Notes for this theme

The Virgin Mary in the Infancy Gospel and the hidden life of Christ

Page 42 of 45

Reading comfort

GRM 207.8

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Mary knew that "it would be during the Festival of Lights that the Light of the world would be born", and she felt it in her heart.

Keywords

GRM 207.9 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Are you satisfied, Simon of Jonah, who are speechless and almost breathless?»
«Yes, so much… so much that I seem to be out of this world, in a holier place than if I were beyond the Velarium of the Temple… So much… that now that I have seen You in this place and in the light of that night, I am afraid that I did not behave with respect towards You, as if You were a great woman, but just a woman. Now… now I will not dare to call You: “Mary”, as I did before. Before You were the Mother of My Master. Now I have seen You on the crests of those heavenly waves, I have seen You as a Queen, and I, a poor wretch, prostrate myself, because I am a slave» and he throws himself on the ground kissing Mary’s feet.
Jesus speaks now: «Simon, stand up. Come here, close to Me» Peter goes to the left hand side of Jesus because Mary is on His right. «What are we now?» asks Jesus.
«We? Well, we are Jesus, Mary and Simon.»
«Very well. But how many are we?»
«Three, Master.»
«So we are a trinity. One day, in Heaven, the Divine Trinity had a thought: “It is now time that the Word should go to the world”. And in a throb of love the Word came upon the earth. He parted therefore from the Father and the Holy Spirit. He came to work on the earth. The Two Who had remained in Heaven contemplated the deeds of the Word, remaining more united than ever to blend Thought and Love to assist the Word working on the earth. The day will come when an order will be issued from Heaven: “It is time for You to come back because everything has been accomplished”, and then the Word will go back to Heaven, thus… (Jesus takes a step backwards leaving Mary and Peter where they were) and from the heights of Heaven, He will contemplate the deeds of the two who remained on the earth, who, by holy inspiration, will join together more than ever, to blend power and love to obtain the means of fulfilling the desire of the Word: “The redemption of the world through the perennial teaching of His Church”. And the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will form a chain with Their beams to tie the two left on the earth more and more closely: My Mother, love; you, power. You will certainly have to treat Mary as a queen, but not as if you were a slave. Do you not think so?»
«I think everything You wish. I am overwhelmed! I… the power? Oh! If I am to be the power I must definitely lean on Her! Oh! Mother of my Lord, never abandon me, never, never…»
«Do not be afraid. I will always hold you by the hand, as I used to do with My Child until He could walk by Himself.»
«And after that?»
«And after I will support you with My prayers. Cheer up, Simon. Never doubt God’s power. I did not doubt it, neither did Joseph. You must not doubt it either. God gives us His help hour by hour, if we remain humble and faithful…

Detail

The Virgin has just recounted the Nativity in her own words.

Annotation

Heavenly Trinity - Earthly Trinity: In order to establish a parallel between the heavenly Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the earthly Trinity (Jesus, Mary and Peter), the explanation must resort to the expedient of attributing human thoughts and behavior to God, establishing separations and reunions between divine Persons.

However," Maria Valtorta notes in a typed copy, "there is no question of denying the hypostatic union (= union of the two natures, divine and human) by which the Word, being truly in the flesh of the Son of God and Mary, did not cease to be one with the Father and therefore with Love; he did not cease to be the Holy of Holies, for he was so by his divine nature and he was so in his human nature, by grace and by a most perfect will.

Finally, we should note the concept expressed by Maria Valtorta in the text of EMV 474.2/3: the divinity, always hypostatically united to Jesus the Man, was not at all times sensitive to the Redeemer Man, who had to go so far as to experience this pain.

