of that audacity of Mine. I spoke openly against a whole world of howlers; I caused the voice of God to be heard by a people who had forgotten it; I cleansed the House of God of the material filth in it, without any hope of purifying it of the more serious moral filth nesting in it, because I am not unaware of the future of men. But I had to do My duty, because of My zeal for the House of the Eternal Lord, which had been converted into a place where swindlers, usurers and thieves bawled, and I did it to arouse from their torpor those whom centuries of priests’ carelessness had caused to fall into spiritual lethargy. It was a cry to gather My people and take them to God… This year I have come back… And I saw that the Temple is still the same… it is even worse. It is no longer a den of thieves, but a place of conspiracy, it will later become the centre of Crime, then a brothel and finally it will be destroyed by a power greater than Samson’s, crushing a caste unworthy of being called holy. It is useless to speak in that place, where, I would remind you, I was forbidden to speak. Faithless people, whose poisoned leaders dare to forbid the Word of God to speak in His House! I was forbidden. I was silent for the sake of the least ones. It is not yet time to kill Me. Too many people are in need of Me, and My apostles are not yet strong enough to take on their arms My off-spring: the World. Do not weep, Mother, forgive, good Mother, Your Son’s need to tell those, who wish to or may deceive themselves, the truth that I know… I will be silent… But woe to those who cause God to be silent!… Mother, Marjiam, do not weep!… Please. Let no one weep.»
But in actual fact they are all weeping more or less bitterly.
Judas, as white as death in his striped red and yellow robe, dares still to speak, in a moaning ridiculous voice: «Believe me, Master, that I am amazed and grieved… I do not know what You mean… I know nothing… It is true that I have not seen anyone of the Temple. I have broken off contacts with everybody… But if You say so it must be true…»
«Judas!… You have not seen Sadoc either?»
Judas bends his head grumbling: «He is a friend. I met him as such, not as one of the Temple…»
Jesus does not reply to him. He turns to Isaac and John of Endor, to whom He gives more advice concerning their work.
Meanwhile the women comfort Mary Who is weeping and the boy who is weeping seeing Mary weep.

Keywords

GRM 210.4-6 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Father Abraham, help me to bear this in patience!!! And in what do you think the Master prefers others to you?»
«Do you not see that even now? When it was time to leave Bethzur, after stopping to teach three shepherds who could have very well been taught by Isaac, whom does He leave with His mother? Me? you? No. He leaves Simon. An old man who can hardly speak!…»
«But the little he says is always said right» retorts Thomas, who is now alone because the women and Andrew have gone away and are walking fast in front of them as if they wished to get past a stretch of the road where the sun is very warm.
210.5
The two apostles have become so excited that they do not hear Jesus coming, because the noise of His footsteps is completely muffled by the dust of the road. But if He makes no noise, the two are shouting as loud as ten people and Jesus can hear. Behind Him there are Peter, Matthew, the two cousins of the Lord, Philip and Bartholomew and the two sons of Zebedee with Marjiam between them.
Jesus says: «You are right, Thomas. Simon speaks little, but the little he says is always right. His mind is placid and his heart honest. And above all he has a great goodwill. That is why I left him with My Mother. He is a true reliable man and at the same time knows how to live, he has suffered and is old. Therefore – I am saying this because I suppose there is someone who thinks My choice was unfair – therefore he was the most suitable to remain. Judas, I could not allow My Mother to be left alone near a poor woman who is still ill. And it was just that I should leave Her. My Mother will complete the work that I started. But I could not leave Her with My brothers, or with Andrew, James or John, or with you. If you do not understand the reason, I do not know what to say…»
«Because She is Your Mother, She is young, beautiful, and people…»
«No! People will always have filth in their thoughts, on their lips and hands and particularly in their hearts, dishonest people who see their sentiments in everybody else; but I am not concerned with their mud. It falls off by itself, when it is dry. But I preferred Simon because he is old and he would not remind the desolate woman too much of her dead sons. You young men would have recalled them with your youth… Simon knows how to watch without being noticed, he never demands anything, he understands and can control himself. I could have taken Peter. Who would be better than he near My Mother? But he is still too impulsive. You know that I tell him openly, and he takes no offence. Peter is sincere, and he loves sincerity even to his own detriment. I could have taken Nathanael. But he has never been to Judaea before. Simon instead knows the country well and he will be valuable in bringing My Mother to Kerioth. He knows where your country house and the town house are and he will not…»
210.6
«But… Master!… But is Your Mother really coming to mine?»
«We said so. And when you say something, you do it. We shall proceed slowly, stopping to evangelize these villages. Do you not want Me to evangelize Your Judaea?»
«Of course, Master!… But I believed… I thought… »
«Above all you were causing yourself a lot of trouble through your own imagination. By the second phase of the moon of Sivan we shall all be at your mother’s. We, that is also My Mother and Simon. For the time being She is evangelizing Bethzur, a Judaean town, as Johanna is evangelizing Jerusalem with the assistance of a girl and a priest who was previously a leper, as Lazarus with Martha and old Ishmael are evangelizing Bethany, as Juttah is evangelized by Sarah and I am sure that your mother speaks of the Messiah at Kerioth, You cannot certainly say that I have left Judaea without voices. On the contrary, although it is more narrow-minded and stubborn than any other region, I have given it the sweetest voices, the voices of women, beside those of Isaac, a holy man, and of Lazarus, a friend of Mine. A woman knows how to use words with the subtle art of a woman, a mistress in leading souls to where she wants. Are you not speaking any more? Why are you almost weeping, you big moody boy? What is the use of poisoning yourself with shadows? Have you still any reason to be upset? Tell Me! Speak up…»
«I am bad… and You are so good. Your goodness always strikes me, because it is always so fresh and so new… I… I can never tell when I am going to find it on my way.»
«You are right. It is not possible for you to know. Because it is neither fresh nor new. It is eternal, Judas. It is omnipresent, Judas…»

