GRM 68.5
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
Prepare your hearts for the grace of the oncoming Redemption. The Redeemer is amongst you. Blessed are those who will be worthy of being redeemed, because they are men of goodwill.
Notes for this theme
The mystery of suffering
Page 12 of 54
Reading comfort
Aa
GRM 69
The Gospel as revealed to me
Detail
Jesus leaves the Temple with Judas. Judas wants to go with him, but Jesus tells him that he needs to pray with the Father. He affirms that the spirit must always take precedence over the flesh, and that the flesh must almost be killed in favor of supernatural life. Judas then asks how we can be unconcerned about the flesh, and evokes the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". Jesus replies that we must eat with continence, without poisoning ourselves or overeating, as this flatters the taste. He then returned to the subject of suicide, and spoke about it at length. Christ declares that he who commits suicide sins through pride. Judas points out that people commit suicide out of despair, but Jesus says that despair is nothing other than pride: for we believe that we have no help anywhere, not even from God, who is a Father and can reach out to us. Judas points out that all those who committed suicide in Scripture before his coming sinned, but the Master declares that they will have been able to receive God's Mercy, even if it is never permitted to do violence, to oneself or to others. After the coming of the Word, on the other hand, the sin of suicide will always be severely condemned by God's Justice if the sinner commits suicide, declaring that he is forever separated from God and cannot receive God's forgiveness. Since life is a gift from God, we must love it, and use it to gain eternity.
Judas understands Christ's thought, but finds it hard to apply. They talk about Christ's temptation, then Jesus talks about angels (pure spirits) and man, king of creation, whom Jesus has come to rehabilitate.
About to leave Jesus, Judas asks him if he can't take him somewhere other than the olive grove, to make him "better considered". But while Jesus thanks him for his consideration, he likes to stay in this humble environment. He will come for all, for the little ones as well as for the great, but will remain above all where humility is to be found. Finally, the two men part shortly afterwards.
GRM 69.2
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
Both our own and other people’s lives are the gift of God and only God, Who gives life, has the authority to take it.
GRM 69.2-3
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
«It is true that to kill oneself is the same as killing other people. Both our own and other people’s lives are the gift of God and only God, Who gives life, has the authority to take it. Who kills himself, confesses his own pride, and pride is hated by God.»
«He confesses his pride? I would say his despair.»
«And what is despair but pride? Just think, Judas. Why does one despair? Either because misfortunes persistently perturb him and he wants to overcome them by himself, but is unable to do so. Or because he is guilty and he thinks that he cannot be forgiven by God. In both cases, is not pride the basic reason? The man who wants to do all by himself, is no longer humble enough to stretch out his hand to the Father and say to Him: “I am not able, but You are. Help me, because I hope and wait for everything from You”. The other man who says: “God cannot forgive me” says so, because measuring God by his own standards, he knows that another person could not forgive him, if that person had been offended, as he offended God. So here again it is pride. A humble man understands and forgives, even if he suffers for the offence received. A proud man does not forgive. He is proud also because he is not capable of lowering his head and saying: “Father, I have sinned, forgive Your poor guilty son”. But do you not know, Judas, that the Father will forgive everything, if one asks to be forgiven with a sincere, contrite, humble, heart willing to rise again to new life?»
«But certain crimes are not to be forgiven. They cannot be forgiven.»
«That is what you say. And it will be true only because man wants it to be true. But, oh! I solemnly tell you that even after the crime of crimes, if the guilty man should rush to the Father’s feet – He is called Father, Judas, just for that, and He is a Father of infinite perfection – and crying, implored Him to be forgiven, offering to expiate, without despairing, the Father would make it possible for him to expiate and thus deserve forgiveness and save his soul.»
69.3 «Well, then, You say that the men quoted by the Scriptures who killed themselves, did wrong.»
«It is not lawful to do violence to anybody, not even to oneself. They did wrong. In their limited knowledge of good, perhaps in certain cases, they had mercy from God. But after the Word has clarified the truth and has given strength to spirits with His Spirit, then he who dies in despair will no longer be forgiven. Neither in the instant of the personal judgement, nor after centuries of Gehenna, on Doomsday, never! Is that hardness by God? No: it is justice. God will say: “You, a creature gifted with reason and supernatural knowledge, created free by Me, you decided to follow the path you chose and you said: ‘God will not forgive me. I am separated from Him forever. I think I must apply the law by myself to my own crime. I am parting from life to evade remorse without considering that you would no longer have felt remorse if you had come to My faithful bosom. And let it be done to you, as you judged. I will not violate the freedom I gave you”.