Keywords

GRM 207.10

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Come out here, now, near the stream, in the shade of the good tree, which, if it were later in summer, would give you its apples in addition to its shade; come. We shall eat before going… Where, Son?»
«To Jala. It is near. And tomorrow we shall go to Bethzur.»
They sit in the shade of the apple-tree and Mary leans against its robust trunk.
Bartholomew watches Her, so young and still heavenly moved by the recollection She made, while She accepts from Her Son the food He has blessed and She smiles at Him with loving eyes, and he whispers: « “In His shade I am seated and His food is sweet to My taste”.»
Judas Thaddeus replies to him: «It is true. She is sick with love. But we cannot say that She was awakened under an apple-tree.»
«Why not, brother? What do we know about the secrets of the King?» replies James of Alphaeus.
And Jesus smiling says: «The new Eve was conceived of the Thought at the foot of the paradisiacal apple-tree in order to put to flight the serpent and detoxicate the poisoned fruit by means of Her smile and Her tears. She became the tree of the redeeming fruit. Come, friends, and eat of it. Because to be nourished by its sweetness is to be nourished by the honey of God.»
«Master, please satisfy an old desire of mine for some clarification. Does the Song which we are reciting[3] foresee Her?» asks Bartholomew in a low voice while Mary is looking after the boy and speaking to the women.
«The Book speaks of her from its beginning and future books will speak of Her until the word of man changes into the everlasting hosanna of God’s eternal City» and Jesus turns towards the women.
«You can hear that He descends from David! What wisdom, what poetry!» says the Zealot speaking to his companions.

Detail

The Virgin Mary recounted the birth of her Son.

Annotation

Songs 2, 3

Ct 2,3 "As an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my friend among young men, I take great pleasure in sitting under its shade. How sweet its fruit is to my palate."

Song of Solomon 8:5

Ct 8,5 : Who is this who comes up from the desert, leaning on her beloved? L'ÉPOUX. I woke you under the apple tree; there your mother conceived you; there she conceived you, there she gave birth to you.

Keywords

GRM 207.11 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Listen» the Iscariot who is still in the mood of the previous day and speaks very little, although he endeavours to emulate the freedom he had before, joins in the conversation «listen, I would like to understand why the Incarnation had to take place. Only God can speak in such a way as to defeat Satan. Only God can have the power of redeeming. And I do not doubt it. But I think that the Word might have lowered Himself less than He did by being born like every other man, submitting Himself to the miseries of childhood and so on. Could He not have appeared in human form already adult, in the appearance of an adult? And if He really wanted a mother, could He not have chosen one, an adoptive one as He did for a father? I think I asked Him once, but He did not reply at length, or I do not remember.»
«Ask Him! Since we are on the subject…» says Thomas.
«I won’t. I upset Him and I feel as if I have not been forgiven yet. Ask Him on my behalf.»
«I beg your pardon! We accept everything without so many clarifications and you expect us to ask questions? It is not fair!» retorts James of Zebedee.
«What is not fair?» asks Jesus.
There is silence, then the Zealot speaks on behalf of everybody repeating Judas Iscariot’s questions and the replies of the others.
«I do not bear a grudge. That is the first thing. I make the comments that I must make, I suffer and I forgive. That applies to him who is afraid, which is still the consequence of his perturbation. With regards to My real Incarnation I say: “It is just that it took place”. In future many people will make mistakes concerning My Incarnation, ascribing to Me the erroneous forms that Judas would like Me to have taken. A man seemingly solid in body, but in reality fluent like a lighting effect, so that I would and would not be flesh. And Mary’s maternity would and would not be a real maternity. I am really flesh and Mary is really the Mother of the Word Incarnate. If the hour of My birth was but an ecstasy, that is because She is the new Eve without the burden of sin and without the heritage of punishment. But I did not lower Myself by resting in Her. Was the manna enclosed in the Tabernacle perhaps humiliated? No, on the contrary it was honoured by being in that abode. Others will say that I, since I was not real flesh, did not suffer and did not die during My stay on the earth. Of course, since they cannot deny that I was here, they will deny My real Incarnation or My true Divinity. No, I am really One with the Father forever, and I am united to God as Flesh, because as a matter of fact it is possible that Love reached what is unreachable because of His Perfection, by becoming Flesh to save flesh. A reply to all these errors is given by My whole life which shed blood from birth to death and was submitted to everything that is common to man, except sin. Yes, I was born of Her. For your welfare. You do not know how much Justice has been mitigated since the Woman has become its collaborator. Have I satisfied you, Judas?»
«Yes, Master.»
«Do likewise with Me.»
The Iscariot bends his head, is abashed and perhaps he is really touched by so much kindness.
The rest is protracted in the cool shade of the apple-tree. Some fall asleep, some doze. But Mary gets up and goes back into the Grotto and Jesus follows Her…

Keywords

GRM 207.11 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

I am really flesh and Mary is really the Mother of the Word Incarnate. If the hour of My birth was but an ecstasy, that is because She is the new Eve without the burden of sin and without the heritage of punishment. But I did not lower Myself by resting in Her.

