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Reading comfort
GRM 180.10 · Volume 3
« Tell me, boy? But… is His Mother really safe?»
«Oh! Yes! The shepherd disciples of John have also gone with Her.»
John the Baptist was arrested while John accompanied the Virgin Mary to Hennon so that the Forerunner could see the Mother of Christ.
GRM 187.3 · Volume 3
«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.»
GRM 189.1-4 · Volume 3
The funeral comes out from the other side of the walls. It is not possible to see what there is on the stretcher, which is carried shoulder high by the bearers. One understands that there is a corpse, wrapped in bandages and covered by a sheet, only because of its outline and that it is the body of a fully grown person, because it is as long as the stretcher.
A veiled woman is walking beside it, weeping, supported by relatives or friends. The only sincere tears in all that farce of mourners. And when a bearer trips on a stone or heap in the ground or stumbles and causes the stretcher to shake, the mother moans: «Oh! No! Be careful! My boy has suffered so much!» and she raises her trembling hand to caress the edge of the stretcher. And as she is unable to do anything else, she kisses the veils and the ribbons, which blown by a gentle breeze lightly touch the immobile corpse.
Peter, sympathetic, his good keen eyes welling up with tears whispers: «She is the mother.» But he is not the only one whose eyes are shining with tears at the sight. Also the Zealot, Andrew, John, and even the ever merry Thomas have tears in their eyes. They are all deeply moved. Judas Iscariot whispers: «If it were I! Oh! Poor mother of mine…»
189.2
Jesus, the kindness of Whose eyes is so deep as to be unbearable, makes His way towards the stretcher.
The mother, who is now sobbing louder because the funeral is about to turn towards the open sepulchre, pushes Him aside resolutely, when she sees that Jesus wants to touch the stretcher. I wonder what she is afraid of in her grief. She shouts: «He is mine!» and looks at Jesus with staring eyes.
«I know, mother. He is yours.»
«He is my only son! Why should he die, he was so good and dear, he was my joy, and I am a widow. Why?» The crowd of the hired mourners mourn more loudly, forming a chorus with the mother who continues: «Why he, and not I? It is not just that she who has borne a child, should see her offspring perish. The offspring must live, otherwise why was my womb torn to give birth to a man?» and she strikes her abdomen wildly and desperately.
«Do not do that! Do not weep, mother.» Jesus takes her hands clenching them firmly in His left hand, while with His right one He touches the stretcher saying to the bearers: «Stop and put the stretcher down.»
The bearers obey and lower the little bed that rests on its four legs.
Jesus takes the sheet covering the dead boy and pulls it back uncovering the corpse.
The mother shouts her grief and the name of her son, I think: «Daniel!»
Jesus, still clenching the mother’s hands in His, stands up, His eyes imposingly bright, the power of miracle shining majestically on His face, lowering His right hand, orders in the full strength of His voice: «Young man! I tell you: get up!»
189.3
The dead boy, wrapped in bandages as he is, sits up on the little bed and calls: «Mother!» He calls her with the stammering frightened voice of a terrified child.
«He is yours, woman. I give him to you in the name of God. Help him to get rid of the sudarium. And be happy.»
And Jesus makes the gesture of withdrawing. Impossible! The crowds rivet Him to the stretcher, on which the mother has thrown herself groping for the bandages, endeavouring to be quick, while the imploring childish moaning repeats: «Mother! Mother!»
The sudarium and bandages are undone and mother and son can embrace each other, and they do so without bothering about the sticky balms, which the mother removes from his dear face and hands, making use of the same bandages. As she has not clothes to put on him, she takes off her mantle and wraps him in it, caressing him all the time…
189.4
Jesus looks at her… he looks at the loving group, close together on the edge of the little bed, no longer a stretcher, and He weeps.
Judas Iscariot sees His tears and asks: «Why are You weeping, my Lord?»
Jesus turns His face towards him and says: «I am thinking of My Mother…»
Jesus meets a funeral procession. The young man's mother is devastated.
GRM 193.4 · Volume 3
«They travel in comfort!» says Peter who is tired and wet with perspiration. «But, if God helps us, the day after tomorrow evening we shall be in Jerusalem.»
«No, Simon. I must make a detour and go towards the Jordan.»
«But why, my Lord?»
«Because of the boy. He is very sad, and it would be too sad for him to see the mountain of the disaster.»
«But we shall not see it! Or rather, we shall see the other side… and I take it upon myself to divert his attention. John and I… His attention is easily distracted, poor little dove without a nest. To go towards the Jordan! Well! It is better this way. A straight road. Shorter. Safer. No. No. This one, this one. See? Also the Roman ladies are taking it. Along the sea and the river there is the risk of fever during the first summer rains. It is healthy here. In any case… When are we going to arrive if we increase the distance? Consider how agitated Your Mother must be after that unpleasant business of the Baptist!…» Peter wins and Jesus agrees.
«In that case we will stop early and have a good rest and tomorrow we will leave at dawn to be at Gethsemane in the evening of the day after tomorrow. The day after Friday we will go to Bethany to see My Mother and we will leave John’s books there, as they have been quite a burden for you, and we will find Isaac there and will entrust him with this poor brother of ours…»
«And the boy? Are You handing him over at once?»
