Notes for this theme
Reading comfort
GRM 183.1 · Volume 3
What are you saying (...) ? Do not be too self-confident. I, Who am the Christ, constantly pray to have strength against Satan. Are you better than I am? Pride is the opening through which Satan penetrates. Be vigilant and humble (...).
GRM 184.5 · Volume 3
«Did I behave differently with you, Matthew?»
«No, my Lord, You did not.»
«And tell Me the truth: what convinced you more, My patience or the bitter reproaches of the Pharisees?»
«Your patience, so much so that I am here. The Pharisees, by despising and anathematizing me, made me scornful, and out of contempt I did more harm than I had done so far. That is what happens. Sinners become more obstinate when they realise that they are treated as sinners. But when we are caressed instead of being insulted, we are dumbfounded and we weep… and when one weeps, the whole framework of sin collapses… One is left naked before Goodness and one implores it wholeheartedly to be reclothed by It.»
«You are right.»
Jesus has just explained that we must be patient with souls and let them work themselves out.
GRM 186.3 · Volume 3
«Is that not Gamala?» asks the Zealot.
«Yes, it is Gamala. Do you know the town?» says Jesus.
«I was a fugitive there, one night, a long time ago. Then I was affected by leprosy and I did not come out of the sepulchres any more.»
«Did they pursue you so far?»
«I was coming from Syria, where I had gone seeking protection. But they discovered me and only my flight to this place saved me from being captured. Afterwards slowly and continuously threatened I went down as far as the desert of Tekoa and from there, suffering already from leprosy, to the Valley of the Dead. Leprosy saved me from my enemies…»
«These people are heathens, are they not?» asks the Iscariot.
«Almost everybody. Only a few Jews are here on business, and then there is a mixture of beliefs, or no beliefs at all. But they did not treat the fugitive badly.»
«These are places for bandits. What gorges!» exclaim many.
«Yes, but believe me, there are more bandits on the other side» says John who is still impressed by the capture of the
Baptist.
«On the other side there are also bandits among those who enjoy the reputation of being just» concludes his brother.
GRM 186.4 · Volume 3
«You were making grimaces because you had to pass near some animals.»
«They are unclean…»
«A sinner is much more so. These animals are made like that, and it is not their fault if they are like that. Man instead is responsible for being unclean because of his sins.»
«Why, then, are they classified as unclean[1] for us?» asks Philip.
«I have mentioned that once. In this commandment there is a supernatural reason and a natural one. The former reason is to teach the chosen people to live bearing in mind its election and the dignity of man, also in a common action like eating. A savage feeds on everything. It is enough for him to fill his stomach. A pagan, too, even if he is not a savage, eats everything, without considering that overeating foments vices and inclinations which degrade man. Indeed, pagans endeavour to reach this frenzy for pleasure, which is almost a religion for them. The more learned amongst you are aware of obscene celebrations in honour of their gods, which degenerate into lecherous orgies. A son of the people of God must be able to control himself, perfecting himself through obedience and prudence, bearing in mind his origin and his end: God and Heaven. The natural reason is not to stimulate the blood by means of food that causes a heat unbecoming of man, who is not forbidden also carnal love, but must always moderate it with the freshness of his soul tending to Heaven. Man must therefore make sure that the sentiment that joins him to his wife, in whom he must see a fellow creature like himself, not a female, is love, not sensuality. But the poor animals are neither guilty of being pigs nor of the effects that the flesh of pigs may cause in man’s blood on the long run. And the swineherds are much less guilty. If they are honest, what difference will there be, in the next life, between them and the scribe who is bent over his books but does not learn to be good? I solemnly tell you that we shall see swineherds among the just and scribes among the unjust.
Why were pigs declared unclean? Jesus answers this question, after the apostles had shown their disgust at these animals.
Pigs are described as unclean in Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8. More generally, the classification of clean and unclean animals, and the related prescriptions, are found in Genesis 7:2-3; Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14:3-21. See the altercation between Peter and an innkeeper in EMV 292.1.
Book of Leviticus 11, 7
Lv 11, 7 : Likethe swine, which has a divided horn and a cloven foot, but does not chew the cud: it will be unclean for you.
Deuteronomy 14, 8
Deut 14, 8: Like the swine, which has a divided horn but does not chew the cud: it shall be unclean for you. You shall not eat their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.
Book of Genesis 7, 2-3
Gn 7, 2-3 : Of all the clean animals, you shall take with you seven pairs, males and their females, and of all the animals that are not clean, you shall take two, a male and his female; seven pairs also of the birds of the air, males and their females, to keep alive their race on the face of all the earth.