That is what the Eternal Father will say to suicide. Meditate on it, Judas. Life is a gift, a gift to be loved. But what gift is it? A holy gift. So love it holily. Life lasts as long as the flesh holds out. Then the great Life, the eternal Life begins. A Life of blissful happiness for the just, of malediction for the unjust. Is life a purpose or a means? It is a means. It serves for a purpose which is eternity. Then let us give life what is required to make it last and serve the spirit in its conquest. Continence of the flesh in all its lusts, in all of them. Continence of the mind in all its desires, in all of them. Continence of the heart in all human passions. Infinite instead is to be the ardour for heavenly passions: love of God and the neighbour, obedience to the divine word, heroism in good and virtue.
GRM 69.3
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
It is not lawful to do violence to anybody, not even to oneself.
Keywords
GRM 70.9
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
Accept everything, always saying as the apostle: “Everything You do, is well done, Master”, in order to deserve to always hear Me say to you: “You are My loving peace”. I need comfort as well, Mary. Give Me it. My Heart for your rest.
GRM 71.4
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
You have suffered and You can be more indulgent. Sorrow teaches many things.
GRM 72.5-6
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
«See, Judas. I come from a caste which is persecuted because… because what and how the Messiah should be is misunderstood. Yes. If we had waited for Him with the correct vision of His being, we would not have fallen into errors, which are blasphemy against the Truth and a rebellion against the Law of Rome, so that we have been punished both by God and by Rome. We fancied Christ as a conqueror who would free Israel, as a new Maccabaeus, greater than the great Judas… Only that. And why? Because rather than have regard to the interest of God we took care of our own interests: of the fatherland and of the people. Oh! The interests of the fatherland are most certainly sacred. But what are they when compared to the eternal Heavens? In the long hours of persecution, first, and then of isolation, when as a fugitive, I was compelled to hide in the dens of wild beasts, sharing food and a bed with them, to escape Roman power and above all the impeachments of false friends; or when, waiting for death I was already tasting the savour of the sepulchre, in the cave of a leper, how much did I meditate, and how much did I see: I saw the figure of the Messiah… Yours, my humble and good Master, Yours, Master and King of the Spirit, Yours, O Christ, Son of the Father, leading to the Father, and not to the royal palaces of dust, nor to the deities of mud. You… Oh! It is easy for me to follow You… Because, forgive my daring, which avows itself to be correct, because I see You as I thought of You, I recognise You, I recognised You at once. No, it was not a question of meeting You, but of recognising One whom my soul had already met…»
«That is why I called you… and that is why I am taking you with Me, now, in this first journey of Mine in Judaea.
72.6 I want you to complete your recognition… and I want also these, whom age makes less capable of reaching the Truth by means of deep meditation, I want them to know how their Master has come to this hour… You will understand later.»
Detail
Simon the Zealot talks to Judas.
Annotation
First book of the Maccabees, 3, 1-26 :
1 M 3, 1-26 : After Mattathias' death, his son Judas, called Maccabaeus, rose up in his place. All his brothers and all his father's followers came to his aid and gladly fought for Israel.
Judas extended the glorious fame of his people. Dressed in his armor like a hero, and armed with his weapons of war, he fought battles, protecting the camp with his sword. Like a lion in action, like a cub roaring towards its prey, he hunted down men unfaithful to the Law, chasing them down and delivering to the fire those who troubled his people.
In the face of the fear he inspired, men unfaithful to the Law were brought low, and all evil-doers panicked. Through his hand came salvation. He made life bitter for many kings, and delighted Jacob with his exploits. His memory is forever blessed.
He went through the cities of Judah, exterminating the godless. He turned away the wrath of Israel. His name resounded to the ends of the earth, and he gathered together those who were about to perish.
Then Apollonius gathered pagans and a large army from Samaria to fight Israel. Judas was informed of this. He went out to meet him, beat him and killed him. Many were killed, and the survivors fled. The spoils were collected, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, to use in battle every day.
