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GRM 31.7
I endeavoured to make him see the truth of the prophecies. But he felt he was more learned than I was and made use of such feeling in his own way. I could have insisted and outdone him. But — this is the other point I wanted to draw your attention to — I respected the priest because of his dignity, not because of his knowledge.
Zechariah wants Jesus to stay in Bethlehem and Mary comments on this episode:
GRM 36.9
Humility reigns in that house. What a lesson of humility for the proud. Mary, from a human point of view, had a thousand reasons to be proud and to be adored by Her spouse. Many women are proud only because they are a little better educated, or of nobler birth, or of a wealthier family than their husbands. Mary is the Spouse and the Mother of God, and yet She serves — and does not expect to be served — Her consort, and She is full of love for him. Joseph is the head of the family, judged by God so worthy of being the head of a family, as to be entrusted by God with the guardianship of the Word Incarnate and the Spouse of the Eternal Spirit. And yet he is anxious to relieve Mary of Her work, and he takes care of the most humble jobs in the house so that Mary may not get tired, not only, but whenever he can he does his best to please Her and make Her house more comfortable and Her little garden more beautiful.
Maria has just seen a vision of the Holy Family in Egypt.
GRM 37.6-7
37.6 How much families should learn from the perfection of this couple who loved each other as nobody else ever loved!
Joseph was the head of the family, and as such, his authority was undisputed and indisputable: before it the Spouse and Mother of God bent reverently and the Son of God submitted Himself willingly. Whatever Joseph decided to do, was well done: there were no discussions, no obstinacy, no oppositions. His word was our little law. And yet, how much humility there was in him! There never was any abuse of power, or any decision against reason only because he was the head of the family. His Spouse was his sweet adviser. And if in Her deep humility She considered Herself the servant of Her consort, he drew from Her wisdom of Full of Grace light to guide him in all events.
And I grew like a flower protected by vigorous trees, between those two loves that interlaced above Me, to protect Me, and love Me.
No. As long as I was able to ignore the world because of My age, I did not regret being absent from Paradise. God the Father and the Holy Spirit were not absent, because Mary was full of Them. And the angels dwelled there, because nothing drove them away from that house. And one of them, I might say, had become flesh and was Joseph, an angelical soul freed from the burden of the flesh, intent only on serving God and His cause and loving Him as the seraphim love Him. Joseph’s look! It was as placid and pure as the brightness of a star unaware of worldly concupiscence. It was our peace, and our strength.
37.7 Many think that I did not suffer as a human being when the holy glance of the guardian of our home was extinguished by death. If I was God, and as such I was aware of the happy destiny of Joseph, and consequently I was not sorry for his death, because after a short time in Limbo, I was going to open Heaven to him, as a Man I cried bitterly in the house now empty and deprived of his presence. I cried over My dead friend, and should I not have cried over My holy friend, on whose chest I had slept when I was a little boy, and from whom I had received so much love in so many years?
Jesus talks about his parents and says:
GRM 92.5
GRM 107.3
GRM 108.3
Translation in progress
GRM 136.6
Translation in progress
GRM 168.9
GRM 198.1-4 · Volume 3
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.
GRM 206.5 · Volume 3
«Humility! I said: “When you pray or do penance, do not let the world see you”. In the Wisdom Books it is written: “It is right to keep the secret of the King”. Humility is the candid veil worn to defend the good we do and the good God grants us. We must not be proud of the privileged love granted to us by God, nor seek foolish human glory. The gift would be taken away at once. But from the depth of our hearts we must sing to our God: “My soul proclaims Your greatness, o Lord… because You have looked upon Your lowly handmaid”.»
Jesus makes a short pause and casts a glance at His Mother, Who blushes under Her veil and bends forward as if She wanted to tidy the hair of the boy sitting at Her feet, but in actual fact to conceal her deep-felt remembrance…
I said, in EMV 172.5 and in EMV 172.8.
Book of Tobit 12, 7
Tb 12, 7 : It is good to keep the king's secret hidden, but it is honorable to reveal and publish the works of God.
The Book of Tobit is classified as either sapiential or historical. It is one of the seven deuterocanonical books retained by Catholic/Orthodox tradition, but considered apocryphal by Protestant/Anglican tradition.
"My soul glorifies you, Lord... because you have turned your eyes to the lowliness of your servant. "The Magnificat. Cf. Luke 1:46, inspired by the canticle of Samuel's mother Anne(1 Samuel 2:1-10).