Book of Leviticus 11
Lev 11: Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them: "Speak to the children of Israel, and say:
These are the animals you shall eat of all the beasts that are on the earth: Every animal that has a divided horn and a cloven foot, and chews the cud, you shall eat. But you shall not eat those that only chew the cud, or that only have a divided horn. Such is the camel, which chews the cud, but whose horn is not divided: it will be unclean to you. Like the jerboa, which chews the cud, but whose horn is not divided: it will be impure for you. Like the hare, which chews the cud but does not have a divided horn: it will be unclean for you. Like the pig, which has a divided horn and a cloven foot, but does not chew the cud: it shall be unclean for you. 8You shall not eat their flesh, nor touch their carcasses: they shall be unclean for you.
These are the beasts you shall eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, whether in the sea or in the rivers, you shall eat. But everything that does not have fins and scales, in the seas and in the rivers, among all the animals that move in the waters and among all the living creatures that are in them, you will find an abomination. They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, and their carcasses shall be an abomination to you. Everything in the waters that has no fins or scales is an abomination to you.
These are the birds you will abhor; they shall not be eaten, for they are an abomination: the eagle, the osprey and the vulture: the kite and all kinds of falcons; all kinds of ravens; the ostrich, the kite, the gull and all kinds of hawks; the owl, the cormorant and the owl; the swan, the pelican and the bearded vulture; the stork, all kinds of herons; the hoopoe and the bat.
Any winged insect that walks on four legs, you will abhor. But of all the winged insects that walk on four legs, you shall eat those that have legs above their legs, to leap on the earth. These are the ones you shall eat: every kind of locust, every kind of solam, every kind of hargol, every kind of hagab. Every other winged beast with four legs is an abomination to you.
These also shall make you unclean: whoever touches their dead body shall be unclean until the even, and whoever takes away any part of their dead body shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the even.
Any animal that has a divided horn, but is not forked-footed and does not chew the cud, will be unclean to you; whoever touches it will make himself unclean. And of the four-footed animals, everything that walks on the soles of its feet will be unclean to you: whoever touches their dead body will be unclean until evening; and whoever carries their dead body will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. These animals will be unclean for you.
Among the little beasts that crawl on the earth, these are the ones that will be unclean for you: the weasel, the mouse and all kinds of lizards; the shrew, the chameleon, the salamander, the green lizard and the mole. These are the unclean reptiles for you: whoever touches them dead will be unclean until evening. Anything on which dead ones fall shall be unclean: wooden utensils, clothing, skins, sackcloth, anything you use; you shall put it in water, and it shall remain unclean until evening, after which it shall be clean. If any of it falls into the middle of any earthen vessel, everything in the middle of the vessel will be defiled, and you will break the vessel. Any foodstuff prepared with water will be defiled; any beverage used in any vessel will be defiled. Every object on which anything of their dead body falls will be defiled; the oven and the vessel with its lid will be destroyed; they will be defiled and you will hold them to be defiled. But the springs and cisterns, where the pools of water are formed, will remain pure; however, whoever touches the dead body will be unclean. If anything of their dead body falls on a seed that is to be sown, the seed will remain pure; but if water has been put on the seed, and anything of their dead body falls on it, you will hold it unclean.
If one of your food animals dies, whoever touches its corpse will be unclean until evening. Whoever eats of its dead body shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; whoever carries its dead body shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination to you; it shall not be eaten. You shall not eat any animal that crawls on the ground, whether it be one that crawls on its belly, or one that walks on four feet or on many feet; for they are an abomination to you.
Do not make yourselves abominable by all these creeping things; do not make yourselves unclean by them; you will be defiled by them. For I am Yahweh, your God; you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; and you shall not be defiled by all creeping things that creep upon the earth. For I am Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall be holy, for I am holy. "This is the law for all four-footed animals, for birds, for every living thing that moves in the water, and for every creeping thing that crawls on the earth, so that you may distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the animal that can be eaten and the animal that cannot be eaten.
Deuteronomy 14, 3-21
You shall not eat any abominable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep and the goat; the stag, the gazelle and the fallow deer; the ibex, the antelope, the wild ox and the wild goat. You shall eat of every animal that has a divided horn and a cloven foot, and that chews the cud. But you shall not eat of those that only chew the cud, or that only have a divided horn and a cloven foot; such are the camel, the hare and the rabbit, which chew the cud but do not have a divided horn: they shall be unclean to you; such again is the pig, which has a divided horn but does not chew the cud: it shall be unclean to you. You shall not eat their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.