Seronius, commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had gathered around him a group, an assembly of the faithful, to march into battle. He said to himself: "I'll make a name for myself and cover myself with glory in the kingdom. I will fight Judas and his companions, who despise the king's command." So he set off in his turn, accompanied by a large company of godless men, to take vengeance on the sons of Israel.
As he approached the ascent to Bethoron, Judas came out to meet him with a handful of men. At the sight of the troop coming towards them, his men said to Judas: "How can we, so few in number, fight against such a large and strong crowd? What's more, we're exhausted, for we've eaten nothing today!" Judas replied: "It's easy for a multitude to fall into the hands of a few. Heaven doesn't care whether salvation is achieved through many men or just a few. Victory in battle does not depend on the size of the army: strength comes from Heaven.
They come to us, brimming with pride and contempt for the Law, to destroy us, our wives and children, and strip us of our possessions. We fight for our lives and our laws. Heaven itself will crush them before us. Fear them not!"
With these words, he rushed at them unexpectedly. Serona and his troop were crushed before him. They were pursued downhill from Bethorone to the plain. About eight hundred men fell; the rest fled to the land of the Philistines. Judas and his brothers began to inspire fear, and panic took hold of the pagan nations around them. Judas' name reached the ears of the king, and all the pagans commented on his deeds of war.
GRM 73.2-8
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
73.2 They have reached the sepulchre, an ancient but well preserved monument, well whitewashed.
Jesus stops to drink at a rustic well nearby. A woman who has come to draw water offers Him some. Jesus asks her: «Are you from Bethlehem?»
«I am. But now at harvest time, I live in the country here with my husband, to look after the vegetable gardens and the orchards. Are You a Galilean?»
«I was born in Bethlehem, but I live at Nazareth in Galilee.»
«Are You persecuted, too?»
«The family is. But why do you say: “You too”? Are there many people persecuted among the Bethlehemites?»
«Don’t You know? What age are You?»
«Thirty.»
«Then You were born exactly when… oh! what a calamity! But why was He born here?»
«Who?»
«The One they said was the Saviour. Cursed be the fools who, drunk as they were, thought the clouds were angels and the bleating and braying were voices from Heaven, and in the haze of drunkenness they mistook three miserable people for the holiest people on the earth. Cursed be they! And cursed be those who believe them.»
«But, with all your cursing, you are not telling Me what happened. Why are you cursing?»
«Because… Listen: where are You going?»
«To Bethlehem with My friends. I have business there. I must visit some old friends and take them the greetings of My Mother. But I would like to know many things before, because we have been away, we of the family, for many years. We left the town when I was only a few months old.»
«Before the catastrophe, then.
73.3 Listen, if You do not loathe the house of a peasant, come and share our bread and salt with us. You and Your companions. We will talk during supper and I will put you all up for the night. My house is small. But above the stable there is a lot of hay, all piled up. The night is clear and warm. If You want, You can sleep there.»
«May the Lord of Israel reward your hospitality. I will be happy to come to your house.»
«A pilgrim brings blessings with him. Let us go. But I shall have to pour six jars of water on the vegetables which have just come up.»
«And I will help you.»
«No, You are a gentleman, Your behaviour says so.»
«I am a worker, woman. This one is a fisherman. Those two Judaeans are well off and employed. I am not.» And He picks up a jar, which was lying flat on its big belly near the very low wall of the well, He ties it to the rope, and lowers it into the well.
John helps Him. Also the others wish to be as helpful and they ask the woman: «Where are the vegetables? Tell us and we will take the jars there.»
«May God bless you! My back is broken with fatigue. Come…»
And while Jesus is pulling up His jar, the three disciples disappear along a little path… and come back with two empty ones which they fill up and then go away. And they do not do that three, but ten times. And Judas laughing says: «She is shouting herself hoarse, blessing us. We have given so much water to her salad, that the soil will be damp for at least two days, and the woman will not have to break her back.» When he comes back for the last time, he says: «Master, I am afraid we have been unlucky.»
«Why, Judas?»
«Because she has it in for the Messiah. I said to her: “Don’t curse. Don’t you know that the Messiah is the greatest grace for the people of God? Yahweh promised Him to Jacob, and after him to all the Prophets and the just people in Israel. And you hate Him?” She replied: “Not Him. But the one whom some drunken shepherds and three cursed diviners from the East called ‘Messiah’”. And since that is You…»
«It does not matter. I know I am placed as a trial and contradiction for many. Did you tell her who I am?»
