Elements of the Credo

«And the day I should die…»

«No! You are young, Master… Why die?»

«Because the Messiah has come to preach the Law in its truthfulness and to accomplish Redemption. And the world loathes the Law and does not want redemption. Therefore they persecute God’s messengers.»

«Oh! Let that never be! Do not mention that prediction of death to him who loves You!… But if You should die, I would still love You. Allow me to love You.» John’s look is an imploring one. He has bowed his head lower than ever, as he walks beside Jesus and seems to be begging for love.

Jesus stops. He looks at him, scrutinises him with His deep, penetrating eyes, and then lays His hand on his bowed head. «I want you to love Me.»

«Oh! Master!» John is happy. Although his eyes shine with tears, his well shaped young mouth smiles. He takes the divine hand, kisses it on its back, and presses it to his heart.

• Death of Jesus Christ
• Doctrine
• Good News
• Messiah
• Persecution
• Prophet
• Redemption
• Word of God - Law of God

«Do you like honey? Yes? Well, if you are good, you will eat honey which is sweeter than the honey of your bees.»

«Where? When?»

«When, after a life of loyalty to God, you go to Him»

«I know that I cannot go there unless the Messiah comes. My mother says that now, we in Israel, are like many Moses and we die seeing the Promised Land. She says that we are there, waiting to go in, and that only the Messiah will make us go in.»

«What a clever little Israelite! Well, I tell you that when you die, you will go to Paradise at once, because the Messiah will already have opened the gates of Heaven. But you must be good.»

«Mummy! Mummy!» The child slides down from Jesus’ arms and runs towards a young woman, who is entering her house holding a copper amphora. «Mummy! The new Rabbi told me that I will go to Paradise at once when I die and. I will eat so much honey…. If I am good. I will be good!»

«God grant it! I am sorry, Master, if he troubled You. He is so lively!»

«Innocence does not trouble, woman. May God bless you, because you are a mother who is bringing her children up in the knowledge of the Law.»

The woman blushes at being praised and replies: «May the blessing of the Lord be with You, too.» And she disappears with her little one.

• Limbo - Sheol

Every man is My brother, and I have come for everybody.

• Apostolate - Evangelism
• Incarnation
• Jesus Christ
• Redeemer
• Sauveur
• Who is Jesus? How Christ defines himself

When you succeed doing some good, do not boast about it, as if the merit were entirely yours. Praise God, the Lord of the apostolic workers, and have a clear eye and a sincere heart to see and give each the praise they deserve. A clear eye to discern the apostles who sacrificed themselves and are the first real incentive for the work of the others. Only God sees them: they are timid and seem to be doing nothing, whereas they draw from Heaven the fire that urges daring workers. A sincere heart in saying: “I work. But this fellow loves more than I do, he prays better than I do, I am not able to sacrifice myself as he does and as Jesus said: ‘… in your private room with the door closed pray secretly.’ Since I am aware of his humble holy virtue, I want to make it known and say: ‘I am an active instrument; he is a power that inspires me, because, joined as he is to God, he is a channel of celestial energy for me’”.

And the Blessing of the Father, that descends to reward the humble man, who secretly sacrifices himself to give strength to the apostles, will descend also on the apostle who sincerely acknowledges both the supernatural and silent help of the humble one, and his merits that superficial men do not notice.

It is a lesson for everybody.

• Apostolate - Evangelism
• Audacity
• Communion of saints
• Doing Good
• Giving thanks to God
• God's blessing
• Holiness
• Honesty and sincerity
• How to perfect and sanctify yourself
• Humility
• Master of souls
• Praise and acclaim
• Praise to God
• Pride
• Purity
• Shyness
• Thanks
• To be good

«Who is the most clever?»

«Him.» It is the frail little fellow who does not want war.

«What is your name?»

«Joel.»

«A great name! He says: “… let the weakling say: ‘I am strong’”. But strong in what? In the Law of the true God, to be amongst those whom in the Valley of Decision He will judge to be His saints. But the judgement is already near. Not in the Valley of Decision, but on the mountain of Redemption. There, the sun and the moon will grow dark with horror, the stars will tremble and shed tears of mercy, and the children of Light will be judged and separated from the children of Darkness. And the whole of Israel will know that its God has come. Happy are those who will have recognised Him. Honey, milk and fresh water will descend into their hearts and thorns will become eternal roses. Which of you wants to be amongst those who will be judged saints of God?»

«Me! Me! Me!»

«Will you love the Messiah, then?»

«Yes! Yes! You! You! It’s You we love. We know who You are! Simon and James have told us, and our mothers have told us. Take us with You!»

«Yes, I will take you if you are good. No more bad words, no more arrogance, quarrels, no answering back to your parents. Prayer, study, work, obedience. And I will love you and come with you.»

The children are all round Jesus. They look like a gaily-coloured corolla around a long, deep-blue pistil.

• Bible - Book of Joel
• Last Judgment
• Redemption

If you love God with all your souls, you will not sin, because sin gives pain to God. Those who love do not want to give pain. If you love your neighbours, as you love yourselves, you will be respectful children to your parents, faithful husbands to your wives, honest merchants in your trade, without any violence against your enemies, truthful in bearing witness, without envy of wealthy people, without any incentive of lewdness for another man’s wife. And as you do not want to do to other people what you do not wish should be done to you, you will not steal, or kill, or slander, or enter someone else’s nest like cuckoos.

• Adultery
• Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you
• Flight
• Honesty
• Husband and wife - Husband and wife
• Libel - Slander
• Lie
• Loyalty
• Lust
• Parents and children
• Sin
• Violence
• Words of wisdom

Love. May your love become a ladder by which, like angels, you will ascend to Heaven, as Jacob saw them, when you hear the Father say to each and everybody: “I will be your protector wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this place; to Heaven, the Eternal Kingdom”.

• Bible - Book of Genesis
• God the Father
• Heaven - Paradiso

I bear no grudge against those who do not know Me. I am also without ill-feeling towards those who hate Me. But I feel sorry for them, because of the harm they do themselves.

• God's love
• God's mercy and forgiveness
• Suffering and pain of Jesus Christ
• Who is Jesus? How Christ defines himself

Did I not say: “He, who lays his hand on the plough and looks back to bid farewell to those who are staying, is not fit for the Kingdom of God”? I had laid My hand on the plough not to cut the ground with the plough, but to open the hearts of men and sow there the word of God. I was to take My hand away from the plough only when they would tear it away to nail it to the Cross and to open with My torturing nail My Father’s heart, out of which forgiveness for mankind was to flow.

• Bible - Gospel of Luke
• God's mercy and forgiveness
• Kingdom of God - Kingdom of Heaven

God is the inheritance of His priests. He, the Father of Israel, is more than a Father to them and provides them with food, as it is just. But not more than what is just. He did not promise money and possessions to His servants of the sanctuary. In eternal life, they will possess Heaven for their justice, as Moses, Elijah, Jacob and Abraham will, but in this world they must have but a linen garment and a diadem of incorruptible gold: purity and charity, and their bodies must be subject to their souls, which are to be subject to the true God, and their bodies are not to be masters over their souls and against God.

• Charity
• God the Father
• Heaven - Paradiso
• Priests
• Providence
• Purity