GRM 80.9
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
For bread and a woman man becomes a thief. For power he also becomes a murderer. But for gold he becomes an idolator.
Notes for this theme
The Catholic Church
Page 79 of 274
Reading comfort
Aa
GRM 80.9
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
Oh! gold. Bread is a great thing, and woman an even greater one for those longing for food or pleasure. To be acclaimed by the crowds is a very great thing for man. How many crimes are committed for these three things! But gold… gold! It is a key that opens, a circle that joins, it is the beginning and end of ninety-nine percent of human actions. For bread and a woman man becomes a thief. For power he also becomes a murderer. But for gold he becomes an idolator.
GRM 80.10
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
Then the angels of the Lord came…
Detail
Jesus confirms that, at the end of Satan's temptation in the desert, angels did indeed come to serve him.
Keywords
GRM 80.10
The Gospel as revealed to me
GRM 80.11
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
My first contacts with the world had sickened and depressed Me. It is too ugly. My soul has now been nourished with the lion’s marrow: the union with the Father in prayer and solitude. And I can go back to the world and take My cross upon Me once again, the first cross of the Redeemer: the cross of the contact with the world. With the world, in which there are too few souls called Mary, called John…
GRM 80.11
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
«Now listen, and you in particular, John. We are going back towards My Mother and our friends. I beg you not to mention to My Mother the harshness which has been opposed to the love of Her Son. She would suffer too much. She will suffer so much because of man’s cruelty… but do not let us give Her the chalice now. It will be so bitter when it is given to Her! So bitter that it will creep like poison into Her holy viscera and veins and will gnash them and freeze Her heart. Oh! Do not tell My Mother that Bethlehem and Hebron rejected Me like a dog! Have mercy on Her! You, Simon, are old and good, and thoughtful as you are, you will not speak, I know. You, Judas, are a Judaean, and will not speak out of patriotic pride. But you, John, are a Galilean, and young, do not commit a sin of pride, criticism and cruelty. Be silent. Later… later you will tell the rest what I now ask you to be silent about. There is already so much to be said about Christ. Why add to it what is Satan’s work against Christ? My dear friends, do you promise Me that?»
«Oh! Master! We do promise. Be certain of it.»
«Thank you. Let us go to that small oasis. There is a spring, a well full of cold water and there is shade and greenery. The road towards the river passes near it. We shall find food and refreshment till evening. By starlight, we will reach the river, the ford. And we will wait for Joseph or join him if he is already back. Let us go.»
And they set out while the first pinkish hue in the sky, in the east, announces the rising of a new day.
Detail
After visiting Bethlehem, Kerioth, and the Mount of Temptation, Jesus asked the apostles:
GRM 81
The Gospel as revealed to me
Detail
Jesus meets the shepherds Simeon, Matthias and John for the first time. He is also accompanied by the shepherd Joseph, Simon the Zealot, and John. Intimidated at first, the shepherds are soon put at ease and tell of John's imprisonment. They could free him with a sufficient sum of money. But the group has Aglaia's jewels. Judas is sent to sell them with John. Simon the Zealot confesses his discomfort with the Iscariot.
Keywords
- Jean-Baptiste
- Jesus Christ
- John of Bethlehem (shepherd of the Nativity)
- Joseph of Joseph of Bethlehem (shepherd of the Nativity)
- Judas de Kérioth (apostle)
- Locations - Gué du Jourdain
- Matthias (shepherd of the Nativity - formerly Tobias of Bethlehem)
- Shepherds of the Nativity
- Simeon of Bethlehem (shepherd of the Nativity)
- Summary of EMV
GRM 81.1-3.7
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
I see the Jordan ford once again: the green road coasting the river on both banks, beaten by many travellers on account of its shade. Lines of little donkeys come and go, as well as many people. On the bank of the river, three men are pasturing a few sheep.
Joseph is on the road, waiting, and he looks up and down.
Jesus appears in the distance, with His three disciples, at the junction of the river path with the main road. Joseph calls the shepherds, who lead the sheep onto the road, driving them along the grassy bank. They walk fast towards Jesus.
«I haven’t got the courage… What shall I say to greet Him?»
«Oh! He is so good! Say: “Peace be with You”. He always says that.»
«Yes, He… but we…»
«And what about me? I am not even one of His first worshippers. and He is so fond of me… oh! so fond!»
«Which one is it?»
«The tallest One, with fair hair.»
«Matthias, will we tell Him of the Baptist?»
«Of course we will!»
«Will He not think that we preferred the Baptist to Him?»
«No, Simeon. If He is the Messiah, He can see into the hearts of men, and in ours He will see that in the Baptist we were still looking for Him.»
«Yes, you are right.»
The two groups are now a few yards apart. Jesus is already smiling His smile that cannot be described. Joseph hastens his step. Also the sheep begin to run urged by the herdsmen.
«Peace be with you» says Jesus raising His arms as if He were embracing them. And He specifies: «Peace to you, Simeon, John and Matthias, faithful to Me, and faithful to John the Prophet! Peace to you, Joseph» and He kisses him on his cheeks. The other three are now on their knees. «Come, My friends. Under these trees, on the river-bank and let us talk.»