These are the animals you shall eat of all that are in the waters: you shall eat everything that has fins and scales; but everything that does not have fins and scales you shall not eat: it shall be unclean for you. You shall eat every clean bird. These are the ones you shall not eat: the eagle, the osprey and the vulture; the falcon, the kite and all kinds of goshawk; all kinds of raven; the ostrich, the owl, the gull and all kinds of sparrowhawk; the owl, the ibis and the owl; the pelican, the cormorant and the loon; 18the stork and all kinds of heron; the hoopoe and the bat. 19You shall regard every winged insect as unclean: it shall not be eaten. You must eat every pure bird. You shall not eat any dead animal. You shall give it to the stranger within your gates to eat, or sell it to a foreigner; for you are a people holy to Yahweh, your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
GRM 187.3 · Volume 3
«Where are we going exactly?» asks Peter.
«To give Passover to those who suffer. I have been wanting to do it for a long time. But I could not. I would have done it going back to Galilee. Now that they compel us to go along roads that we have not chosen, I am going to bless Jonah’s poor friends.»
«We will be wasting a lot of time! Passover is near! There are always delays for various reasons.» Another chorus of complaints rises to the sky. I do not know how Jesus can be so patient…
Without reproaching anyone He says: «Please, do not hinder Me! Endeavour to understand My need to love and to be loved. I have but this solace on the earth: to love and do the will of God.»
«And are we going from here? Was it not better to go from Nazareth?»
«If I had suggested that, you would have rebelled. No one will suspect that I am here… and I am doing it for you… because you are afraid.»
«Afraid? Ah! No! We are ready to fight for You.»
«Pray the Lord not to put you to the test. I know that you are quarrelsome, resentful, anxious to offend those who offend Me and to humble your neighbour. I know all that. But I do not know you to be brave. As far as I am concerned, I would have also gone by Myself and along the main road and nothing would have happened because it is not yet the time. But I feel sorry for you. I have to obey My Mother, yes, but I do not want to upset Simon the Pharisee. I will not disgust them. But they will disgust Me.»
«And where do we go from here? I am not familiar with this area» says Thomas.
«We will reach Tabor, we will coast part of it and will go to Nain via Endor; from there to the plain of Esdraelon. Be not afraid!… Doras, the son of Doras, and Johanan are already in Jerusalem.»
GRM 190.1-3 · Volume 3
The sun is setting in a red sky when Jesus comes in view of Johanan’s fields.
«Let us quicken our pace, My friends, before the sun sets. And you, Peter, go with your brother to inform our friends, Doras’ men.»
«I will go indeed, to see also whether the son has really gone away.» Peter stresses the word «son». And he goes away.
In the meantime Jesus proceeds at a slower pace, looking around to see whether any of Johanan’s men are about. But He can only see the fertile fields, in which the ears of grain are already well formed.
At last, a face, wet with perspiration, appears among the vine-leaves and an exclamation is heard: «Oh! Blessed Lord!» and the peasant runs out of the vineyard and prostrates himself at Jesus’ feet.
«Peace to you, Isaiah!»
«Oh! You remember my name too?»
«It is written in My heart. Stand up. Where are your companions?»
«Over there. In the apple-orchards. But I will tell them at once. You will be our guest, will You not? The master is not here and we can welcome You. In any case… what with the fear, what with the joy… it is better. Just imagine, he gave us a lamb this year and will allow us to go to the Temple! He has only given us six days…. but we will run all the way… We will be in Jerusalem, too… Imagine!… And thanks to You.» The man is in his seventh heaven of delight because he has been treated as a man and as an Israelite.
«I have done nothing, as far as I know…» says Jesus smiling.
«Eh! no! You have done a great deal. Doras, and the fields of Doras, and these ones here, which are instead so beautiful this year… Johanan was informed of your visit, and he is not a fool. He is afraid and… and he is afraid.»
«Of what?»
«He is afraid that what happened to Doras may happen to him. Both with regards to his life and to his property. Have You seen Doras’ fields?»
«I have come from Nain…»
«In that case You have not seen them. They are a complete ruin. (The man whispers that in a low but clear voice, like someone imparting a secret concerning something dreadful.) They are all ruined! There is no hay, no fodder, no fruit. Vines and orchards withered… Dead… everything is dead… like Sodom and Gomorrah… Come, I will show You.»
«It is not necessary. I am going to see those peasants…»
«But they are no longer here! Did You not know? Doras, the son of Doras, has scattered them or dismissed them, and the ones he sent to the other country places which belong to him, must not speak of You, or they will be lashed… Not to speak of You! That will be difficult! Also Johanan said so to us.»
«What did he say?»
«He said: “I am not so foolish as Doras and I will not say to you: ‘I do not want you to speak of the Nazarene’. It would be useless, because you would do it just the same and I do not want to lose you by lashing you to death like untameable animals. On the contrary I say to you: ‘Be good as the Nazarene certainly teaches you and tell Him that I treat you well’. I do not want to be cursed, too”. Of course, he can see what these fields are like after You blessed them, and what the ones You cursed are like.