«No, I am not a fool. I wanted to save Your back and ours.»
«You did well. Not because of our backs. But because I wish to show Myself when I think the time is right. Let us go.»
Judas leads Him as far as the vegetable garden.
73.4 The woman empties the last three jars and she then takes Him towards a rustic building in the middle of the orchard. «Go in» she says. «My husband is already in the house.»
They look into a low smoky kitchen. «Peace be to this house» greets Jesus.
«Whoever You are, may You and Your friends be blessed. Come in» replies the man. And he takes out to them a basin of water that they may refresh and clean themselves. Then they all go in and sit round a rough table.
«Thank you for helping my wife. She told me. I had never dealt with Galileans before and I was told that they are rough and quarrelsome. But you have been kind and good. Although already tired… you worked so hard. Are you coming from far?»
«From Jerusalem. These two are Judaeans. The other one and I are from Galilee. But, believe Me, man: you will find good and bad everywhere.»
«That’s true. I, the first time I have met Galileans, I have found them to be good. Woman: bring the food. I have but bread, vegetables, olives and cheese. I am a peasant.»
«I am not a gentleman Myself. I am a carpenter.»
«What? You? With Your manners?»
The woman intervenes: «Our guest is from Bethlehem, I told you, and if His relations are persecuted, they were probably rich and learned, like Joshua of Ur, Matthew of Isaac, Levi of Abraham, poor people!…»
«You have not been questioned. Forgive her. Women are more talkative than sparrows in the evening.»
«Were they Bethlehemite families?»
«What? You do not know who they are, and You come from Bethlehem?»
«We ran away when I was a few months old…»
The woman who must be really loquacious, resumes speaking: «He went away before the massacre.»
«Eh! I see that. Otherwise He would not be in this world. Have You never been back?»
«No, never.»
73.5 «What a calamity! You will not find many of those Sarah said You want to meet and visit. Many were killed, many ran away, many… who knows!… missing, and it has never been known whether they died in the desert or were killed in jail as a punishment for their rebellion. But was it a rebellion? And who would have remained inactive allowing so many innocents to be slaughtered? No, it is unfair that Levi and Elias should still be alive when so many innocents are dead!»
«Who are those two, and what did they do?»
«Well… at least You will have heard of the slaughter. The slaughter by Herod… Over a thousand babies slaughtered in town, almost another thousand in the country. And they were all, or almost all, males, because in their fury, in the darkness, in the scuffle, the killers tore away from their cradles, from their mother’s beds, from the houses they assailed, also some baby girls, and they pierced them like sucking baby gazelles shot down by archers. Well: why all that? Because a group of shepherds, who had obviously drank a huge quantity of cider to stand the intense night cold, in a frenzy of excitement, stated they had seen angels, heard songs, received instructions… and they said to us of Bethlehem: “Come. Adore. The Messiah is born”. Just imagine: the Messiah in a cave! In all sincerity, I must admit that we were all drunk, even I, then an adolescent, also my wife, then only a few years old… because we all believed them, and in a poor Galilean woman we saw the Virgin Mother mentioned by the Prophets. But She was with Her husband, a rough Galilean! If She was the wife, how could She be the “Virgin”? To cut a long story short: we believed. Gifts, worshipping… houses opened to give them hospitality!…
Oh! They played their roles very well! Poor Anne! She lost her property and her life, and also the children of her oldest daughter, the only one left because she was married to a merchant in Jerusalem, lost all their property because their house was burned down and the whole holding was laid waste by Herod’s order. Now it is an uncultivated field where herds feed.»
«And was it entirely the shepherds’ fault?»
«No, it was the fault also of three sorcerers who came from Satan’s kingdom. Perhaps they were accomplices of the three… And we foolishly felt proud of so much honour! And the poor arch-synagogue! We killed him because he swore that the prophecies confirmed the truth of the shepherds’ and sorcerer’ words…»
«It was therefore the fault of the shepherds and of the sorcerers?»
«No, Galilean. It was also our fault. The fault of our credulity.
The Messiah had been expected for such a long time! Centuries of expectation. And there had been many disappointments recently because of false Messiahs. One of them was a Galilean, like You, another one was named Theudas. Liars! They… Messiahs! They were nothing but greedy adventurers hunting for a stroke of luck! We should have learned the lesson. Instead…»
73.6 «Well, then, why do you curse all the shepherds and sorcerers?