They go down and Jesus sits on a large protruding root, the others on the ground. Jesus smiles and looks at them intently, one by one: «Let Me become familiar with your faces. Your souls are already known to Me, souls that seek and love what is good contrary to all worldly yearnings. Isaac, Elias and Levi send you their regards, and there are other greetings, from My Mother.
81.2
Have You any news of the Baptist?»
The men, so far gagged by embarrassment, take heart. They find their words at last: «He is still in jail. Our hearts tremble for him, because he is in the hands of a cruel man who is dominated by an infernal creature and is surrounded by a corrupted court. We love him… You know that we love him and that he deserves our love. After you left Bethlehem, we were persecuted by men… but we were distressed and disheartened because we had lost You, rather than by their hatred, and we were like trees uprooted by the wind. Then, after years of suffering, like a man, whose eyelashes have been stitched, endeavours to see the sun, but cannot, also because he is closed in a prison, but feels the warmth of the sun on his body, we felt that the Baptist was the man of God, foreseen by the Prophets to prepare the way to His Christ and we went to him. We said: “If the Baptist precedes Him, if we go to the Baptist, we will find Him.” Because, my Lord, it was You we were looking for.»
«I know, and you found Me. And now I am with you.»
«Joseph told us that You came to the Baptist. But we were not there on that day. Perhaps he had sent us somewhere. We served him, in spiritual matters, when he asked us, with so much love, and we listened to him with love, although he was so severe, because he was not You — the Word — but he always spoke words of God.»
81.3
«I know. And do you know this man?» and He points to John.
«We saw him with the other Galileans in the crowds that were most faithful to the Baptist. And, if we are not mistaken, you are the one whose name is John, and of whom he used to say to us, his closest disciples: “Here: I am the first, he is the last. And then: he will be the first and I the last”. But we never understood what he meant.»
Jesus turns round to His left side where John is and He draws him against His heart and with a most kind smile He explains: «He meant that he was the first to say: “Here is the Lamb” and that John here will be the last of the friends of the Son of man, to speak of the Lamb to the crowds; but that in the heart of the Lamb, John is the first, because he is dearer than any other man to the Lamb. That is what he meant. But when you see the Baptist — You will see him again, and you will serve him again until the predetermined hour — tell him that he is not the last in Christ’s heart. Not so much because of the blood, as on account of his holiness, he is loved as much as John. And remember that. If the saint in his humbleness proclaims himself “last”, the Word of God proclaims him equal to the disciple who is dear to Me. Tell him that I love this disciple because he has the same name and because I find in him the signs of the Baptist, who prepares the souls for Christ.»
«We will tell him… But shall we see him again?»
«Yes, you will.» (...)
[Jesus discusses with the Shepherds the fact that John is in prison and that a certain amount of money is needed to free him. It is decided that Judas will sell Aglaé’s jewelry. When Judas Iscariot leaves, the Master continues, addressing the Shepherds:]
«I would like to see you happy» says Jesus.
«You will always make us happy, Master. May God bless You for it. Is that man a friend of Yours?»
«Yes, he is. Do you think he should not be?»
The shepherd John lowers his head, and keeps silent. Simon, the disciple, speaks: «Only who is good, can see. I am not good, and therefore I do not see what Bounty sees. I see the exterior. He who is good penetrates into the interior too. You, John, see as I do. But the Master is good… and sees…»
GRM 81.1
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
«Peace be with you» says Jesus raising His arms as if He were embracing them. And He specifies: «Peace to you, Simeon, John and Matthias, faithful to Me, and faithful to John the Prophet! Peace to you, Joseph» and He kisses him on his cheeks. The other three are now on their knees. «Come, My friends. Under these trees, on the river-bank and let us talk.»
They go down and Jesus sits on a large protruding root, the others on the ground. Jesus smiles and looks at them intently, one by one: «Let Me become familiar with your faces. Your souls are already known to Me, souls that seek and love what is good contrary to all worldly yearnings. Isaac, Elias and Levi send you their regards, and there are other greetings, from My Mother.»
Detail
Jesus goes to meet the shepherds Matthias, Simeon, and John.
GRM 81.3
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
«And do you know this man?» and He points to John.
«We saw him with the other Galileans in the crowds that were most faithful to the Baptist. And, if we are not mistaken, you are the one whose name is John, and of whom he used to say to us, his closest disciples: “Here: I am the first, he is the last. And then: he will be the first and I the last”. But we never understood what he meant.»
Jesus turns round to His left side where John is and He draws him against His heart and with a most kind smile He explains: «He meant that he was the first to say: “Here is the Lamb” and that John here will be the last of the friends of the Son of man, to speak of the Lamb to the crowds; but that in the heart of the Lamb, John is the first, because he is dearer than any other man to the Lamb. That is what he meant. But when you see the Baptist — You will see him again, and you will serve him again until the predetermined hour — tell him that he is not the last in Christ’s heart. Not so much because of the blood, as on account of his holiness, he is loved as much as John. And remember that. If the saint in his humbleness proclaims himself “last”, the Word of God proclaims him equal to the disciple who is dear to Me. Tell him that I love this disciple because he has the same name and because I find in him the signs of the Baptist, who prepares the souls for Christ.»
«We will tell him… But shall we see him again?»
«Yes, you will.»