Detail

Jesus said:

Keywords

GRM 208.1-4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«We shall almost certainly find them if we go back on to the Hebron road for a little while. Please go in pairs looking for them on the mountain paths. From here to Solomon’s Pools and thence to Bethzur. We will follow you. This is their pasture area» says the Lord to the Twelve and I understand that He is speaking of the shepherds.
The apostles are getting ready to go, each with his favourite companion and only the inseparable couple of John and Andrew do not get together because they both go to the Iscariot saying: «I will come with you» and Judas replies: «Yes, come, Andrew. It is better thus, John. You and I already know the shepherds. So it is better if you go with someone else.»
«Come with me, then, boy» says Peter leaving James of Zebedee, who without protesting goes with Thomas, while the Zealot joins Judas Thaddeus, James of Alphaeus goes with Matthew and the two inseparable Philip and Bartholomew remain together. The boy remains with Jesus and the Maries.
The road is cool and comfortable and runs among completely green mountains covered with forests and meadows. They meet herds going towards pastures in the faint light of dawn.
At the sound of every cattle-bell Jesus stops speaking and looks around, He then asks the shepherds whether Elias, the Bethlehemite shepherd, is in that area. I understand that by now Elias is called «the Bethlehemite». Even if other shepherds are from Bethlehem, he is by right or by mockery «the Bethlehemite». But no one knows where he is. They answer stopping their herds and ceasing to play their rustic flutes.
Almost every young man has one of those primeval cane flutes, which cause Marjiam to be thrown into ecstasies, until a good old man gives him his nephew’s saying: «He will make himself another one», and Marjiam goes away happily with the instrument across his back, even if he does not know how to play it, at least for the time being.
208.2
«I would like so much to meet them!» exclaims Mary.
«We will certainly find them. In this season they are always near Hebron.»
The boy is interested in those shepherds who saw the Child Jesus and he asks Mary many questions and She explains everything patiently and kindly.
«But why did they punish them? They had done nothing but good!» asks the boy after hearing the story of their misfortunes.
«Because very often man makes mistakes, accusing innocent people of evil deeds that in actual fact were done by someone else. But as they have been good and have forgiven, Jesus loves them so much. We must always be able to forgive.»
«But all the children who were slaughtered, how could they have forgiven Herod?»
«They are little Martyrs, Marjiam, and martyrs are saints. They not only forgive their executioners, but they love them, because they open Heaven to them.»
«But are they in Heaven?»
«No, not just now. But they are in Limbo where they are the joy of Patriarchs and of the just.»
«Why?»
«Because when they arrived with their souls purple with blood, they said: “Here we are, we are the heralds of Christ the Saviour. Rejoice, you who are waiting, because He is already on the earth”. And everybody loves them because they are the bearers of these good tidings.»
«My father told me that also Jesus’ Word is good tidings. So when my father goes to Limbo after repeating it on the earth, and I also go there, will we be loved as well?»
«You will not go to Limbo, My dear little one.»
«Why?»
«Because Jesus will have already gone back to Heaven and will have opened it and all good people will go straight to Heaven when they die.»
«I will be good, I promise. And Simon of Jonah? He too, eh? Because I do not want to become an orphan a second time.»
«He will be there as well, you may be sure, but there are no orphans in Heaven. We have God. And God is everything. We are not orphans here either. Because the Father is always with us.»
«But Jesus in that lovely prayer, which You teach me by day and my mother at night, says: “Our Father Who are in Heaven”. We are not in Heaven yet. Therefore, how can we be with Him?»
«Because God is everywhere, son. He watches over the baby that is born and over the old man who is dying. The child who is born this moment, in the most remote part of the world, has God’s love and eye with him and will have them until he dies.»
«Even if he is as bad as Doras?»
«Yes.»
«But can God, Who is so good, love Doras who is so bad and makes my old father weep?»