190.2
Oh! Here are the ones who ploughed the field for me…» and the man runs to meet Peter and Andrew.
But Peter greets him briefly and proceeds on his way and begins to shout: «Oh! Master! There is no one left! They are all new faces. And everything is laid waste! He could very well do without any peasants here. It is worse than the Salt Sea!…»
«I know. Isaiah told Me.»
«But come and see! What a sight…»
Jesus pleases him after saying to Isaiah: «I will stay with you. Tell your companions. But do not go to any trouble. I have enough food. All we need is a barn to sleep in and your love. I will come back soon.»
The sight of Doras’ fields is really distressing. Fields and meadows are dry and barren, vineyards are withered, the foliage and fruit of trees are completely destroyed by millions of insects of all kinds. Also the garden-orchard near the house looks like a desolate dying wood. The peasants wander to and fro uprooting weeds, crushing caterpillars, snails, earth-worms and the like, shaking branches under which they place basins full of water to drown little butterflies, aphides and other parasites which cover the leaves and eat away the plant until it dies. They endeavour to find a sign of life in the vine-shoots, which break like dry wood as soon as they are touched and sometimes fall off the main branch, as if the roots had been cut by a saw. The contrast with Johanan’s fields, vineyards and orchards is most striking and the ruin of the cursed fields seems more impressive when compared to the fruitfulness of the others.
«The hand of the God of Sinai is a heavy one» whispers Simon the Zealot.
Jesus makes a gesture as if to say: «How right you are!» but He does not say anything. He only asks: «How did it happen?»
A peasant replies between his teeth: «Moles, locusts, worms… but go away! The steward is faithful to Doras… Don’t cause us trouble…»
Jesus sighs and goes away.
Another peasant, who is bent under an apple-tree earthing it up, in the hope he may save it, says: «We will reach You tomorrow… when the steward goes to Jezreel for the prayer… we will come to Micah’s house.»
Jesus makes the gesture of blessing and goes away.
190.3
When He goes back to the cross-road, all the peasants of Johanan are there and joyful and happy they surround their Messiah and take Him to their poor dwellings.
«Did You see, over there?»
«Yes, I did. Doras’ peasants are coming tomorrow.»
«Of course, when the hyenas go to pray… We do that every Sabbath… and we speak of You, we tell what we heard from Jonah, from Isaac, who often comes to see us, and what we learned from You in Tishri. We speak as best we can. Because it is impossible not to speak of You. And the more we suffer, the more we are forbidden, the more we speak of You. Those poor people… they drink the essence of life every Sabbath… But how many there are in this plain who are in need of knowing, of knowing You at least, and yet they cannot come here…»
«I will see to them as well. And may you be blessed for what you do.»
The sun is setting while Jesus enters a kitchen blackened by smoke. The Sabbath rest begins.
"The man runs to meet Peter and Andrew. Cf. EMV 109.4: Peter and Andrew, James and John, who took the place of the ploughmen to enable them to listen to Jesus' word.
The God of Sinai has a heavy hand. Direct reference to Jesus' words in EMV 109.12.
We speak of You, with what we have learned from Jonah, from Isaac who often comes to us, and from your speech at Tisri. Cf. EMV 109.5.
GRM 190.3 · Volume 3
When He goes back to the cross-road, all the peasants of Johanan are there and joyful and happy they surround their Messiah and take Him to their poor dwellings.
«Did You see, over there?»
«Yes, I did. Doras’ peasants are coming tomorrow.»
«Of course, when the hyenas go to pray… We do that every Sabbath… and we speak of You, we tell what we heard from Jonah, from Isaac, who often comes to see us, and what we learned from You in Tishri. We speak as best we can. Because it is impossible not to speak of You. And the more we suffer, the more we are forbidden, the more we speak of You. Those poor people… they drink the essence of life every Sabbath… But how many there are in this plain who are in need of knowing, of knowing You at least, and yet they cannot come here…»
«I will see to them as well. And may you be blessed for what you do.»
Jesus meets the peasants of Yokhanan.
We speak of You, with what we have learned from Jonah, from Isaac who often comes to us, and from your speech at Tisri. Cf. EMV 109.5.
GRM 191.1 · Volume 3
The peasants of Johanan, women, men and children follow them. The men are carrying two small amphoras, which, however, are not very small, and which must be full of wine. They are jars rather than amphoras and contain about ten litres each. (Please do not take my estimate literally). They go towards a thick vineyard, which is already all covered with new leaves, at the end of Johanan’s property. Beyond it there is a large ditch which is kept full of water with, I wonder, how much work.