If you consider yourselves fools, too, then you ought to be cursed as well. But the precept of love forbids cursing. One curse attracts another curse. Are you sure you are right? Could it not be true that the shepherds and the sorcerers spoke the truth, revealed to them by God? Why do you carry on believing they were liars?»
«Because the years of the prophecy were not complete. We thought about it afterwards… after our eyes had been opened by the blood that reddened basins and rivulets.»
«And could the Most High not have advanced the coming of the Saviour, out of an excess of love for His people? On what did the sorcerers found their statement? You told Me they came from the East…»
«On their calculations concerning a new star.»
«Is it not written: “A star from Jacob takes the leadership, a sceptre arises from Israel”? Is Jacob not the great Patriarch and did he not stop in the land of Bethlehem as dear to him as his eyes, because his beloved Rachel died there? And did the mouth of a Prophet not say: “A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots”? Jesse, David’s father, was born here. Is the shoot on the stock, cut at its roots by tyrannical usurpation, is it not the “Virgin” Who will give birth to Her Son, conceived not by deed of man, otherwise She would not be a virgin, but by divine will, whereby He will be the “Emmanuel” because: Son of God, He will be God and bring God among the people of God, as His name proclaims? And will He not be announced, as the prophecy says, to the people walking in darkness, that is to the pagans, “by a great light”? And the star the Magi saw, could it not be the star of Jacob, the great light of the two prophecies of Balaam and Isaiah? And the very massacre ordered by Herod, does it not come within the prophecies? “A voice is heard in Ramah… It is Rachel weeping for her children”. It was written that tears should ooze from Rachel’s bones in her sepulchre at Ephrathah when, through the Saviour, the reward would come to the holy people. Tears which were to turn into celestial laughter, just as the rainbow is formed by the last drops of the storm, but it says: “Here, the sky is clear again”»
«You are a learned man. Are You a rabbi?»
«Yes, I am.»
«And I perceived it. There is light and truth in Your words. But… Oh! too many wounds are still bleeding in this land of Bethlehem because of the true or false Messiah… I would never advise Him to come here. The land would reject Him as it rejects a stepson who caused the death of the true children. In any case… if it was Him… He died with the other slaughtered children.»
73.7 «Where do Levi and Elias live now?»
«Do You know them?» The man becomes suspicious.
«I do not know them. Their faces are unknown to Me. But they are unhappy, and I always have mercy on the unhappy. I want to go and see them.»
«Well, You will be the first one after about thirty years. They are still shepherds and they work for a rich Herodian from Jerusalem, who has taken possession of a lot of the property belonging to the people killed… There is always someone making a profit! You will find them with their herds on the high grounds towards Hebron. But this is my advice: don’t let anyone from Bethlehem see You speaking to them. You would suffer from it. We bear them because… because of the Herodian. Otherwise…»
«Oh! Hatred! Why hate?»
«Because it is just. They have done us harm.»
«They thought they were doing good.»
«But they did harm. Let them be harmed. We should have killed them, as they had so many people killed through their stupidity. But we had become stupid ourselves and later… there was the Herodian.»
«So, even if he had not been there, after the first desire for revenge, which was still excusable, would you have killed them?»
«We would kill them even now, if we were not afraid of their master.»
«Man, I tell you, do not hate. Do not wish evil things. Do not be anxious to do evil things. There is no fault here. But even if there was, forgive. Forgive in the name of God. Tell the other people of Bethlehem as well. When your hearts are free from hatred, the Messiah will come; you will know Him then, because He is alive. He already existed when the massacre took place. I am telling you. It was Satan’s fault, not the fault of the shepherds and of the sorcerers that the massacre took place. The Messiah was born here for you, He came to bring the Light to the land of His fathers. The Son of a Virgin Mother of the line of David, in the ruins of the house of David, He granted a stream of Graces to the world, and a new life to mankind…»
«Go away! Get out of here! You are a follower of that false Messiah, Who could but be false, because He brought misfortune to us here in Bethlehem. You are defending Him, so…»
«Be silent, man. I am a Judaean and I have influential friends. I could make you feel sorry for your insult» bursts out Judas, getting hold of the peasant’s garments, and shaking him in a fit of violent anger.