«He looks at him with disdain and sorrow. But if he should repent. He would say to him what the father of the parable said to his repentant son.
208.3
You should pray that he may repent and…»
«Oh! no, Mother! I will pray that he may die!!!» says the child impetuously. Although his remark is not very… angelical, his impetuosity is so sincere that no one can help laughing.
Mary then resumes the sweet seriousness of a Teacher: «No, My dear. You must not do that to a sinner. God would not listen to you and would look sternly at you as well. We must wish our neighbour the greatest welfare, even if our neighbour is very bad. Life is a good thing because it gives man the possibility of gaining merits in the eyes of God.»
«But if one is bad, one gains sins.»
«We pray that he may become good.»
The boy is pensive… but he does not like this sublime lesson and he concludes: «Doras will not become good even if I pray for him. He is too bad. Even if all the baby martyrs of Bethlehem should pray with me, he would not become good. You do not know… You do not know that one day he struck my old father with an iron rod, because he found him sitting during working hours? He was not able to stand because he was not feeling well… and he beat him and left him half dead, and then kicked him on his face… I saw him because I was hiding behind a hedge… I had gone there because no one had brought me any bread for two days and I was hungry… I had to run away so that he might not hear me, because I was crying seeing my father like that, with blood on his beard, lying on the ground, as if he were dead… I was weeping when I went to beg some bread… but that bread is still lying here… and it tastes of the blood and tears of my father and mine, and of all those who are tortured and who cannot love those who torture them. I would like to strike Doras that he may feel what a blow is, and I would like to leave him without any bread, that he may learn what it is to be hungry, and I would make him work in the sun, in mud, under the threats of the overseer, without food, that he may know what he gives the poor… I cannot love him because… because he kills my holy father, and I… if I had not found you, to whom would I have belonged ?»
The child, in a fit of pain, shouts and cries, trembling, deranged, striking with his closed fists the air, as he cannot strike the slave-driver. The women are amazed and touched and they endeavour to calm him. But he is really in a fit of grief and does not hear anything. He shouts: «I cannot, I cannot love and forgive him. I hate him, I hate him on behalf of everybody, I hate him, I hate him!…» He is in a pitiful and frightful state.
208.4
It is the reaction of a creature who has suffered too much.
And Jesus says so: «That is Doras’ gravest felony: to drive an innocent child to hate…» He then takes the child in His arms and speaks to him: «Listen, Marjiam. Do you want to go one day with your mummy, your daddy, your little brother and the old father?»
«Yes…»
«Then you must not hate anybody. He who hates does not go to Heaven. You cannot pray for Doras just now? Well, do not pray, but do not hate. Do you know what you must do? You must never look back to think of the past…»
«But my father who suffers is not past…»
«That is true. But look, Marjiam, try and pray like this: “Our Father Who are in Heaven, please see to what is my wish…”. You will see that the Father will listen to you in the best possible way. Even if you killed Doras, what would you do? You would lose the love of God, Heaven, the company of your father and mother and you would not relieve of his troubles the old man whom you love. You are too little to be able to do it. But God can. Tell Him. Say to Him: “You know how much I love my old father and how I love all those who are unhappy. Will You please see to this matter, because You can do everything”. What? Do you not want to preach the Gospel? But the Gospel teaches love and forgiveness! How can you say to one: “Do not hate. Forgive” if you cannot love and forgive? Leave things to good God and you will see how well He can arrange matters. Will you do that?»
«Yes, I will, because I love You.»
Jesus kisses the boy and puts him down.
The incident is over as well as their journey.

Annotation

It's better this way, Jean. You and I would be the two who already know the shepherds. Cf. EMV 75.2 and EMV 75.6.

Every time the clarinet is tinkled, Jesus stops speaking. Clarine: a bell placed around the neck of cattle.

In that beautiful prayer you and my mother taught me, she at night and you during the day: cf. EMV 206.14.