«See? Johanan quarrelled with Doras over this ditch. Johanan said: “It is your father’s fault if everything is ruined. If he did not want to adore Him, he should have been afraid of Him instead of provoking Him”. And Doras shouted like a demon: “It was this ditch that saved you. The insects did not cross it…”. And Johanan replied: “Why is all your property ruined, then, when previously your fields were the nicest ones in Esdraelon? It’s God’s punishment, believe me. You went beyond the limit. This water?… It has been here all the time and that is not what saved me”. And Doras shouted again: “Which proves that Jesus is a demon”. “He is a just man” Johanan shouted back. And they continued for some time, while they had breath. Later Johanan spent a lot of money to divert the torrent, to find other underground water sources, and to dig more ditches on the boundary line between him and his relative, and he made them deeper and told us what we told You yesterday… After all, he is happy that it happened. He was so envious of Doras… He now hopes that he will be able to buy everything, because Doras will end up by selling everything at a very low price.»
The peasants of Yokhanan have found Jesus and are accompanying him and some of his apostles.
GRM 191.1-9 · Volume 3
«Give Micah enough money so that tomorrow he may pay for what he borrowed today from the peasants of this area» says Jesus to the Iscariot, who usually handles the… common possessions. Then Jesus calls Andrew and John and sends them to two spots from which it is possible to see the road or the roads coming from Jezreel. He calls also Peter and Simon and sends them to meet the men of Doras with instructions to stop them at the boundary between the two estates. He then says to James and Judas: «Take the foodstuffs and come with Me.»
The peasants of Johanan, women, men and children follow them. The men are carrying two small amphoras, which, however, are not very small, and which must be full of wine. They are jars rather than amphoras and contain about ten litres each. (Please do not take my estimate literally). They go towards a thick vineyard, which is already all covered with new leaves, at the end of Johanan’s property. Beyond it there is a large ditch which is kept full of water with, I wonder, how much work.
«See? Johanan quarrelled with Doras over this ditch. Johanan said: “It is your father’s fault if everything is ruined. If he did not want to adore Him, he should have been afraid of Him instead of provoking Him”. And Doras shouted like a demon: “It was this ditch that saved you. The insects did not cross it…”. And Johanan replied: “Why is all your property ruined, then, when previously your fields were the nicest ones in Esdraelon? It’s God’s punishment, believe me. You went beyond the limit. This water?… It has been here all the time and that is not what saved me”. And Doras shouted again: “Which proves that Jesus is a demon”. “He is a just man” Johanan shouted back. And they continued for some time, while they had breath. Later Johanan spent a lot of money to divert the torrent, to find other underground water sources, and to dig more ditches on the boundary line between him and his relative, and he made them deeper and told us what we told You yesterday… After all, he is happy that it happened. He was so envious of Doras… He now hopes that he will be able to buy everything, because Doras will end up by selling everything at a very low price.»
191.2
Jesus benignly listens to all the confidential information, while waiting for Doras’ poor peasants, who arrive without any delay and prostrate themselves on the ground as soon as they see Jesus in the shade of a tree.
«Peace to you, My friends. Come here. The synagogue is here today and I am your head of it. But first I wish to be the father of your family. Sit around Me, that I may give you some food. The Groom is with you today, and we will have a wedding banquet.»
And Jesus uncovers a basket, from which He takes some loaves of bread handing them to the amazed peasants of Doras. From another basket He takes the foodstuffs He has been able to find: cheese, cooked vegetables, and a little kid or lamb, cooked whole, which He divides among the unhappy men. He then pours out some wine and hands around a coarse chalice so that everybody may drink.
«Why all this? And what about them?» ask Doras’ men pointing to Johanan’s men.
«They have already had their share.»
«All this expense! How could You do that?»
«There are still some good people in Israel» replies Jesus smiling.
«But this is Sabbath…»
«Thank this man» says Jesus pointing at the man from Endor. «He got the lamb. It was easy to get the rest.»
The poor men devoured – it is the right word – the food, the like of which they had not tasted for a long time.
191.3
One of them, a rather elderly man, is pressing to his side a boy about ten years old; he eats and weeps.
«What is the matter, father?…» asks Jesus.
«It’s because Your goodness is too great…»
The man from Endor says in his guttural voice: «That is true… and it makes you weep. But the tears are not bitter ones…»
«They are not bitter. That’s true. And then… There is something I would like. My tears express also a desire.»
«What do you want, father?»
«See this child. He is my grandson. He was left to me after the landslide of last winter. Doras does not even know that he has come to me, because I have to let him live like a wild animal in the wood and I see him only on the Sabbath. If he finds out he will either drive him away or compel him to work… and this tender offspring of mine will be treated worse than a pack animal. At Passover I am sending him to Jerusalem with Micah, to become a son of the Law… and after?… He is my daughter’s son…»
«Would you give him to Me, instead? Do not weep. I have many friends who are honest, holy and without any children. They will bring him up in a holy manner, in My Way…»
«Oh! Lord! That is what I have been wishing for since I heard of You. And I prayed that holy man Jonah to save my grandchild from this death, because he knows what it means to belong to this master…»
«Child, would you come with Me?»