«No, No, out of here! I don’t want trouble with the people of Bethlehem or with Rome or Herod. Go away, you cursed ones, if you don’t want me to leave my mark on you… Out!»
«Let us go, Judas. Do not react. Let us leave him in his hatred. God will not enter where there is bitter hatred. Let us go.»
«Yes, we will go. But you will pay for it.»
«No, Judas, do not say that. They are blind… We shall meet so many on My way.»
73.8 They go out following Simon and John, who are already outside, speaking to the woman, round the corner of the stable.
«Forgive my husband, Lord. I did not think I was going to cause so much trouble… Here, take these. You will eat them tomorrow morning. They are newly laid. I have nothing else… Forgive us. Where will You sleep?» (She gives Him some eggs).
«Do not worry. I know where to go. Go and peace be with you for your kindness. Goodbye.»
They walk a short distance, without speaking, then Judas bursts out: «But You… Why not make him worship You? Why did You not crush that filthy swearer down in the mud? Down on the ground! Crushed because he showed no respect for You, the Messiah… Oh! That is what I would have done! Samaritans should be reduced to ashes by means of a miracle! It is the only thing that will shake them.»
«Oh! How many times will I hear that said! But if I should reduce to ashes for every sin against Me!… No, Judas. I have come to create, not to destroy.»
«Yes! And in the meantime they are destroying You.»
Jesus does not reply.
Detail
See the second note below if you want to get straight to the point.
The Magi are mentioned in 73.3 and 73.5-6.
The massacre is mentioned in 73.2 and especially in 73.5-6.
The shepherds and the Nativity are mentioned in 73.2 and 75.5-7.
GRM 74.7-9
The Gospel as revealed to me
Quotation
74.7 Jesus stretches out His arms. When Judas sees that gesture he says: «Don’t speak! It isn’t wise!»
But Jesus’ powerful voice fills the square: «Men of Judah! Men of Bethlehem, listen! Women of the land sacred to Rachel, listen! Listen to One Who descends from David, and has suffered because of persecutions and has become worthy of speaking, and is speaking to you to give you light and comfort. Listen.»
The people stop shouting, quarrelling and buying and they gather together.
«He is a rabbi!»
«He certainly comes from Jerusalem.»
«Who is He?»
«What a handsome man!»
«And what a voice!»
«And His manners!»
«Of course, He is of David’s House!»
«He is one of ours, then!»
«Let’s listen to Him!»
The whole crowd is now gathered near the little staircase which looks like a pulpit.
«Genesis states: “I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman: She will crush your head and you will strike at Her heel”. It is also said: “I will multiply your pains in childbearing… and the soil shall yield you brambles and thistles”. That was the sentence against man, woman and the serpent.
I have come from far to revere Rachel’s tomb, and in the evening breeze, in the dew of the night, in the plaintive morning song of the nightingale, I heard ancient Rachel’s sobs being repeated, and they were repeated by the mouths of many mothers of Bethlehem, within their tombs or within their hearts. And I heard Jacob’s sorrow roar in the pain of the widowed husbands, deprived of their wives whom sorrow had killed… I cry with you… But listen, brethren of My land. Bethlehem, the blessed land, the least of the towns in Judah, but the greatest in the eyes of God and of mankind, roused Satan’s hatred because it was the cradle of the Saviour, as Micah says, destined to be the tabernacle on which the Glory of God, the Fire of God, His Incarnate Love was to rest.
“I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman; She will crush your head and you will strike at Her heel”. Which enmity is there greater than the one that aims at a mother’s children, the very heart of a woman? And which heel is there stronger than the Saviour’s Mother’s? The revenge of Satan defeated was therefore a natural one: he did not strike at the heel, but at the hearts of mothers, because of the Mother.
Oh! Pains were multiplied when the children were lost after giving birth to them! Oh! great was the trouble of being a childless father after sowing and toiling for the offspring! And yet, Bethlehem, rejoice! Your pure blood, the blood of the innocents has prepared a blazing purple way for the Messiah…»
74.8 The crowd, which has become more and more turbulent after Jesus mentioned the Saviour and His Mother, is now showing clear signs of agitation.
«Be quiet, Master» says Judas. «And let us go.»
But Jesus does not listen to him. He goes on: «… for the Messiah that the Grace of the God-Father saved from tyrants to preserve Him for His people and its salvation and…»
The shrill voice of a woman shouts: «Five, five I gave birth to, and not one is now in my house. Poor me!» And she yells hysterically.