If he repented, he would tell him what the father in the parable said to his repentant son. In the parable of the prodigal son(EMV 205.5).

Keywords

GRM 208.7-11 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

The sun is beginning to set when Bethzur appears on its hill and almost at the same time, on the secondary road they have taken to go there, they see the flocks of the shepherds and the shepherds who run to meet them. When Elias sees that Mary also is there, he lifts his arms in a gesture of surprise and remains thus, not believing his own eyes.
«Peace to you, Elias. It is I. We promised you, but it was not possible to meet in Jerusalem… Never mind, We are meeting now» says Mary kindly.
«Oh! Mother, Mother!…» Elias does not know what to say, At last he finds words: «Well, I am celebrating Passover now. It is just the same, or better still.»
«Of course, Elias. We sold well. We can kill a little lamb. Oh! Please be the guests of our poor table» beg Levi and Joseph.
«We are tired this evening, Tomorrow. Listen. Do you know a certain Eliza, the wife of Abraham of Samuel?»
«Yes. She lives in her house at Bethzur. But Abraham is dead and his sons died last year. The first one died of a disease in a few hours, and no one knows of what he died. The other died of a slow death and nothing stopped his decline. We gave her the milk of a young goat, because the doctors said it was good for him. He drank a lot of it, as all the shepherds took it to her, because the poor mother had sent people to look for whoever had a young goat giving milk for the first time in the herd. But it was of no avail. When we came back to the plain the young man would not take any food. When we came back in Adar, he had been dead two months.»
«My poor friend! She was so fond of Me in the Temple… and she was somehow related to Me through our ancestors… She was good… She left to marry Abraham, to whom she had been promised since her childhood, two years before Me and I remember when she came to offer her first-born to the Lord. She sent for Me, not only for Me, but later she wanted Me to be alone with her for some time… And now she is alone… Oh! I must make haste to comfort her! You stay here. I will go with Elias and I will enter by Myself. Sorrow demands respect…»
«Not even I, Mother?»
«Of course, always. But the others… Not even you, My little one. It would be painful for you. Come, Jesus!»
«Wait for us on the village square. Look for a shelter for the night. Goodbye» orders Jesus.
208.8
And with only Elias for company, Jesus and Mary go as far as a large house, which is completely closed and silent. The shepherd knocks at the door with his stick. A maidservant looks out of a little window asking who it is. Mary moves forward saying: «Mary of Joachim and Her Son, from Nazareth. Tell your mistress.»
«It is useless. She does not want to see anybody. She is weeping her heart out.»
«Try.»
«No. I know how she drives me away if I try to take her mind off her worries. She does not want anyone, she will not see anyone or speak to anyone. She speaks only to the memory of her sons.»
«Go, woman. I order you to go. Say to her: “Little Mary of Nazareth is here, the one who was your daughter in the Temple…”. You will see that she will be wanting Me.»
The woman goes away shaking her head. Mary explains to Her Son and to the shepherd: «Eliza was much older than I was. She was waiting in the Temple for her fiance to come back from Egypt where he had gone on inheritance matters and so she remained there up to an unusual age. She is almost ten years older than I am. The teachers used to entrust the little girls to the guidance of adult pupils… and she was My companion-teacher. She was good and… Here is the woman.»
In fact the servant thoroughly amazed rushes to open the door wide: «Come in, come in!» she says. And then in a low voice: «May You be blessed for getting her out of that room.»
Elias takes his leave and Mary enters with Her Son.
«But this man, really… For pity’s sake! He is the same age as Levi…»
«Let Him come in. He is My Son and will comfort her better than I can.»
The woman shrugs her shoulders and precedes them through the long hall of a beautiful but sad house. Everything is clean, but everything seems dead…
208.9
A tall woman, walking bowed in dark clothes, comes forward in the dim light of the hall.
«Eliza! Dear! I am Mary!» says Mary running towards her and embracing her.
«Mary? You… I thought You were dead, too. I was told… when? I don’t know… My head is empty… I was told that You died with many other mothers after the coming of the Magi. But who told me that You were the Mother of the Saviour?»
«The shepherds perhaps…»
«Oh! the shepherds!» The woman bursts into bitter tears. «Don’t mention that name. It reminds me of the last hope for Levi’s life… And yet… yes… a shepherd spoke to me of the Saviour and I killed my son taking him to the place where they said the Messiah was, near the Jordan. But there was nobody there… and my son arrived back in time to die… Fatigue, cold… I killed him… But I had no intention of being a murderer. I was told that He, the Messiah, cured diseases… and that is why I did it… Now my son accuses me of killing him…»
«No, Eliza. It is you that think so. Listen. I instead think that your son has taken Me by the hand saying: “Come to my dear mother. Take the Saviour to her. I am happier here than I would be on the earth. But she listens only to her weeping, and she cannot hear the words that I whisper to her with my kisses, poor mother, she is like a woman possessed by a demon who wants her to surrender to despair, because he wants us to be divided. If instead she resigns herself and believes that God does everything for a good purpose, we would be united for good, with our father and brother. Jesus can do it”. And I came… with Him… Do you not wish to see Him?…» Mary has spoken holding the poor wretch in Her arms all the time, kissing her grey hair with unparalleled kindness.