«Yes, my Lord. And I will cause You no grief.»
«That is settled.»
191.4
«But… to whom do You wish to give him?» asks Peter pulling Jesus by the sleeve. «Also this one to Lazarus?»
«No, Simon. But there are so many without any children…»
«And I am one of them…» Peter’s desire seems to make his face grow thinner.
«Simon. I have already told you. You are to be the “father” of all the children I will bequeath to you. But you are not to be bound by any child of your own. Do not be upset. You are too important to your Master, Who cannot detach you from Himself because of an affection. I am exacting, Simon. I am more exacting than a very jealous husband. I love you most partially and I want you to be entirely Mine.»
«All right, my Lord… all right… Let it be done as You wish.» Poor Peter is really heroic in adhering to Jesus’ will.
«He will be the son of My dawning Church. All right? He will belong to everybody and to nobody. He will be “our” child. He will follow us when distances will allow him to, or he will come to us and the shepherds will be his guardians, as in every child they love “their” Child Jesus. Come here, My child, what is your name?»
«Jabez of John and I am from Judah» says the boy without hesitating.
«Yes. We are Judaeans» confirms the old man. «I used to work in Doras’ lands in Judaea, and my daughter got married to a man from that area. He worked in the woods near Arimathea and last winter…»
«I saw the disaster.»
«The boy was spared because that night he was far away with a relative… In actual fact the boy was appropriately named Jabez. I said to my daughter at once: “Why? Do you not remember the ancient tradition?”. But her husband insisted in giving him that name, so he is Jabez[1].»
«“The child will call on the Lord and the Lord will bless him and will extend his lands, and the hand of the Lord will be with him and will keep harm away from him”. That is what the Lord will grant him to comfort you, father, and the souls of the dead, and to console the orphan.
191.5
And now that we have separated the needs of the body from those of the soul, by an act of love for the boy, listen to the parable that I have thought out for you.
There was once a very rich man. He wore the most beautiful garments, and in his purple and byssus clothes he used to strut about in squares and at home, respected by his citizens as the most powerful man in the country, and by his friends, who gratified his pride to gain benefits thereby. They feasted every day in his halls, where the multitude of his guests, all rich and none therefore needy crowded flattering Dives. His banquets were famous for the copiousness of food and of choice wines.
In the same town there lived a beggar, a great beggar. He was great in his misery as the other was great in his wealth. But under the crust of the human misery of Lazarus, the beggar, there was a treasure, which was even greater than Lazarus’ misery and Dives’ wealth. And it was Lazarus’ true holiness. He had never infringed the Law, not even when urged by need, and above all he had complied with the precept of love for God and for his neighbour. He, as is wont with poor people, used to go near the doors of rich people to ask for alms, so that he would not starve to death. And every evening he would go to Dives’ house, hoping to receive at least the crumbs of the pompous banquets which took place in the magnificent halls. He would lie in the street, near the door, and wait patiently.
But if Dives noticed him, he would have him driven away because that underfed body, covered with sores and ragged clothes, was too sad a sight for his guests. That is what Dives used to say. In actual fact, it was because the sight of so much misery and goodness was a continuous reproach to him. His well fed dogs, adorned with precious collars, were more pitiful than he was and they used to go near poor Lazarus and lick his sores, showing their great joy at being caressed by him. They even took the remains of the bountiful tables to him, so that Lazarus survived malnutrition thanks to animals. If he had relied on man he would have died, because man did not even allow him to enter the halls, after the banquet, to pick up the crumbs which had fallen from the tables.
191.6
One day Lazarus died. No one on earth noticed it, no one mourned him. On the contrary, Dives rejoiced not seeing on that day or afterwards that misery which he called a “disgrace” near his door. But the angels noticed it in Heaven. And when he was about to breathe his last breath in his cold barren cave, the celestial cohorts were present and in a bright dazzling light they picked up his soul and singing hosannas they took it to the bosom of Abraham.
Some time went by and Dives died. Oh! What a grand funeral! The whole town, already aware of his agony, crowded in the square where his abode was, some to be noticed as friends of the great man, some out of curiosity, some to gain favour with the heirs, and they all joined in the mourning, and their cries rose to the sky and with their cries also the false praises of the “great, just benefactor” who had died.
Can the word of man change God’s judgement? Can human apology cancel what is written in the book of Life? No, it cannot. What has been judged is judged and what has been written is written. And notwithstanding the grand funeral, the soul of Dives was buried in hell.
