Notes for this theme
Reading comfort
GRM 55.3
One day I will grant a greater purity… One day the sealed tombs will violently expel those who are really dead, and they will appear and laugh with their empty eye sockets, with their bare jaws, because of the rejoicing of the souls freed from Limbo, a remote rejoicing and yet perceived even by skeletons. They will appear to laugh because of this liberation and to throb knowing it is due to…
GRM 55.4
«I beg you all never to discuss merits and positions. I could have been born a king. I was born poor, in a stable. I could have been rich. I lived with My work and now I live out of charity. And yet, believe Me, My friends, there is no one greater than I in the eyes of God. Greater than I am, Who am here: the servant of man.»
«You a servant? Never!»
«Why not, Peter?»
«Because I will serve You.»
«Even if You served Me as a mother serves her child, I have come to serve man. I will be a Saviour for him. What service is there like that?»
GRM 56.3
My father is very old and I did not have the courage to hurt him. But now… Now, no longer so. Now I am going where my heart and my mind tell me. I am going to Jesus. I don’t think I am offending the Law by doing so. In any case… if what I want to do was not right, Jesus would tell me. I will do what He says. Is it right for a father to prevent a son from doing good? If I feel that my salvation is there, why prevent me from reaching it? Why, at times, are our fathers our enemies?»
Simon sighs as if he were overwhelmed by sad memories, he lowers his head, but does not speak.
Jude tells Simon the Zealot and Thomas about his father, Alphaeus.
GRM 56.5
«Tell me, Master, is it not right for a son to say to his father, without lacking respect: “Father, I love you. But God is above you and I will follow Him”?»
«Judas, My cousin and My friend, I tell you: you have made good progress on the way to Light. Come. It is lawful to speak thus to a father, when it is God Who calls. There is nothing above God. Also the laws of relationship cease, that is they are raised to a dignity, because with our tears we give our fathers and mothers a greater help and for something everlasting, not for a short time in this world. We draw them with us to Heaven, and by sacrificing our affections, to God.
Jude speaks to Jesus and says:
GRM 56.6
There are no slaves or freemen in the eyes of God. There is only one slavery in His eyes: sin. And I have come to abolish it. I am calling everybody, because the Kingdom is of all men.
GRM 58
Jesus is in Capernaum: he goes fishing with Peter and Andrew. John and James are in the other boat.
Peter explains his work to Christ, who makes an analogy with souls. He explains that a fault is not irreparable in itself, but that the accumulation of such faults can turn into a habit and even a capital vice. We must always be vigilant to avoid falling into sin.
Simon of Jonah asks if the Father won't be too harsh on him, and Jesus assures him that he won't be too harsh on Peter, the new man. He also assures Andrew of his love, and speaks of all the disciples who will come after them, evoking the Kingdom of Heaven and the abundant catch the Savior will make. He also encourages his apostle not to be jealous, for everyone has a place in his heart. Peter is moved by his words; as for Andrew, Jesus tells him of his blessed death.
John arrives in the meantime and reveals that a blind man has come to be healed by Christ. Jesus wants to heal him right away, and in the face of Peter's thoughts of not having a good catch, he assures him of God's help whenever we are charitable.
Finally, the Lord heals the blind man. And it's a beautiful healing.
GRM 58.4
58.4 Please, Master, be careful, it is our daily bread. Keep an eye on the net, that jolts may not overturn it. The fish fight for their freedom with strong strokes of their tails, and if there is a lot of them… You will understand… They are small things, but if ten, one hundred, a thousand get together, they become as strong as Leviathan.»
«The same happens with sins, Peter. After all, one fault is not irreparable. But if one is not careful in controlling oneself, and one adds fault to fault, at the end a little fault, perhaps a single omission, or a simple weakness, becomes bigger and bigger, it becomes a habit, it becomes a capital vice. At times one starts with a lustful glance and ends up by committing adultery. At times, while simply lacking charity when speaking to a relative, one ends up by doing violence to one’s neighbour. Never, never allow faults to increase in seriousness and in numbers, if you wish to avoid trouble! They become dangerous and overbearing like the infernal Snake himself, and they will drag you down into Gehenna.»