«Oh! if it were true! But, why then did Daniel not come to You, to tell You to come sooner?… But who told me some time ago that You were dead? I don’t remember… I don’t remember… That is another reason why perhaps I waited too long to go to the Messiah. But they said that He, You, everybody had died at Bethlehem…»
«Never mind who said so.
208.10
Come here, look, My Son is here. Come to Him. Make your children and your Mary happy. Do you know that we suffer seeing you thus?» And She leads her towards Jesus Who is standing in a dark corner and only now comes forward, under a lamp that the maidservant has placed on top of a tall coffer.
The poor mother raises her head… and I now see that she is the Eliza who was also on Calvary with the pious women. Jesus stretches out His hands in a gesture of loving invitation. The poor wretch hesitates a moment, then she entrusts her own hands to His and finally, all of a sudden, she throws herself on to Jesus’ chest, moaning: «Tell me, tell me that I am not guilty of Levi’s death! Tell me that they are not lost forever! Tell me that I will soon be with them!…»
«Yes, I will. Listen. They are now exulting because you are in My arms. I will soon be going to them, and what shall I tell them? That you are not resigning yourself to the Lord? Shall I tell them that? The women of Israel, the women of David, so strong, so wise, are to be given the lie by you? No. You are suffering, because you suffered all alone. Your grief and you. You and your grief. One cannot endure it thus. Are you no longer bearing in mind the words[2] of hope for those whom death has taken away from us? “I mean to raise you from your graves and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and raise you from your graves. When I put My spirit in you, you will live”. The soil of Israel, for the just sleeping in the Lord, is the Kingdom of God. I will open it and give it to those who are waiting.»
«Also to my Daniel? And to my Levi?… He was so horrified at death!… He could not stand the idea of being far from his mother. That is why I wanted to die and be buried beside him…»
«But they were not there with their living parts. Only dead things were there and they could not hear you. They are in the place of expectation…»
«But does it really exist? Oh! Do not be scandalised at me. My memory has turned into tears! My head is full of the noise of the weeping and death-rattle of my sons. That death-rattle! That death-rattle. It has dissolved my brains. I have but that death-rattle in here…»
«And I will put the words of life there for you. I will sow the Life, because I am Life, where there is the din of death. Remember the great Judas Maccabee who wanted a sacrifice offered for the dead, rightly thinking that they are destined to rise again and that it is necessary to hasten their peace by means of suitable sacrifices. If Judas Maccabee had not been certain of their resurrection, would he have prayed and made people pray for the dead? As it is written[3], he thought that a great reward is set aside for those who die piously, as your sons certainly did… See, you are saying yes? So do not despair. But pray devoutly for your dead ones, that their sins may be expiated before I go to them. Then, without waiting for a moment, they will come to Heaven with Me. Because I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and I lead, and I speak the Truth and I give Life to those who believe in My Truth and follow Me. Tell Me. Did your sons believe in the coming of the Messiah?»
«Of course, my Lord. I taught them to believe that.»
«And did Levi believe that if I wanted I could cure him?»
«Yes, My Lord. We hoped in You… but it was of no avail… and he died disheartened after hoping so much…» The woman resumes weeping again more calmly but more desolately in her calm than when she was agitated.
«Do not say that it was of no avail. He who believes in Me, even if he is dead, will live forever…
208.11
Night is falling, woman. I will join My apostles. I leave My Mother with you…»
«Oh! Will you please stay as well!… I am afraid that if You go away, my torture will begin again… The storm is just beginning to calm at the sound of Your words…»
«Do not be afraid! You have Mary with you. I will come again tomorrow. I have something to tell the shepherds. Can I tell them to approach your house?…»
«Oh! Yes. They used to come for my son last year too… Behind the house there is an orchard and a rustic yard. They can go there as they used to do then, to keep the flock together…»
«All right. I will come. Be good. Remember that Mary in the Temple was entrusted to You. I entrust Her to you as well tonight.»
«Yes, do not worry. I will look after Her… I will have to see Her supper, to Her rest… For how long I have never thought of these things! Mary, will You sleep in my room, as Levi did when he was ill? I in my son’s bed, You in mine. And I will feel as if I heard his light breathing again… He always held me by the hand…»
«Yes, Eliza. But before we shall speak of many things.»
«No. You are tired. You must sleep.»
«You, too…»
«Oh! It is I who have not slept for months… I weep… and weep… I can do nothing else…»
«This evening, instead, we shall pray, and then we shall go to bed and you will sleep… We shall sleep holding each other’s hand. You may go, Son, and pray for us…»
«I bless you. Peace to you and to this house!»
And Jesus goes away with the maidservant who is dumbfounded and keeps repeating: «What a miracle, my Lord! What a miracle! After so many months she has spoken, she has reasoned… Oh! what a wonderful thing!… They were saying that she would die insane… And I was sorry, because she is good.»
«Yes, she is good and that is why God will help her. Goodbye, woman. Peace to you too.»
Jesus goes out on to the almost dark street and it all ends.