Detail

Judas and Thomas quarrel and the Iscariot blames Jesus for leaving the Virgin Mary in Bet-Çur.

Annotation

On the second quarter of the Ziv moon, we'll all be at your mother's house: Ziv corresponds to April/May.

Jeanne evangelizes Jerusalem and with her a young girl and a priest: this is John the priest and Annalia. Cf. EMV 199.4-5 and EMV 199.6.

Keywords

GRM 216.4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

« Master… what do You think of Judas? Last year You wept with me because of him. Then… I do not know… Master, never mind those two dragonflies, look at me, listen to me. I would not say this to anybody. I would not tell my companions, my friends. But I will tell You. I am not successful in loving Judas. I must admit it. He rejects my desire to love him. He does not hold me in contempt, on the contrary he is even too courtly with the old Zealeat who he realises is more skilful than the others in knowing men. But it is the way he behaves. Do you think he is sincere? Tell me.»
Jesus is silent for a few moments as if He were enchanted by the two dragonflies that resting on the surface of the water form a tiny rainbow with their iridescent elytra, a precious rainbow as it attracts a curious midge, which is swallowed by one of the voracious insects, which, in turn, is immediately snatched and devoured together with the midge, by a toad or frog, lying in wait. Jesus stands up, as He had almost lain down to see the little tragedies of nature and says: «It is just like that. A dragonfly has strong jaws to feed on herbs and strong wings to catch gnats, and a frog has a large mouth to swallow dragonflies. Each has his own and makes use of it. Let us go, Simon. The others are waking up.»
«But You have not replied to me, Master. You did not want to.»
«I did! My old wise man, meditate and you will find…» And Jesus goes from the ditch towards His disciples who are waking up looking for Him.

Detail

Simon the Zealot and Jesus are alone and have gone to watch two dragonflies dancing on the water.

Annotation

Last year, you cried with me for him. See EMV 83.3/4.

“Think about it, and you’ll find the answer.” The key to understanding this lies in connecting it to the preceding sentence: “Every person has their own means and uses them” with the passage fromMatthew 12:33–35(a tree is known by its fruit) and the textin EMV 219.4andEMV 222.5.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Matthew 12:33–35

Mt 12:33–35: Either say that the tree is good and its fruit is good, or say that the tree is bad and its fruit is bad; for by its fruit the tree is known. You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart. A good person brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and an evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.