It is the beginning of the uproar.
Another woman rolls over in the dust, she tears her dress, and shows a breast maimed of its nipple, shouting: «Here, here on this breast they slaughtered my first-born son! The sword cut off his face and my nipple at the same time. Oh! my Ellis!»
«And what about me! What about me? There is my royal palace. Three tombs in one, watched over by the father: my husband and children together. There, there! If there is a Saviour, let Him give me back my children, my husband, let Him save me from despair, from Beelzebub He must save me.»
They all shout: «Our children, our husbands, our fathers! Let Him give them back, if He exists!»
Jesus waves His arms imposing silence. «Brethren of My land: I would like to give you back your children, in their flesh. But I tell you: be good, be resigned, forgive, hope, rejoice in hope and exult in one certainty: you will soon have your children, angels in Heaven, because the Messiah is about to open the gates of Heaven, and if you are just, death will be a new Life and a new Love…»
«Ah! Are You the Messiah? In the name of God, tell us.»
Jesus lowers Him arms, in so sweet and kind a gesture as if He were embracing them all, and He says: «Yes, I am.»
«Go away! Go away! It’s Your fault, then!»
A stone is thrown amid hisses and jeers.
74.9 Judas reacts at once in a most praiseworthy way… Oh! if he had always behaved thus! He jumps in front of Jesus, standing on the low wall of the landing, with his mantle wide open and undaunted he protects Jesus from the stones. His face bleeds and he shouts to John and Simon: «Take Jesus away. Behind those trees. I’ll follow. Go, in the name of Heaven!» And he shouts to the crowd: «Mad dogs! I am of the Temple and I will report you to the Temple and to Rome.»
The crowd is scared for a moment. Then the shower of stones is resumed at once, but fortunately, they are not experts. And Judas, fearless, receives them, and replies with offensive language to the curses of the crowd. Furthermore: he catches a stone thrown at him, and he throws it back on the head of an old man who is shouting like a magpie plucked alive! And as they attempt to climb up his pedestal, he quickly picks up an old branch from the ground, (he has now come off the little wall) and he swings it round on backs, heads and hands mercilessly.
Some soldiers rush to the spot and with their lances they make their way through the crowd: «Who are you? Why this brawl?»
«I am a Judaean and I have been attacked by these plebeians. A rabbi, well known to the priests, was with me. He was speaking to these dogs. But they became wild and attacked us.»
«Who are You?»
«Judas of Kerioth, I was a man of the Temple, now I am a disciple of rabbi Jesus of Galilee. I am a friend of Simon the Pharisee, of Johanan the Sadducee, and of Joseph of Arimathaea, the Counsellor of the Sanhedrin, and finally, of Eleazar ben Anna, the Proconsul’s great friend, and you can check.»
«I will. Where are you going?»
«I am going to Kerioth with my friend, then to Jerusalem.»
«Go. We will protect your back.»
Judas hands some coins to the soldier. It must be illegal… but quite normal, because the soldier takes them swiftly and cautiously, he salutes and smiles. Judas jumps down from his platform, he goes through the uncultivated field, skipping now and again, and he reaches his companions.
«Are you seriously hurt?»
«No, it’s nothing, Master! In any case, it’s for You… But I gave them a licking as well. I must be covered with blood…»
«Yes, on your cheek. There is a rivulet here.»
John moistens a small piece of cloth and wipes Judas’ cheek.
«I am sorry, Judas… But see,… to tell them that we are Judaeans, according to your good practical sense…»
«They are beasts. I believe You are now convinced, Master. And I hope you will not insist…»
«Oh! no! Not because I am afraid. But because it is useless, just now. When they do not want us, we must not curse them, but withdraw praying for the poor, foolish people, who die of starvation and cannot see the Bread. Let us go along this out-of-the-way path, towards the shepherds, if we can find them. I think we will be able to get on to the Hebron road…»
«To have more stones thrown at us,?»
«No. To say to them: “I am here”.»
«What?… They will certainly beat us. They have been suffering for thirty years because of You.»
«We shall see.»
They enter a cool, shady, thick little wood, and I lose sight of them.
Detail
Jesus came to the ruins of Anne's house. He decided to speak to the people of Bethlehem, who had lost their children in the massacre of the Innocents.