Detail

A real-life case of a mother who has lost her two children to illness. Jesus comes to console her with the Virgin Mary.

Annotation

Elise was much older than me. About ten years. So she's in her early sixties.

When we returned in the month of Adar, he had been dead for two moons. The month of Addar is in February/March.

Have you no longer kept in mind the words of hope about those whom death has taken from us? "I will take you out of your graves and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from your tombs. I will put my spirit within you and you will live. " See Ezekiel 37:11-14 below.

Remember the great Judas Maccabaeus, who wanted to make a sacrifice for the dead, because he rightly believed that they are destined to rise again and that the hour of peace must be hastened for them by timely sacrifices. If Judas Maccabaeus had not been certain of the resurrection, would he have prayed and had others pray for the dead? He, on the contrary, as it is written, thought that a great reward was reserved for those who die piously, as your sons surely did... See the second book of Maccabees 12, 43-46 below.

Book of Ezekiel 37, 11-14

Ezek 37, 11-14 : And he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is dead, we are lost! Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you up from your graves, O my people, and bring you back to the land of Israel. And you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my Spirit within you, and you will live; and I will give you rest on your soil, and you will know that I, Yahweh, say and do, - oracle of Yahweh!"

Second Book of Maccabees 12, 43-45

2 M 12, 43-46 : Then, having collected the sum of two thousand drachmas, he sent it to Jerusalem to be used for an expiatory sacrifice. A fine and noble deed, inspired by the thought of the resurrection! For if he had not believed that the soldiers killed in battle would rise again, it would have been useless and vain to pray for the dead. 45 Moreover, he considered that a very fine reward is reserved for those who fall asleep in piety, and this is a holy and pious thought. This is why he made this atoning sacrifice for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sins.