Then, in that horrible jail, eating and drinking fire and darkness, finding hatred and torture everywhere and in every moment of eternity, he raised his eyes to heaven. He raised his eyes to heaven which he saw in the brightness of lightning, in the fraction of a second, and the indescribable beauty of heaven remained present in his mind and tormented him in the midst of atrocious tortures. And he saw Abraham up there. Far, but bright, happy… and in his lap, bright and happy there was also Lazarus, poor Lazarus, once miserable, despised, revolting… and now? He was handsome in the light of God and of his holiness, full of God’s love, admired not by men but by the angels of God.
Dives weeping cried: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus, as I cannot possibly hope that you will do it yourself, send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and touch my tongue with it, to cool it, for I am in agony in these flames which pierce me continuously and burn me!”.
Abraham replied: “Remember, son, that you had all good things during your life, whereas Lazarus had all bad things. But he turned evil into good, whereas you did nothing but evil of all the good things. It is therefore just that now he should be comforted here and that you should suffer. In any case it is not possible to do it. Holy people are spread over the earth so that men may take advantage of them. But, if notwithstanding all the opportunities, he remains what he was – in your case, a demon – it is useless to make recourse to saints. We are now separated. Herbs are mixed when they are in the field. But when they are cut, the good ones are separated from the evil ones. That is what happens to you and to us. We were together on the earth and you rejected and tortured us in every possible way, you forgot us, acting against the law of charity. We are now divided. There is an abyss between you and us, and those who wish to cross it and come to you, cannot do it. Neither can you, where you are, cross the dreadful abyss and come to us”.
191.7
Dives, crying more loudly shouted: “Holy father, at least please send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers. I have never understood what love is, not even among relatives. But now I understand what a terrible thing it is not to be loved. And since where I am there is hatred, in the fraction of a second, when my soul saw God, I understood what Love is. I do not want my brothers to suffer the pains that I am suffering. I am terrified because they are leading the same life as I did. Oh! send Lazarus to tell them where I am, and why I am here, and let them know that hell does exist, and it is dreadful, and that those who do not love God and their neighbour come to hell. Send him! So that they may provide in good time, and may not come here, to this place of eternal torture” .
But Abraham replied: “Your brothers have Moses and the Prophets. They should listen to them”.
And with a deep groan of a tormented soul Dives replied: “Oh! Father Abraham! They will be more impressed by a dead person… Listen to me! Have mercy!”.
But Abraham said: “If they have not listened to Moses and the Prophets, they will not believe either one who has risen from the dead for one hour to speak words of Truth to them. In any case it is not fair that a blessed soul should leave my bosom to go and be insulted by the sons of the Enemy. The time of insults is over for such souls. They are now in peace by the order of God Who sees that it is useless to endeavour to convert those who do not even believe in the word of God and do not practice it”.
That is the parable and its meaning is so clear that no clarification is required.
191.8
My Jonah lived here and really achieved the holiness of Lazarus, whose glorious position near God is made clear by the protection He grants to those who hope in Him. Jonah can come to you, as a friend and protector, and he will come if you are always good.
I would like, and I tell you now what I told him last spring[2], I would like to be able to help you all, also materially, but I cannot, and I am sorry for that. I can but point Heaven to you. I can only teach you the great wisdom of resignation and promise the future Kingdom to you. Do not hate, never, for any reason whatsoever. Hatred is strong in the world. But it always has a limit. Love has no limit of power or time. Love therefore, to possess love, as a defense and comfort on the earth, and as a reward in Heaven. It is better to be Lazarus than Dives, believe Me. Believe it and you will be blessed.
In the desolation of these fields you cannot hear one word of hatred, even if facts could have justified it. Do not misunderstand the miracle. I am Love and I would not have struck. But seeing that Love could not bend cruel Doras, I abandoned him to Justice which avenged the martyr Jonah and his brothers. This is what the miracle teaches you. That Justice is always vigilant, even when it seems to be absent and that since God is the Master of creation, in pursuance of Justice, He can also make use of the lesser beings, such as caterpillars and ants, to punish the hearts of cruel and greedy people letting them die choked by a regurgitation of their own poison.
191.9
I bless you, now. And I will pray for you at every dawn. And you, father, do not worry about the little lamb you are entrusting to Me. I will bring him back now and again, that you may rejoice seeing him grow in wisdom and goodness in the way of the Lord. He will be your lamb of this poor Passover of yours, the most pleasing of all the lambs offered at the altar of Jehovah. Jabez, say goodbye to the old father and then come to your Saviour, to your Good Shepherd. Peace be with you!»
«Oh! Master! Good Master! How painful it is to leave you!»
«Yes, it is painful. But it is better if the steward does not find you here. I came here deliberately to avoid punishment for you. Please obey for the sake of the Love Who advises you.»