«What You say is right, Master… But we are so weak!»
«Care and prayer are necessary to become strong and obtain help, together with a strong will not to sin. And you must have full trust in the loving justice of the Father.»
Peter explains to Jesus how to sin, and Jesus takes the opportunity to teach him a lesson about guilt and the weight of sin.
GRM 58.5
58.5 «Will there be any more? There is Your cousin, and in Judaea…»
«Oh! There will be many more. My Kingdom is open to all mankind and I solemnly tell you that My haul, in the nights of centuries, will be more plentiful than your richest one… Because every century is one night in which not the pure light of Orion or of the sailing moon will be the guide and light of mankind, but the word of Christ and the Grace He will bestow; a night that will become the dawn of a day with no sunset and of a light in which all the faithful will live, and will be the dawn of a sunshine that will make all the chosen resplendent, beautiful, happy forever even like gods. Minor gods, children of God the Father and like Me… It is not possible for you to understand now. But I solemnly tell you that your Christian life will cause you to resemble your Master, and you will shine in Heaven with His signs. So, notwithstanding the envious malice of Satan and the weak will of men, My haul will be more plentiful than yours.»
«But shall we be Your only apostles?»
«Are you jealous, Peter? No, don’t be! Others will come and in My heart there will be love for everybody. Don’t be greedy, Peter. You do not yet know Who loves you. Have you ever counted the stars? Or the stones in the depth of the lake? No, you could not. And even less you would be able to count the loving throbs of which My heart is capable. Have you ever been able to count how many times this lake kisses the shore with its waves in the course of twelve moons? No, you would never be able to do so. And even less you would be able to count the loving waves that My heart pours out to kiss men. Be sure of My love, Peter.»
Peter takes Jesus’ hand and kisses it. He is deeply moved.
Peter asks if there will be many disciples.
GRM 58.6
Peter shakes his head, but does not say anything. He looks at the sky which is becoming blue after being a deep copper hue, he looks at the lake and the other boats which are already out fishing and he sighs.
«Simon?»
«Master?»
«Don’t be afraid. You will have a good haul, even if you are the last one to go out.»
«Also this time?»
«Every time you are charitable, God will grant you the grace of abundance.»
Peter, Jesus and Andrew are waiting for John to finish fishing. John arrives to say that a blind man is asking to be healed. Jesus wants to meet him right away, and Peter is torn, because he feels he's losing the fruit of his catch. Jesus then gives us a lesson on charity, and promises that whenever we are charitable, the Father's help will not fail us.
GRM 59
Jesus comes to preach at the Capernaum synagogue. Jairus welcomes him and Jesus asks him for a scroll: the Spirit will guide him. So Jesus makes a commentary on the Book of Joshua and talks about the Kingdom of God, the need to sin no more, to repent, and to prepare for Heaven and the eternity to come. A man contradicts him at the end of his preaching, and sites the second book of the Maccabees. He says that God struck Israel, and Jesus replies that he is applying a human view to these words, whereas the Lord interprets them supernaturally. He says that, while God has struck down his people, he has nevertheless deeply loved Israel by sending them the salvation that is his Messiah.
The man then criticizes Christ and doubts that he is the Redeemer. In response, Jesus evokes the Forerunner and the dove that descended at his baptism: he affirms in all simplicity that he is the promised Redeemer. Since his interlocutor doubts this, he calls in a demon-possessed man to whom he has never spoken. The demon becomes agitated when he stands before the Son of God, and asserts that he is the Holy One of God. Jesus orders him to shut up and go away. The man is healed, and his interlocutor, defeated, leaves to the mockery of the crowd.
Jesus performs several physical miracles and then leaves the synagogue with difficulty.