Keywords

GRM 209.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

The maidservant opens the door. Jesus goes in while the servant repeatedly bows to Him.
«Where is your mistress?»
«With Your Mother… and, just imagine! she has come down into the garden! How wonderful! How wonderful! And yesterday evening she came into the dining room… She was weeping, but she came. I would have liked her to take some food, instead of the usual drop of milk, but I was not successful!»
«She will take it. Do not insist. Be also patient in your love for your mistress.»
«Yes, my Saviour. I will do everything You tell me.»
I think, in fact, that if Jesus told the woman to do the strangest things, she would do them without objecting, because she is so convinced that Jesus is Jesus and that everything He does is right. In the meantime she takes Him into a large kitchen garden, full of fruit-trees and of flowers. But if the fruit-trees have begun by themselves to come into leaf and blossom, to set the fruit and make them grow, the poor flower plants, neglected for over a whole year, have become a miniature forest, which is so entangled that the weaker and lower plants are suffocated beneath the weight of the stronger ones. Flower-beds and paths no longer exist as they have become one chaotic tangle. There is some order only at the end of the garden where the maidservant has sown salads and vegetables for her own use.
Mary is there with Eliza under a very ruffled pergola, the shoots and tendrils of which reach down to the ground. Jesus stops and looks at His young Mother, Who with most refined art awakes and directs Eliza’s mind to things completely different from what up to yesterday were the thoughts of the afflicted woman.
The servant approaches her mistress and says: «The Saviour has come.»
The women turn around and come towards Him, one with Her sweet smile, the other looking tired and bewildered.
«Peace be with you. This garden is beautiful…»
«It was beautiful…» says Eliza.
«And the soil is fertile. Look how much beautiful fruit is about to ripen! And how many flowers on the rose bushes! And over there? Are they lilies?»
«Yes, they are, round a fountain where my children used to play so much.But then it was tidy… Now everything is ruined here. And it no longer seems the garden of my sons.»
«In a few days it will be as it was before. I will help you. Is that right, Jesus? You will leave Me here for a few days with Eliza. We have so much to do…» says Mary.
«What You want, I want.»
Eliza looks at Him and whispers: «Thank You.»
Jesus caresses her white hair and then takes His leave to go to the shepherds.

Keywords

GRM 210.1.3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«I do not suppose you wish to make a pilgrimage to all the known places in Israel» says the Iscariot ironically. He is discussing in a group where there are Mary of Alphaeus and Salome together with Andrew and Thomas.
«Why not? Who forbids us?» asks Mary of Clopas.
«I do. My mother has been waiting for me for such a long time…»
«Well go to your mother. We will reach you later» says Salome and she seems to be adding mentally: «No one will miss you.»
«Certainly not! I am going with the Master. Contrary to what had been arranged, Mary is not coming. And that should not have been done to me, because I was promised She would come.»
«She stopped at Bethzur for a good reason. That woman was really unhappy.»
«Jesus could have cured her at once, without making her recover gradually. I do not know why He is no longer fond of working outstanding miracles.»
«He must have holy reasons for doing what He did» states Andrew calmly. (...)
[Thomas interrupts and says sternly:]
«You suffer from bile trouble, my friend. And thus you taste bitter and see green everywhere. It must be a recurring disease with you. And believe me, it is not very pleasant to live with one like you. You must change. I will not tell anybody anything, and if these good women will listen to me, they will be quiet as well, and so will Andrew. But you must change. You must not think that you have been disappointed because there is no disappointment. Neither are you necessary because the Master knows what to do by Himself. Don’t you try to be the Master’s master. And if for that poor woman of Eliza He acted thus, it means that that was the right thing to do. Let snakes hiss and spit as they like. Don’t go to the trouble of acting as a broker between them and Him and above all do not think that you lower yourself by being with Him. Even if He did not cure a simple thing such as a cold in the future, He is always powerful. His word is a continuous miracle. And set your mind at rest. We have no archers behind us! Don’t worry, we will succeed in convincing the world that Jesus is Jesus. And be quiet, if Mary promised to come to your mother’s, She will come. In the meantime we will go round this beautiful part of the country, it is our work!»

Annotation

Mary of Cleophas: Mary, daughter of Cleophas and wife of Alphaeus. In Nazareth, there were several "Mary of Alphaeus". To specify them, a second link of kinship or affiliation was used. We find this diversity in the Gospel accounts: Jude, the brother of James, Judas, the man (isch) of Kerioth.

This woman was very unhappy. Elise, the tried and tested mother. See previous chapter.

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.