Jesus smiles. «No. I am giving him to My Mother, Who will prepare him for “his” feast. And then we will keep him with us for Passover. But after we will have to leave him… Do not become too attached to him! Or rather: love him as if he were your own son, but with a supernatural spirit. As you can see he is weak and gets tired. I, too, would have liked to teach him Myself and bring him up nourished in Wisdom by Me. But I am the Untiring One and Jabez is too young and too weak to do the work we do. We will go through Judaea and will come back to Jerusalem for Pentecost, and then we will go… evangelizing… We shall find him again in our fatherland in summer.»
The apostolic group has just come across some Romans going to Jerusalem in litter and travelling coaches.
GRM 194.2 · Volume 3
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.
Book of Genesis 28, 10-19
Gen 28, 10-19 : Jacob left Bersabee and went to Haran. He came to a place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones and made it his bedside table, and lay down there. And he had a dream: and behold, a ladder was set upon the earth, and the top of it touched heaven; and behold, upon it angels of God ascended and descended, and at the top stood Yahweh. He said: "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. This land on which you lie, I will give it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you and in your descendants. Behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have told you. "
Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it! "Seized with fear, he added: "How dreadful this place is! This is indeed the house of God, this is the gateway to heaven. "Arising early in the morning, Jacob took the stone from which he had made his bedside, set it up as a monument and poured oil on its top. He named the place Bethel, but the original name of the town was Luz.
GRM 194.5 · Volume 3
«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.»
Yabeç, an orphan whom Jesus took in, has just discovered that he is the Messiah and understands why he will open the door to Limbo.
GRM 196.1 · Volume 3
The group has spent most of the Sabbath morning resting their tired bodies and cleaning their clothes which had become dusty and creased during the journey. There is so much inviting water in the spacious cisterns of Gethsemane, full of rain water, and in the foamy Kidron, now in flood, because of the recent downpours, where the water resounds against the stones like a symphony. And the apostles, one after the other, defying the low temperature of the water, plunge into it and then, clad from head to foot in fresh clothes, their hair rather sleeked by the spray of the torrent, they draw water from the cisterns pouring it into large vats in which they have sorted out their clothes according to the colours.
«Well! Once they are soaked in there, it will be less troublesome for Mary to wash them.» (I suppose that Mary is the woman who stays at Gethsemane). «Only you, my dear little friend, cannot change. But tomorrow…» In fact the boy is wearing a clean robe, which has been taken from his little sack: so small that it would be quite sufficient for the garments of a doll! But the boy’s little tunic is even more discoloured and torn than the other one and Peter looks at it with apprehension, whispering: «How can I possibly take him to town? I think I will cut one of my mantles in two, because a mantle… would cover him completely.»
Jesus, Who has heard this paternal soliloquy says: «It is better to let him rest now. This evening we are going to Bethany…»
«But I want to buy him a robe. I promised it.»
«You certainly will. But it is better to seek My Mother’s advice. You know… women… have more experience in such purchase… and She will be happy to take care of the child… You will go together.»
Peter is enraptured to the seventh heaven of delight at the idea of going shopping with Mary. I do not know whether Jesus has expressed all His thoughts or whether He has held back some, those implying that His Mother’s taste is more refined than Peter’s and would thus avoid the clashing of atrocious hues. The fact is that He achieves His aim without mortifying Peter.
GRM 196.2-3 · Volume 3
Jesus is walking up and down watching Jabez who is playing with John and the younger ones. Also the Iscariot, who has got out of yesterday’s huff is cheerful and plays. The elder ones watch and smile.
«What will Your Mother say of this child?» asks Bartholomew.
«I think She will say: “He is very thin”» says Thomas.
«Oh! no! She will say: “Poor child!”» replies Peter.
«Instead She will say to You: “I am glad that You love him”» objects Philip.
«His Mother would never have doubted it. But I don’t think She will say anything. She will press him to Her heart» says the Zealot.
«And You, Master, what do You think She will say?»
«She will do what you said. She will think many things, or rather, all of them, and will say them in Her heart, and when kissing him She will only say: “May you be blessed” and She will take care of him as if he were a little bird fallen from its nest.»
GRM 196.3 · Volume 3
One day, listen, She told Me of when She was a little girl. She was not yet three years old because She was not yet in the Temple, and Her heart was full of love, emanating, like flowers and olives pressed and crushed in a mill, all Her oils and perfumes. And in a rapture of love She said to Her mother that She wanted to be a virgin to please the Saviour more, but that She would have liked to be a sinner in order to be saved, and She almost wept, because Her mother could not understand Her and could not tell Her how it is possible to be “pure” and a “sinner” at the same time. Her father satisfied Her by bringing her a little sparrow, which he had saved when it was about to be drowned on the edge of a fountain. He explained the parable of the little bird[1], saying that God had saved her in advance and therefore She was to bless Him twice. And the little Virgin of God, the Most Great Virgin Mary, practised Her first spiritual maternity on behalf of the little bird, which She let free when it was strong enough. But the bird never left the kitchen garden in Nazareth where, flying and twittering, it comforted the sad house and the broken hearts of Anne and Joachim, when Mary was in the Temple. It died shortly before Anne breathed her last breath… It had fulfilled its duty…
Jesus recounts an episode from the Virgin Mary's childhood.
He told her the parable of the little bird: See the paradox of the "sinner for love" expressed by the Sinless One and the parable of the little bird: see EMV 7.5.
GRM 196.4 · Volume 3
My Mother had dedicated Herself to virginity for love. But, since She was a perfect creature, maternity was in Her blood and spirit. Because woman is created to be a mother and it is an aberration, if she is deaf to such sentiment, which is love of second power…
On the different powers of love, seeEMV 196.4-6.