The unhappy men rise with tears in their eyes and go back to their cross. Jesus blesses them once again and then, holding the boy by the hand and with the man from Endor on the other side, He goes back to Micah’s house along the same way He came.
Andrew and John join Him and the disciples after their watch.
"Simon, I told you", in EMV 104.5. The last mention of Lazarus is in connection with the event reported in EMV 172.11.
"I saw the catastrophe", in EMV 139.2.
"Why this name? Don't you remember the old one? " (...) " The child will call upon the Lord and the Lord will bless him and enlarge his borders; the hand of the Lord is in his hand and he will no longer be burdened by misfortune. " The quotation is from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10: Yabesh was more honored than his brothers. His mother gave him the name Yabés (i.e.: In sorrow), saying: "I gave birth in distress." Yabesh invoked the God of Israel, saying: "If indeed you bless me, you will enlarge my territory, your hand will be with me, and you will remove misfortune from me, so that my distress will end." And God granted him what he had asked for.
In his dictation of August 2, 1943, Jesus refers to this wicked rich man as Epulon, the name of the priests in charge of organizing banquets in ancient Rome, which the original of this episode uses "Epulone" as the equivalent of wicked rich man.
"He turned his eyes to the Heaven he had glimpsed". This is to be understood as Maria Valtorta commented on a typed copy: "He turned his eyes towards the limbo of the saints he had glimpsed ... and whose peaceful beauty was already unspeakable ...".
"During that second when my soul glimpsed God" is to be understood in the sense of "at the moment of the particular judgment", as Maria Valtorta notes in a typed copy.
I'd like to, and I'll tell you what I said to her last spring. In EMV 89.1.
GRM 192.5-6 · Volume 3
They are already near Engannim – which must be a beautiful little town supplied with water brought from the hills by means of an elevated aqueduct, probably a Roman work – when the noise of an oncoming military squad makes them take refuge on the edge of the road. The hooves of the horses resound on the road, which here, near the town, shows signs of a paving that appears through the dust gathered on it with rubble. The road has obviously never been swept with a besom.
«Hail, Master! How do You happen to be here?» shouts Publius Quintilianus dismounting from his horse, and going towards Jesus with a broad smile, holding the horse by the reins. His soldiers slow down to keep pace with their superior.
«I am going to Jerusalem for Passover.»
«I am going, too. We are reinforcing the guard for the festivity, also because Pontius Pilate is coming to town, too, and Claudia is there. We are her runners. The roads are so insecure! The eagles drive jackals away» says the soldier laughing and looks at Jesus. He then continues in a low voice: «Double watch this year, to protect the back of filthy Antipas. There is a lot of ill-feeling because of the capture of the Prophet. Ill-feeling in Israel… and consequently dissatisfaction among us. But… we have already ensured that the High Priest and his stooges have been… benignly lectured…» and he ends in a low voice: «Go without any fear. All the claws have been retracted into the paws. Oh! They are afraid of us. If we only clear our throats, they take it for a roar. Will you speak at Jerusalem? Come near the Praetorium. Claudia speaks of You as of a great philosopher. That is a good thing because Claudia is the proconsul.»
192.6
He looks around and sees Peter flushed, perspiring with his load. «And that boy?»
«An orphan I brought with Me.»
«But that man of Yours is working too hard! Boy, are you afraid to come on the horse with me for a few yards? I will keep you under my chlamys and I will go slow. I will hand you back to him when we are at the gate.»
The boy does not object, he is as mild as a lamb, and Publius lifts him up onto the saddle.
And while he is ordering his soldiers to go slow he also sees the man from Endor. He stares at him and says: «What! You here?»
«I am here. I have stopped selling eggs to the Romans. But the chicken are still there. I am now with the Master…»
«Good for you! You will have greater comfort. Goodbye. Hail, Master. I will wait for You at that group of trees.» And he spurs his horse.
«Do you know him? And does he know you?» many ask John of Endor.
«Yes, as his supplier of chicken. He did not know me before, but once I was summoned to the headquarters at Nain to fix the prices, and he was there. Since then he always spoke to me when I went to Caesarea to buy books or tools. He calls me Cyclops or Diogenes. He is not a bad fellow, and although I cannot bear Romans I have never offended him because he might be useful to me.»
«Did you hear that, Master? My speech to the centurion at Capernaum was a good thing. I feel more relaxed now» says Peter.
They reach the thicket in the shade of which the patrol has dismounted.
«I am handing the boy back to You. Have You orders, Master?»
«No, Publius. May God show Himself to you.»
«Hail», he mounts his horse and spurs it, followed by his men with a loud rattle of hooves and body-armour.
There is much discontent because of the prophet's arrest: in EMV 180.
My speech to the centurion in Capernaum had an effect: in EMV 182.